QB battle heats up
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Kyle Allen showed up at the Rivals Camp series event in Phoenix with something to prove, and prove it he did.
The Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain pro-style quarterback with nearly 20 offers had an outstanding performance in front of the Rivals.com analysts and had a showing worthy of the top-rated player at his position.
Allen has a big arm, a big frame, a sharp mind and showed all the other intangibles necessary to make a big jump in the rankings. Rivals.com moved the 6-foot-4, 195-pound prospect to the No. 27 recruit in the 2014 class and he sits atop the pro-style quarterback rankings.
"He's grown, he's bigger, he's improved his arm strength and essentially he just has that great combination of size, touch, footwork and everything we're looking for in a pro-style quarterback," Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell said. "He has a great frame that will fill out and he showed us everything possible to prove he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country."
Rivals.com West analyst Rob Cassidy agreed, saying Allen is "as mechanically sound as any quarterback I've seen. This allows him to throw deep routes particularly fades without muscling his throws whatsoever.
"He's the kind of player who will shine at the college level provided he receives the right coaching. The ball simply jumps out of his hand and he's amazingly accurate for a high school quarterback."
With Allen's move to the top-rated pro-style quarterback after his masterful performance in Phoenix, the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge on June 7-9 in Chicago is setting up nicely for a quarterback competition.
Allen is now No. 1 at his position. Clemson commit DeShaun Watson is No. 1 at dual-threat QB and the top quarterback overall.
Plus, Texas pledge Jerrod Heard and Kentucky commit Drew Barker will be the other 2014 quarterbacks pushing for recognition.
Chicago will be the proving ground -- and Allen's opportunity to continue his move up the rankings.
"It will be important because we have the No. 1 quarterbacks at their position and two other top quarterbacks who are looking for even more national recognition," Farrell said. "It will give everyone a little bit of an advantage to get in front of us and prove they're the best."
Also adding to the hype for Allen is he's the only uncommitted 2014 quarterback who will be at the Five-Star Challenge.
[ MORE: Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge roster ]
Already with a shopping cart full of major offers, Allen might even become more popular on the national scene with a strong performance at Soldier Field.
"As for his recruitment, things are pretty wide open, but he's planning to trim his list soon," Cassidy said.
"If I had to guess on schools that will still be standing at the end, I'd guess Wisconsin, Ohio State, UCLA, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Texas A&M and Notre Dame. There could be a few more schools that make the cut, but those are the ones I'm pretty sure will be there at the end."
The Scottsdale Desert Mountain recruit, who threw for 3,119 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his junior season, proved at the RCS Phoenix that he's top pro-style quarterback in the class.
Can he show even more at the Five-Star Challenge?
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