Fort Worth NIKE Camp to feature deep QB pool

FT. WORTH, Texas – Quietly the state of Texas has quickly become one of the nation's top quarterback producing states. The class of 2006 in Texas is one of the best in recent history and many of those elite quarterbacks will be on hand at Saturday's NIKE Camp at Texas Christian University.

While the event won't include Taylor Potts and Matthew Stafford, two of the state's best players at the position, there are plenty of other big name signal-callers that will test their skill against a group of talented defensive backs. Potts, a Texas Tech commitment, will work out at Friday's E.A. Sports Elite 11 regional quarterback workout and miss Saturday's event because of a baseball game. Stafford will be at the NIKE Camp held May 14 in Athens, Ga.

Still, there is plenty of talent to go around at the position.

Aldine, Texas, dual-threat quarterback Terrance Anderson has offers from Northwestern, Kansas State, Iowa State and UTEP and hopes to show people that he's one of the best two-way threats in the state.

"The NIKE Camp is a great opportunity for a guy like me to show that he can also be a good passer and a good runner," Anderson said. "I know that I'm a good dual-threat guy, but I want to show people that I can fling it around the field, too."

Anderson isn't the only dual-threat standout expected.

Spring (Texas) Westfield quarterback Pierre Beasley is one of the best in the Houston area. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder has a very solid arm and should test extremely well in the 40-yard dash and shuttle. L.J. Castile of La Marque is a rapid-riser with college coaches. He is expected to be one of the more impressive looking quarterbacks from a physical standpoint. He's reportedly in the 6-foot-3, 210 pound range.

Castile is getting early attention from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Virginia. Beasley likes Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech early on.

Sherrod Harris of Arlington (Texas) Bowie also falls into the dual-threat category and might be the most highly regarded two-way threat at the position. Harris, who is 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, is a pre-evaluation period Rivals100 member and already has offers from Stanford, Texas, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, LSU, Syracuse, Texas A&M and TCU.

Harris is hoping to prove to experts and evaluators that his somewhat down junior season was an aberration and he'll be back to the level he was as a sophomore. As a sophomore, he threw for 1,459 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 489 yards.

Top pro-style quarterbacks are also expected at the camp.

Clark Harrell of Ennis, Texas, is following in the footsteps of his brother and will be one of the more interesting prospects to follow in his senior season. Graham Harrell signed with Texas Tech two years ago and was one of the best in the state.

Greg McElroy of Southlake (Texas) Carroll already has an offer from Kansas, but he's yet to become a starter on the varsity level. Last year as a junior, he was behind Missouri-bound quarterback Chase Daniel. He's got all the tools to be a successful college quarterback, but he's just lacking the experience on a high-level. The camp this weekend hopefully will give him a shot to face high-quality talent.

Christian Ponder of Colleyville (Texas) Heritage is also considered one of the best quarterbacks in the state, and with three major offers in his pocket, a strong showing on Saturday could boost his stock even more. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder is also getting interest from Arkansas, Florida State, N.C. State and Texas A&M.

While the camp will have a very heavy Lone Star State flair, expect quite a few out of state prospects to also star at the camp.

Oklahoma standouts Gerald McCoy, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma City Southeast, and George West, a defensive back from Oklahoma City Northeast, are hoping to test their ability against high-level Texas competition. McCoy is considered one of the top two players in the state, and West reportedly recently picked up an offer from Notre Dame.

Louisiana will be represented with running back Chris Brown of Alexandria, La., and defensive tackle Al Woods carrying the banner. Brown is one of the Southeast's best backs with recent offers from Alabama, Mississippi State and Southern Miss. About everybody that is anybody has offered Woods, and he's regarded as one of the top defensive tackles in the nation.