Quarterback is the most important position in football and recruiting a top-flight signal caller can also have a major impact on a recruiting class. Usually viewed as the leader of a school’s class and tasked with helping recruit, the early a quarterback makes his pledge the quicker a school can build around him.
With most of the top programs in 2019 already having a quarterback in the fold, today we take a look at the school’s that have already turned the page and snagged a commit for next year’s class. Prospects are listed in the order of their current Rivals.com rankings.
MORE: Farrell's biggest recent commitments | Rivals' highest ranked all-time QBs
OHIO STATE
Who they beat: USC, UCLA, North Carolina, South Carolina, LSU
The situation: Miller was highly-coveted by staffs from around the country and got an early start on his recruitment, taking visits to several campuses before announcing a decision earlier this month. He was the main focus of Ohio State’s quarterback recruiting in the 2020 class and the Buckeyes are thrilled to already have him in the fold.
NOTRE DAME
Who they beat: Florida State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State
The situation: Pyne burst onto the recruiting scene very early, collecting offers from Alabama and Florida State as a freshman. But as several programs saw various assistant coaches change places, his relationship with the Notre Dame staff stayed consistent. Rather than test the waters any longer, Pyne pledged to the Irish in April. The commitment was huge for the Irish, who missed on several of their top targets in the 2019 class before recently landing three-star Brendon Clark.
TEXAS
Who they beat: Ohio State, Northwestern, Arkansas
The situation: Card hasn’t been known on the national recruiting scene for long, especially considering he spent last season playing wide receiver while backing up Ohio State signee Matthew Baldwin at quarterback. An exceptional athlete based on his success at wide receiver last season, Texas made Card a priority and landed his commitment over several other schools. Lake Travis is known for producing elite talent at the quarterback position and Card is in line to be the next star.
ALABAMA
Who they beat: Florida
The situation: A multi-sport athlete who was committed to Florida to play baseball, Beck recently surprised many when he flipped his commitment to Alabama to play football. Obviously, he’s a talented athlete as he earned SEC offers in two sports, and Alabama clearly felt strongly about him to take his commitment this early in the process. The Tide have two four-star quarterbacks committed in 2019 but wasted no time focusing on Beck for 2020.
IOWA
Who they beat: Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State
The situation: Iowa isn’t typically known for landing commitments this early in the process but the Hawkeyes fell in love with Hogan and made a strong push for his commitment this summer. That effort paid off quickly and Hogan made his commitment late last month. Given his early pledge, he should be able to help Iowa’s recruiting efforts in the Lone Star State over the next 18 months.
LSU
Who they beat: Florida, Alabama
The situation: The Tigers have struggled in quarterback recruiting over the past few years but they got their man early in the 2020 class in Finley. The in-state recruit is a massive prospect, checking in a legit 6-foot-7. He’s still a little raw but obviously only halfway through his high school career LSU saw enough to make him their main target. After missing out on in-state Rivals100 quarterback Justin Rogers in the 2018 class, keeping Finley close to home is a big early win.
CAL
Who they beat: Arizona State
The situation: Another quarterback who spent last season behind a talented quarterback - he backed up 2018 Texas signee Cameron Rising last season - Gulbranson is still under the radar around the country. But he caught the eye of the Cal staff during the spring evaluation period and netted an offer. It didn’t take him long after that to commit as he made his decision last month. Gulbranson fits the Bears' academic mold as well and being from Southern California should only help his efforts to add to the program's 2020 class.
IOWA STATE
Who they beat: N/A
The situation: The Cyclones were Bouman’s first offer and he jumped on the chance to join the fold. Iowa State fans are hoping his commitment is different than that of Dwan Mathis, who was also identified early by the Cyclones only to later decommit and commit to Michigan State, before he eventually flipped to Ohio State. Bouman, the son of former NFL quarterback Todd Bouman, has already made multiple visits to campus and should be a good ambassador for the program's efforts in 2020.
WAKE FOREST
Who they beat: West Virginia, Maryland, Vanderbilt
The situation: The Demon Deacons were also penalized for their early evaluation skills in the 2019 class as they nabbed Brendon Clark only to see him eventually end up decommitting and land with Notre Dame. But even after landing two commits to replace Clark, the Wake Forest staff got to work early in identifying and landing a commitment from Griffis. A quality athlete with experience running the spread offense, the Wake coaches are hoping they landed another gem.
