Houston a QB hotbed

Three Greater Houston quarterbacks are in different phases of the recruiting process.

Cypress-Ridge quarterback and Rivals.com's No. 4 prospect Russell Shepard has committed to LSU, but recently enjoyed a trip to Steve Clarkson's Air 7 Camp in California.

"It was a great experience and I really feel like I got some great coaching," he said. "I got to work out with some of the best quarterbacks in the country and I was really impressed. Josh Freeman of Kansas State is a beast. He was really impressive."

Friendswood quarterback Jacob Karam could be nearing the end of his recruiting process, but schools are still making their final pitches. Utah, South Florida and Louisville have offered Karam this week, and the 6-foot-2 quarterback will be attending Oklahoma State and Texas Tech's camps over the next 10 days. While Houston seemed to be the front-runner, the surge of offers and interest are clouding his mind.

"I'm not going to rush the kid," father Jerome Karam said. "One day it's one school, the next day it's another. He's up to like 10 offers and we think more are to come."

While Shepard and Karam have received early attention, Cypress Falls signal caller Kolby Gray's process is just starting to ramp up. He has offers from Rice, Boise State and Army, but he is going to become a hot commodity as quarterbacks fall off the board.

"I'm just staying patient and staying really open to the process," Gray said. "It's been a little frustrating but I'm staying positive. I'm hearing from a lot of schools and will be deciding on some camps pretty soon."

Gray may have had the most productive 2007, throwing for 3,331 yards, 33 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

Another quarterback receiving interest and offers is Aldine Nimitz High School's Zerick Rollins, who has offers from Northwestern and Rice University.

"He's a quarterback," coach David Suggs said. "He's a great leader and has a great work ethic. He's going to go through the process and see what happens, but he's a quarterback."

For Broderick Thomas Jr., the recruiting process is the least of his worries. Thomas transferred from Fort Bend Elkins to Houston Madison before the spring, but his eligibility is in question. While Nebraska seems interested, he may be a quarterback without a high school team. He was recently ruled ineligible to play at Madison and the saga seems to be unresolved.

Many paths to the same destination.