High schools countdown: Sophomore Luis Cordova the next big thing on Lancers' O-line

The Star is counting down the top high school football players in Southern Arizona. Up next: Salpointe Catholic offensive tackle Luis Cordova.

Name: Luis Cordova

Rundown: Cordova is a 6-foot-4-inch, 280-pound sophomore at Salpointe Catholic.

Who he is: As a wide-eyed freshman last year, Cordero received valuable advice from one of his coaches. 

“Coach told me to be seen, not heard,” he said. “I live by that quote.”

Cordova keeps getting noticed, which is the reason he began playing football in the first place. When he was in the second grade, a coach for the Tucson Redskins spotted Cordova and urged him to play football.

“I was this big, tall chubby kid, and he saw me and said, ‘I need him on my team,’" Cordova said.

Cordova had never played or even watched football prior before. To this day, Cordova will only watch game film or study players he emulates, like San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams.

Once he played his first year of football, Cordova said he “just fell in love with the sport.”

“I felt like this was something I could do for a long time and be good at,” he said.

Cordova made Salpointe's varsity team as a freshman; there, he teamed up with older linemen who’ve already experienced Carla Garrett’s renowned strength and conditioning program for two or three years.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

“I worked my tail off, kept my head down and just hoped for the best. Watching the upperclassmen work motivated me to be better,” said Cordova.

Cordova cracked the starting lineup when senior Gabriel Siqueiros suffered an injury.

“Luis was our next-best lineman. For a kid to play left tackle as a freshman, that speaks volumes to the kind of player and person he is,” said Salpointe Catholic coach Eric Rogers. “Part of it is the fearlessness of it. No big moment was too big for him. He’s got great composure and natural leadership skills. Nothing scares him, which is big, especially at a young age like that.”

The night Siqueiros was injured, “he texted saying that I got his position and that I need to work for it, try my best at it and get the job done,” Cordova said.

“It meant the absolute world, because he was a senior last year and played alongside guys like Jonah (Miller), Bijan (Robinson), Lathan (Ransom) and all those studs. This guy started ever since he was a sophomore, and he was just a really good teammate and leader, and he always put the team before himself.”

Siqueiros’ mentorship has groomed Cordova to become a full-time starter and a reliable offensive tackle for the Lancers offense for the next three years.

This offseason, “I stayed in the weight room, lost weight, got faster and I attended a lot of camps as well,” Cordova said. “I feel way more comfortable now, because now I have a feel for it. Just returning and being in the weight room all summer, I have a lot more confidence.”

Proof he’s good: Cordova already has a scholarship offer from the UA. The Wildcats offered Cordova earlier this summer at an Arizona camp. During offensive line drills, UA offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Brennan Carroll offered Cordova a full-ride scholarship for the 2024 class.

“It was literally the most exciting moment of my life, when Brennan Carroll told me that I received an offer from him," Cordova said. "It means the absolute world to me, because it’s my hometown, a city I love and my whole family is around here. It just felt really special to me.”

He said it: “Luis is really growing into his own every day and just gets to work. His upside and potential is huge. He has a chance to play for anyone in the country.” — Rogers