Yes, I know it's Bleacher Report but this is one of their best articles in quite some time. Here is the link. Really interesting stuff, don't know anything about the kid but going by this article it's shocking to me that he doesn't have at least one offer.
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Not a single offer? Well shit
Part of the story has to be missing here, right?
A little odd, but not unheard of
However, just because someone is a good HS player does not mean they will be a good college player. There are thousands of stories like this out there. Heck, Ben Mauk set all sorts of records in a big football state (Ohio) and was barely recruited at all out of HS. Look at Emanuel Gant, who just set the Arizona record for passing yards. He's considered a 3* by many and he only has 1 offer (from Prairie View A&M). Corey Robinson of Paducah, KY had way better stats than Bruere (91 touchdowns to 4 interceptions) and got his sole FBS offer very late in the process. Happens all the time.
Looking at his highlight tape, his mechanics are an absolute mess as his throwing motion is very odd. It's almost like his hands aren't big enough to grip the football properly or he was pitcher throwing 3/4's at some point. If your mechanics are a mess, you better be supremely talented- a big arm and/or very athletically gifted. Neither of those seem to be the case here. In addition, he just isn't asked to do very much- few if any throws into traffic and a lot of check downs. Also, I don't buy that folks just don't want to come to New Mexico, considering they have two D-I prospects at QB and that he apparently went to several camps. I think he just has a good PR guy.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1839291/highlights/178127375
It sucks for the kid, but he certainly has a good enough GPA to get into a university on his own merit. He's probably best off going somewhere, getting his education, and trying to walk-on to the football team.
This makes me think of all the good qb's in the NFL who went to who knows where in college. I wonder what their recruiting looked like coming out of high school. Guys like Ben Rothlesberger, Joe Flacco, Homo....I mean Romo, etc. Perhaps they just peaked at the right time but it's very interesting to see guys dominate college at the QB position in college and then struggle severely in the NFL.
Kind of like a guy I work with his son is like 6'3" 285 or something like that and plays on the D-line. He said he went to a camp at LSU but didn't get offered. My buddy said his son just isn't quick enough for D1. Obviously recruiters know what they are looking for and can fix with strength and conditioning and what they can't and would be a waste of both theirs and the kids time. Ah well.
Flacco was highly touted he went to Pitt and transferred after being beat out for the starters spot by a redshirt freshman. Figured his odds of playing were slim and went to Delaware
Roethlisberger only played one year of high school football and still managed to get a Division 1 scholarship to Miami(Ohio) where he started as a redshirt Freshmen. His junior year, he actually had Miami(Ohio) ranked 10th in the polls and went pro early.
I'm just not seeing the throwing mechanics being a mess.
His release looks like Anthony Jennings (LSU) where he puts just behind his ear and slings it.
If you're not seeing it then I can't help you, it's very pronounced. Bucky had similar mechanical issues coming out, and there's a reason he was moved, but Bucky had extraordinary athleticism going for him.
Yeah, Bucky was glaring for sure, I'd say Durkin's was off as well.
I'm just not seeing what the issue is with this kid. Oh well...
Surprising that someone with a pass-happy spread offense hasn't offered him yet. Good size, good arm, incredible accuracy, not to mention a heck of a student!
Lets get him, turn him into a safety....just kidding
but on a more serious note, why doesn't he find a community college or an FCS program? These programs often tied with major schools have a lot of needs at QB. Even as a backup he's at least got an opportunity.
So from my untrained eye...the mechanics are serious flaws. He definitely looks like someone who was taught to throw a baseball and uses the same motion to throw a football.
Let's start with the top. Throws from his ear, which is fine. That makes for a good release. However, he goes from his ear straight forward. Usually when throwing a football, you see the hand go UP and OUT from the ear to get some nice height on the ball. Yes, he's 6'3", but he throws on the same plane as someone who is 5'10" because of the lack of vertical hand movement when he throws.
Next, let's look at the follow through. It looks like he follows through well enough to get the ball where he wants it...most of the time. An ideal follow-through ends on your opposite hip from what I understand. Since he gets 0 vertical extension in his throwing motion, he's whipping the ball out and can't get his hand across is body to finish in an "ideal" follow through. I know that not everyone gets this follow-through and it doesn't have to be picture perfect all the time, but it's an indicator of other problems when he can't physically get his hand to follow through properly.
Further, look at his shoulder. Since his arm motion is more OUT than UP and OUT (think throwing darts from your shoulder vs. a traditional football throw) he has to move his front shoulder out of the way faster than he would if he had a better arm motion, meaning his body becomes rotational faster. His innate athleticism allows him to finish his throws with pop and accuracy since he's able to get all his parts working in time with one another, even if they aren't all working towards the same goal. that's where athleticism gets you.
Fourth, check out his front hip and leg. Look at the angle it makes with the ground when he releases the football. Ideally you want to be able to see over 6'8" lineman and their hands. That leg angle has him down low in his throwing motion (notice on his highlights how often his OC moves the pocket - not sure if on purpose or accident). Ideally you want all of your body over your front leg when you release the football (this part is similar to baseball). He is unable to get his hips on top of that leg and has to bend forward to maintain his balance while he throws. This (relatively) severe leg angle means he's going to have significant trouble throwing on the run - notice how he has to stop and throw when rolling right (mainly) or left (has to turn shoulders anyway, so stopping/slowing down expected). From his highlights, I can't see him ever having a consistent release point when rolling out and attempting to throw on the run. That doesn't bode well for him escaping D1 DE's and LB's on the edge and giving himself enough time to plant and throw in those situations is tough (unless your name is Tyrod Taylor and you just roll left, plant both feet, and heave it 20+ yards to the end zone).
So I know that was a HUGE wall of text. Let me see if I can do a TL;DR:
The lack of extension up and out in his motion combined with his severe leg angle with the ground on his plant leg (left) cause him to be a 6'3" QB who throws on a plane shorter than Michael Brewer's current plane. If I can see it, his coaches can see it and haven't been able to "fix" or change it. He has put up good numbers, seems like a good kid (helping with guidance program, etc), has a good head on his shoulders and can make reads OK for a HS QB, but when looking at the total potential package, he has less pure athleticism than D1 coaches tend to take for a guy with his mechanical flaws.
French (or someone), if this is completely wrong, feel free to correct me. I dislike spreading misinformation, but love digging into mechanics in football and baseball (OL mechanics are...difficult for me, but w/e).
so I guess we've heard of all the ones worth getting then, eh?
Didn't Frank Beamer come to VT with a bunch of insane passing numbers as a record holding high school quarterback? He got moved to DB after one day of practice.
Quarterbacks get too much blame when things go wrong and too much credit when things go right. This highlight tape is the perfect example, and I only watched the first two or three minutes.
First things first, it looks like he has the best pass protecting offensive line in the country. Dude has all day to stand in the pocket and make his reads, often with 4-5 receivers running over the place.
Secondly, a third of these throws are dumpoffs to a running back running a release route. There were so many clips of that running back catching a swing pass in the backfield and turn up field against slower competition that I thought I was watching HIS Hudl video for a minute.
Lastly, those wide receivers are very well coached. They run very sharp routes and get their bodies inbetween the ball and defenders on shorter routes. They catch with their hands and keep their momentum going up field. I like that unit a lot, they all looked open every play.
I'm not trying to trash that high school kid, he has a highlight tape he should be very proud of. Just sayin.