QB Challenge: What to watch for in L.A.
The inaugural Rivals Quarterback Challenge kicks off in Los Angeles on Saturday and there are plenty of top quarterbacks that are expected to attend. The Quarterback Challenge is a new addition to the Rivals Camp Series and will feature four events across the country this spring -- Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and Cincinnati will host. The quarterbacks will be asked to demonstrate their skill levels in accuracy, velocity, ability to throw on the run and downfield vision. There will be an accuracy competition and other evaluations that will be tracked by our analysts in a unique points system.
The four winners of the Quarterback Challenge -- along with 10 others from across all four challenges -- will be flown to Baltimore during the weekend of the Five-Star Challenge to compete in the finals of the Rivals Quarterback Challenge.
Advertisement
The events are attracting top prospects from across the country, giving us numerous storylines to track at the game's most important position. Here are five storylines we will be watching in Los Angeles as the 2015 Rivals Camp Series gets underway.
Note: Registration for the Los Angeles event starts at 8 a.m. and camp starts at 9 a.m. at Fullerton College.
Martell to show out?
Tate Martell threw 40 touchdowns as a sophomore
Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell had an
incredible sophomore season leading arguably the nation's top program and now he
will be competing in the Rivals Quarterback Challenge this weekend.
It is something of a homecoming for Martell, originally from Southern
California, and a slightly different setting than he's used to since the 2017
standout relies so much on his dual-threat capabilities during the season. This
event will test Martell's accuracy -- which has also proven to be outstanding --
and it will be another opportunity to prove that, even at 5-foot-11 and 180
pounds, he is one of the best quarterbacks regardless of class.
As a sophomore, Martell completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,537 yards with
40 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He also rushed for 433 yards and five
scores while leading Gorman through an undefeated campaign.
Martell is a phenomenal and unique talent. When he committed to
Washington, then-coach Steve Sarkisian compared Martell to
Johnny Manziel. As the 2017 quarterback continues to prove, those
comparisons (at least on the field) are no stretch at all.
Modster pushing up list
There has been so much talk about which quarterback is the best in California
for the 2016 class after a phenomenal 2015 group. Though there are some players ranked
higher than Devon Modster, he needs to be in the
conversation.
Modster, a new four-star by Rivals.com, put up brilliant statistics at Rancho
Santa Margarita (Calif.) Tesoro this past season as he threw for 2,500 yards and
24 touchdowns and also rushed for 700 yards and 16 scores.
This past weekend at the King of the IE 7-on-7 Tournament, Modster had another
great showing to kick off the passing league season as he dissected defenses and
found receivers all over the field.
Modster can make all the throws -- short, medium and long -- and he has great
touch on all his throws. There is talk about others and rightfully so because
other talented quarterbacks are definitely out there, but don't count out Modster
because he has a chance to keep moving up the quarterback rankings, especially with a great showing this weekend.
Who will emerge?
Kevin Davidson was the top underclassman quarterback at last year's Rivals Camp Series stop in NorCal.
Most of the early talk about quarterbacks in the 2016 class at least in
California has centered around five-star Malik Henry, who has
transferred to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, and four-star K.J. Costello, but there are plenty of other standouts who could emerge after a big showing this weekend.
How about Glendora, Calif., three-star Matt Fink, who has already been
Oregon State and Washington? He's putting together a strong offer list
even before the spring evaluation period and he could emerge as one of the top quarterbacks in the West.
Then there is a strong group of quarterbacks that have received no offers yet. Oakland (Calif.) McClymonds' Kevin Davidson, Thousand Oaks,
Calif., recruit Max Gilliam, Camarillo, Calif., standout Jake Constantine and Santa Barbara, Calif., QB Brent Peus will be at least four to watch this weekend.
La Jolla (Calif.) La Jolla Country Day 2017 Arizona commit Braxton Burmeister will have a jumpstart on emerging in the rising junior class.
Boston College and Florida have also offered him. One more quarterback who has received tremendous early hype -- and rightfully so -- is
2018's Matt Corral from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian. He'll have a chance to shine this weekend.
Out-of-staters look to impress
Martell leads the list since he's a national recruit with five-star potential,
but there will be plenty of others from outside California heading to the
Quarterback Challenge this weekend who could deliver in a big way.
Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro's Kare' Lyles is a three-star prospect and top 10 player in the state. Chandler (Ariz.) Basha's Ryan Kelley, a 2017 recruit, has already been offered by Arizona State. Nazareth Greer, a 2017 prospect from Tempe (Ariz.) Marcos De Niza, put up huge numbers in his sophomore season.
Other out-of-state quarterbacks who will be headlining the event that could have a big day include Broomfield (Colo.) Legacy's Matt Lynch and Glenwood Springs, Colo., recruit Dante Sparaco. Both have been offered by
Colorado State so far.
BYU commit Jaren Hall from Mapleton (Utah) Maple Mountain and Utah pledge Kahi Neves are expected to be there along with 2017 QB Tayler Katoa, who has already been offered by Utah. Another one to watch is Wilsonville, Ore., recruit Connor Neville.
How will dual-threats handle it?
Martell is a dual-threat quarterback, as is Modster and Burmeister among many others, so it's going to be interesting to see how they handle the accuracy portions of camp and whether they can deliver just dropping back in the pocket and making all the throws.
Another one to watch in this category without question is Gardena (Calif.) Serra
three-star Khalil Tate. He's one of the best athletes in California but has not proven time and again yet that he can be a consistent passer in difficult situations.
To be fair, Tate had a strong showing at the B2G Elite 16 7-on-7 this past weekend at quarterback, but this weekend will be a big step in his development if he can show over and over again that he can hit all the targets.
