| |  | | Tom Lemming |
There's no shortage of top-flight quarterbacks in this year's recruiting class, and there's been virtually no hesitation by many of those quarterbacks to make early commitments.
Nine of the nation's 15 top 100 players who have committed have been QBs. Seven of this year's top 20 QB prospects are already committed, with two of the top five giving verbals to Tennessee. Six-foot-four, 210-pound Casey Clausen of Mission Hills (Alemany), Calif., and 6-4, 205-pound John Rattay of Phoenix (Desert Vista), Ariz., are two prep superstars with unlimited ability. It'll be interesting to see which one will eventually win out in Knoxville. With the talent and confidence that both of these young men possess, neither one will take lightly to sitting on the bench for four years. One will eventually become the starting quarterback for Tennessee and the other one will more than likely wind up transferring to another Division I-A school.
Rarely do you find two of the top five signal-callers in the country signing with the same school, but it has happened in the past. Back in the early '90s Notre Dame inked Rick Mirer of Goshen, Ind., the No. 1 prospect in the country, as well as the No. 5 prospect, Jake Kelchner of Berwick, Pa. Two years later Kelchner transferred to West Virginia and helped lead the Mountaineers to two bowl games. This same scenario developed in 1994 when the nation's top QB prospect, Peyton Manning of New Orleans, and the No. 5 prospect, Branndon Stewart of Stephenville, Tex., both inked scholarships with Tennessee. Both players claimed they were excited about the competition. Manning eventually won the starting job, which led to Stewart's transfer to Texas A&M one year later.
The 1999 football season provides no clear-cut leader among the elite college football quarterbacks. Though the No. 1 prospect at this time does not have the prototypical QB height, he certainly has the arm strength, smarts and presence to make it big at the next level. He is Brock Berlin, a 6-1, 190-pounder from Shreveport (Evangel Christian Academy), La. This dynamic player is about to break all the passing records at a high school that has produced more productive quarterbacks than some colleges. Last season Berlin completed 326 of 473 passes for 4,834 yds and 54 TDs and is on a pace to surpass those figures this season. This mid-term grad committed to the Florida Gators on Oct. 17.
The No. 2 quarterback in the country is Jason Campbell. A 6-5, 185-pounder from Taylorsville, Miss., Campbell is an extremely accurate passer with a strong arm and can put the ball on the money just about every time. He is a classic drop-back passer with great poise and intelligence. As a junior he threw for 2,719 yds and 33 TDs. This great athlete is also considered to be one of the state's top basketball players, averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds a game last season. He is also an excellent student and lists LSU, Georgia, Florida and Auburn as his top four choices.
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ABOUT TOM LEMMING
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Tom Lemming is editor of Prep Football Report. For information on how to subscribe to Prep Football Report's magazine, newsletters and website, log on to www.prepfootballreport.com. For year-round recruiting updates, call Tom Lemming's Prep Football Hotline at 900-860-9888. Calls are $1.79 per minute, and callers must be 18 years old or have parents' permission. |
The No. 3 quarterback prospect is Casey Clausen, and fellow Tennessee commitment John Rattay is No. 5. The fourth-ranked QB is Chris Rix, a 6-4, 200-pounder from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Rix is one of the nation's more athletic quarterbacks and played his first three prep seasons at LaPuente Bishop Amat, where he broke several passing records. Rix committed to FSU way back in February, and the Seminoles have told him that he is their QB of the future.
The No. 6 quarterback is Jeff Smoker, a 6-4, 195-pounder from Manheim Central, Pa., who is the top quarterback prospect in the East. There was enormous pressure on Smoker this past spring to stay home and play for Penn State; instead, he decided to sit back, wait a little bit and check out a few other schools, and he eventually committed to Michigan State over North Carolina, Michigan and Tennessee.
The No. 7 prospect is Brandon Sumner from one of the country's more productive schools, Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland. Last summer Sumner passed for 1,730 yds and 26 TDs while rushing for 667 yds and nine scores. He sees the field well, has a quick set-up and does a good job of picking out his second and third receivers. He has also proven to be extremely dangerous while on the roll-out. Right now Brandon has his sights set on Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, USC, North Carolina and South Carolina.
No. 8 on our list is South Carolina's All-State QB Darian Durant of Florence (Wilson). Durant may not be the tallest quarterback in the nation, but he is certainly one of the more athletic ones. On film he has proven he can dominate a game offensively, and it's tough to find a QB with his kind of arm strength, foot quickness and leadership ability. As a junior he threw for 2,144 yds and 21 TDs while also rushing for 504 yds and 10 scores. His favorites at this time are North Carolina State, Georgia, Clemson, North Carolina and Michigan State.
The top quarterback in the Lone Star State in Carlyle Holiday of San Antonio (Roosevelt). Ranked No. 9 nationally, he's a 6-4, 198-pounder with 4.5 speed. He has the prototypical height, arm strength and smarts. Right now he plans on visiting Notre Dame, Nebraska and Syracuse.
Our No. 10 QB, Brandon Hance of Woodland Hills (Taft), Calif., does not possess the size and arm strength that normally gets college coaches excited. All he does is win with precision passing, smarts and quick feet. He has already committed to Purdue, and I believe the Boilermakers have gotten themselves a good one.
Another great athlete is Chance Mock of The Woodlands, Tex., who has already committed to the Longhorns of Texas. Our No. 11 signal-caller is a confident player who believes he has the ability to wrestle the Longhorns' starting quarterback spot away from Major Applewhite and Chris Simms. However, his 4.45 speed and 39-inch vertical leap could dictate a move to the defensive secondary.
Our No. 12 signal caller is Craig Ochs of Boulder (Fairview), Colo. The athletic Ochs made a big name for himself at June's summer camps at Georgia, Notre Dame and Colorado. He earned second-team All-State honors in '98 after throwing for more than 2,000 yds and 16 TDs. Besides Georgia, Notre Dame and Colorado, he's looking at Arizona State, Arizona and Kansas State.
Our No. 13-rated quarterback is Aaron Alston of Durham (Riverside), N.C., who was not widely known until he opened a lot of eyes at the North Carolina summer camp. This 6-4, 200-pounder has a big-league arm and good running skills. North Carolina leads North Carolina State, Virginia, Duke and South Carolina.
Checking in at No. 14 is big, strong-armed and surprisingly quick Jared Clark of Sarasota (Mooney), Fla. This 6-4, 220-pounder with 4.6 speed is one of the fastest-rising QB prospects in the nation. Right now he is planning on visiting Notre Dame, Miami, Wisconsin and possibly Georgia, Virginia or Clemson.
The No. 15-rated prospect is Matt Lovecchio of Oradell (Bergen Catholic), N.J. This season Lovecchio is leading the highly rated Bergen Catholic team, averaging better than 150 yards passing per game despite the fact that he normally sits out the second half due to big leads. He is committed to Notre Dame.
No. 16 Derrick Crudup of Deerfield Beach, Fla., is the son of former Prep Football Report All-American Derrick Crudup, Sr. Last season Crudup passed for 1,569 yds and 14 TDs and was picked off just four times. He is a tall, athletic ball player with a quick release and strong arm. He is the top-rated quarterback in South Florida and is currently looking at Miami, Auburn, South Carolina, Syracuse, Georgia and West Virginia, with Auburn leading.
The brother of Cincinnati Bengals QB Jeff Blake is our No. 17-rated QB prospect, Brandon Blake of Wintersprings, Fla. At 6-2½ and 210 pounds he is much taller than his brother with similar arm strength and passing skills. Like his brother, he shows exceptional timing and touch. Right now Brandon is looking at East Carolina, UCF, South Carolina, Florida and FSU.
Our No. 18, Tracy Thorpe, is this year's version of Daunte Culpepper. At 6-4, 230, this blazer from Melbourne, Fla., has unlimited potential. As a junior he passed for 836 yds and 12 TDs and rushed for 550 yds and two scores. He can throw the ball 80 yards and has superior mobility, release and poise. However, he needs to pick it up academically if he wants to play college ball in the year 2000. He is looking at South Carolina, Michigan State, Kansas State and UCF.
The state of Georgia's top-ranked QB is our No. 19 prospect, David Greene, a 6-3, 190-pounder from Snellville (South Gwinnett). This past summer Greene looked fantastic at the Georgia camp and was immediately offered a scholarship by the Bulldogs. Last season he threw for 2,100 yds and 14 TDs and is on a pace to surpass those numbers this season. Georgia and Georgia Tech lead North Carolina State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Florida.
Shane Boyd checks in at No. 20. A 6-2, 215-pounder with 4.6 speed from Lexington (Clay), Ky., Boyd is a leader with a strong arm and quick feet. Northwestern, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky are his top schools.
Those are the top 20 quarterback prospects as of October. This list will most certainly change as we get closer to Signing Day. Here are some other top quarterbacks to keep your eye on:
Tony Stauss of Racine, Wis.
Chris Lombardo of Newberry Park, Calif.
Jon VanCleave of Arlington, Tex.
Jermaine Gonzalez of Orchard Lake, Mich.
Matt Cassel of Chatsworth, Calif.
Zach Wasserman of Westlake Village, Calif.
Matt Schabert of Elgin, Ill.
Pat Hoderny of Erie, Pa.
Chris Wispelwey of Pequannock, N.J.
Eric Boatwright of Brockton, Mass.
Zack Mills of Urbana, Md.
Dondrial Pinkins of Camilla, Ga.
Matt Redding of Madison County, Fla.
Michael Crouch of Navarre, Fla.
Aaron Karas of Spring, Tex.
Luke McCowen of Jacksonville, Tex.
Hunter Wall of Coppell, Tex.
Dustin Long of Port Neches, Tex.
Rick McFadden of Struthers, Ohio
T.J. Prunty of St. Paul, Minn.
Jon Stoner of Glendale, Ariz.
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