Around the Southwest: QB to watch

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Rivals.comSouthwestanalystBrianPerronilooksaroundhisregionatsomeoftheemergingunderclassmen,apromisingsleeperprospectandalsopreviewstheupcomingweekendofgamecoverage.

Rememberthesenames

AbreakdownofgametapeonthreeimpressiveunderclassmenprospectsintheSouthwest:

PQBBraydenScottClickHeretoviewthisLink.,Tahlequah(Okla.)Sequoyah(2013)

The6-foot-2,185-poundjuniorhasaverysolidbuildandactuallylooksthickerthanhiscurrentweightwouldsuggest.Hehasastrongarmandsurprisinglygoodtouchonhisdeepballs.Scotttendstopushtheballoutofhishandeveryonceinawhilebutthatissomethinganumberofhighschoolquarterbacksreverttodoingwhentheygettiredsoit'sreallynotahugeconcern.

ScotthasearlyoffersfromAlabama,Arizona,Arkansas,ClemsonandTulsa.HelivedinArkansasuntiltheeighthgradeandhisgrandfatherplayedfootballfortheRazorbackssotheywillcertainlybeaplayerinhisrecruitment.Thein-statetrioofOklahoma,OklahomaStateandTulsaalsohasanadvantageduetodistancefromhomeandwillallbeafactoraswell.

OTAndyBauerClickHeretoviewthisLink.,St.Louis(Mo.)DeSmet(2014)

The6-foot-5,280-poundoffensivelinemandidsomethingayearagoveryfewplayershaveachancetodo-hestartedonvarsityasafreshman.Itisevenmoreimpressivethathediditasanoffensivetackle,manningtherightsideoftheline.Bauerisrelativelyleanforbeing280poundsandstillhasplentyofroomtofillouthisframe.Hemoveshisfeetwellinpassprotectionbutmostimpressiveishowhegetstothesecondlevelwhenrunblocking.

BauerpickeduptwoveryearlyoffersfromMiamiandMissourithisspringandsummerandhistotalwillbemuch,muchhigherafterhissophomoreseason.HeplaysonthesameteamasRivals100widereceiverandcurrentOklahomacommitDurronNealsotheSoonerswillbeaplayerwithBaueraswell.

TEDeSeanSmithClickHeretoviewthisLink.,LakeCharles(La.)Barbe(2013)

The6-foot-4,222-poundjunioractuallyplaysoutsidereceiverforhishighschoolbutprojectstoapass-catchingtightendincollege.Hehasvery,verygoodhandsandcomesdownwithalmosteverythingthrowninhisdirection.Heisabletousehissizeintheredzonebutisalsoasurprisinglyeffectivedeepthreat.

SmithcampedatLSUandTexasA&Mthissummerandbothwastednotimeinextendingofferstohim.Hewillbeanationalrecruitnextyearbutthosetwoaretheearlyfrontrunnersforhissignature.TheAggieswerethefirsttoofferandSmithenjoyedhistimeoncampusbutitisalwayshardforaprospectfromLouisianatoturndownthein-stateschool.

Sleeperoftheweek

Thisweek'sunder-the-radarprospectthatwon'tbeunknownforlong:

DQB Kyle RomanoClick Here to view this Link., Hurst (Texas) L.D. Bell

Romano did not play much last year and he was behind current Western Kentucky freshman James Mauro. However, schools started to notice his play during spring ball. In fact, Air Force offered the 6-foot-1, 181-pound dual-threat quarterback during the spring¸ before he had ever started a game. Most schools wanted to wait to see how he performed as a starter though.

Three games into his senior year he has the L.D. Bell offense atop the Dallas/Fort Worth area standings. Romano has thrown for 679 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and has also rushed for 310 yards and 11 scores. Colleges are taking notice and he has been offered by Texas State and Eastern Kentucky in the past week. With film of his first three contests being sent out this week it will not be a surprise to see the senior's offer total double over the next 14 days.

Weekend Watch

This weekend Perroni will attend a Thursday night game in the Houston area as The Woodlands College Park hosts Bryan. He will then head to Louisiana for the weekend to watch Shreveport Woodlawn battle Bastrop and Archbishop Rummel go against St. Augustine.

1. Is Johnson a QB?

Bryan, Texas, quarterback Chris Johnson is one of the more talked-about members of the class of 2013. However, there is a question as to whether the 6-foot-5, 195-pound junior will be a quarterback or end up playing another position such as wide receiver. Through two games this year his stats as a passer are not great as he is 9-for-19 for 181 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He has run for 234 yards and three scores on 33 carries, though. Baylor and Utah have both extended Johnson early offers and there is talk he could be a target of Texas' as well. Hopefully he will get a chance this weekend to prove he is more than just a very good athlete playing the quarterback position.

2. Talented defenders

The Woodlawn-Bastrop matchup features two of the top three class of 2012 prospects in the state of Louisiana in Torshiro Davis and Denzel Devall, the No. 2 and No. 3-ranked players respectively. Both are high school defensive ends that could transition to linebackers in college, depending on the scheme. Davis is an LSU commit while Devall has a top three of LSU, TCU and Texas A&M. Woodlawn also has a very good junior defensive tackle in Christopher Robinson, who has an early Mississippi State offer.

3. Young talent on display

Though Rummel has offensive guard Dominick Bilich and St. Augustine has Tulane wide receiver commit Lorenzo Doss, most of the eyes at the game will be on a pair of younger prospects. St. Augustine running back Leonard Fournette is only a sophomore but the 6-foot, 210-pound bruiser already has close to double-digit offers after rushing for 1,734 yards and 22 touchdowns last year as only a freshman. Rummel junior quarterback Damian Williams is also receiving plenty of early attention from colleges.

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