Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
THE STORYLINE
There are five pro-style quarterbacks ranked ahead of Preston Stone, but it’s a loaded class at that spot and Stone is the top-rated dual-threat QB in the 2021 class at No. 20 nationally.
The Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal School standout has more than 40 offers. A bunch of major powerhouses are trying to stay involved.
But Stone has been taking numerous trips to Texas in recent months and the Longhorns have to be considered a serious contender to land his commitment.
It’s still so early in the 2021 recruiting class and the top four pro-style quarterbacks are already committed, so there’s no guarantee Stone’s recruitment will continue for the next couple years. However, it could because the four-star has not visited too many other schools.
Another factor to consider: The Stone comparisons to Sam Ehlinger are inevitable since they’re about the same size and both have phenomenal leadership abilities.
Texas might be considered the team to beat but can any team – maybe a traditional Pac-12 powerhouse – beat the Longhorns for Stone’s commitment?
FIRST TAKE: SAM SPIEGELMAN, TEXAS & LOUISIANA ANALYST
“I wouldn’t compare him to Ehlinger because Stone is his own breed of dual-threat and the mobility is only an asset to his passing ability, moving in and out of the pocket, buying time and running to throw the ball downfield. He doesn't necessarily want to be a threat running the football unless the offense calls for it.
“Texas has been the main school he’s been visiting. He has brothers at SMU and Virginia, but they’re behind Texas in his race. One school to watch is USC. He has a longtime relationship with (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Graham Harrell from his days at North Texas. That’s a school he’s excited to go visit. We will learn a lot about Stone’s recruitment with where he visits in the fall because in the summer and the spring he’s been on a back-and-forth path between Dallas and Austin.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Stone could be a good fit in Texas’ offense. He’s not the most polished quarterback in the world and Ehlinger wasn’t the most polished quarterback ever either, but they have intangibles – leadership, moxie, competitiveness. I know Ehlinger gets compared with Tim Tebow and Stone has some of those intangibles as well.
“I would suspect Stone would end up at Texas. The smart move for him is to keep his options open, look around and see what the best fit for him is and not to lock in on one program. But I would be surprised if he didn’t end up in Austin.”
