17 QB Bentley holds 2 offers
Class of 2017 quarterback Jake Bentley of Opelika (Ala.) may have limited varsity experience, but he has the talent, a 6-foot-4, 207-pound frame and football in the bloodlines. As a result, he's been able to secure offers from Auburn and Appalachian State, with Clemson and South Carolina showing interest.
With and SEC offer and another D-1 offer already in his pocket, Bentley said he's ready to enjoy what's to come.
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"Right now I'm only a sophomore so I have a lot of football left to play," he said. "So I'll keep looking around, see where I fit and go from there."
Bentley is new to Opelika after transferring from Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes, where his father, Bobby Bentley, was head coach. However, Bobby recently left his post at Byrnes - where he won four consecutive state titles from 2002-05 - to work for his close friend Gus Malzahn at Auburn as an offensive analyst.
In addition to Bobby working at Auburn, he also played for and later coached at Presbyterian College. Jake's step brother Chas Dodd played quarterback at Rutgers and older brother Shuler Bentley is a quarterback at Old Dominion.
Given that he comes from a family of successful quarterbacks, it's understandable how Jake was offered while still in middle school.
"Appalachian State offered me in eighth grade," Jake said. "I was kind of shocked. They saw me throw when I went up there with (Shuler) and afterward they called my dad."
Not too long after Appalachian State offered and before Bobby left Byrnes, Jake was offered by Auburn in the summer of 2013.
"They said they really liked me and that they wanted to be one of the first to offer me," Jake said.
This offseason, Jake attended camps at both Clemson and South Carolina in addition to Auburn's.
"I had a good time," Jake said, referring to the Clemson and South Carolina camps. "I had a good work out with (Gamecocks quarterback coach G.A. Mangus) at South Carolina, and Dabo Swinney liked me at Clemson, so we're in touch. Both of them want to see film (of the upcoming season) and we'll go from there."
As more offers are sure to come over the next three seasons, Jake said he'll choose carefully, learning from his step brother Dodd's experience.
"Chas had four different offensive coordinators at Rutgers," Jake said. "I don't want that. I want a coach I can have a relationship with and get close to. I know you can't really say a coach is going to be there all four years, but I want to feel like they'll be there. "