Sleeper QB getting on the map

There was a time that one-year starter at quarterback would be avoided like he had the plague. Thankfully that trend has subsided with the success of Kyle Boller and Matt Moore, both incidentally from Newhall (Calif.) Hart now making their living on Sunday in the NFL.

One quarterback who will be getting his first chance to start this fall, but is already picking up interest on the recruiting trail is Jeff Tuel (6-3, 188, 4.63) from Fresno (Calif.) Clovis West.

Tuel saw a limited number of snaps as a junior backing up Cal bound Beau Sweeney, but is ready for a strong senior campaign. As a junior, Tuel did start three games at wide receiver, catching all four passes thrown to him for 52 yards. From the quarterback position, Tuel rushed the ball 14 times for 59 yards, which included a 20 yard touchdown jaunt in the playoffs.

The word about Tuel started to spread due to his outstanding performances at Nike SPARQ combine in Oakland. He ended up with a score of 86.64. That score ranks Tuel fourth nationally for quarterbacks who stand 6-2 or taller. His shuttle time of 4.13 placed him second in the nation for all quarterbacks. Just to put that in perspective there were about 1,250 quarterbacks tested.

Tuel has been invited and will participate at Elite 11 camp this coming Friday (5-16-08) in Berkeley. He will then compete the next day at the NIKE Camp held in Palo Alto.

Not to let any stone go unturned in preparation for his senior season, Tuel will take part with Clovis West in the Fresno State Contact Team Camp in June. He will also participate in the adidas 7 on 7 Challenge at Loyola Marymount in June and North County Passing Tournament in Oceanside, Calif., in July.

Uncle, Mark Hurm, played for University of Florida. Grandfather, David Hurm, was All American football player for Duke.

A good around athlete, Tuel also plays baseball for Clovis West and has had his fastball clocked in the 89 to 91 MPH range. He also plays third base for his high school.

While waiting his turn, Tuel has trained with Bob and Bret Johnson for two summers and with Steve Clarkson the past two summers, including his recent inaugural camp with DeBartolo Sports at Glendale College.

On the recruiting trail, Tuel is already drawing interest from Arizona, Arizona State, Nevada and Fresno State.

Nevada saw him work out and were impressed enough to ask for film. The Wolf Pack invited Tuel to their camp and is very excited about him. Arizona and Arizona State also invited Tuel to attend their camp.

What is Tuel looking for in a college?

"Academics are a big one, obviously," Tuel said. "The offense that the school is going to run will be a consideration. The location of the camp, a good coaching and how they are, plus the depth chart and how early I'll play."

Tuel is an outstanding student, too. He has a 3.42 GPA and scored 1360 on his first attempt on the SAT.