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Take Two: Where will top uncommitted QB Gunnell land?

Grant Gunnell
Grant Gunnell

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues 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 a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

MORE TAKE TWO: Can Vols stay hot? | Is Devyn Ford the next Saquon Barkley? | Could USC be overtaken in Pac-12 recruiting?

THE STORYLINE

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Only one of the top 13 pro-style quarterbacks remains uncommitted and it’s four-star Grant Gunnell from Houston (Texas) St. Pius X.

Gunnell had been committed to Texas A&M early in the recruiting process but the 6-foot-6 standout backed off his pledge to the Aggies in February.

The four-star quarterback made his decision when coach Kevin Sumlin was still in College Station along with offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.

Both of those coaches are now at Arizona and the Wildcats have emerged as a serious contender in the recruitment of Gunnell, who’s expected to make his pledge sometime in June.

Ohio State is also a serious player for the Houston St. Pius X prospect as the Buckeyes offered Gunnell right before he backed off his early pledge to Texas A&M. Oklahoma State also cannot be counted out.

With only weeks - or possibly days - until Gunnell makes his choice, will he still follow Sumlin and Mazzone to the desert and pick Arizona, will Ohio State land another top-flight quarterback, could pass-friendly Oklahoma State land him or is a surprise in store?

FIRST TAKE: NICK KRUEGER, RIVALS.COM TEXAS ANALYST

“Gunnell is starting to get things narrowed down pretty tight and should be on pace for a commitment by the middle of next month. Ohio State has grabbed a lot of the attention, but Arizona has made the late charge in his recruitment that many were waiting on with the move of Kevin Sumlin and offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone out to Tucson.

"Behind the scenes, Gunnell has encouraged others to take a look at the Wildcats as well, so they may be a bigger candidate for his commitment than many have thought. Oklahoma State is the other team in the mix as well and all three are strong contenders as one of the biggest criteria in his consideration is the likelihood that the staff of the team he commits to will be there for the duration of his college career.”

SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM RECRUITING DIRECTOR

“He’s a big kid with a strong enough arm. Needs to work on his release a little bit and make it tighter and quicker. He’s shifty in the pocket, not a guy who’s going to tuck and run but he can slide around a little bit and extend the play. His accuracy is pretty good overall. In a poor quarterback class, he’s an important get for anybody especially since he’s big and raw, he could be one of those guys we talk about in a few years as a potential first-rounder.

“It would be huge for Arizona. They’re revamping their offensive style. He’s a guy who fits what Sumlin wants to do offensively and he has a good relationship with the coaching staff, there so there’s a comfort level. It would be a big upset for them to pull him away from Ohio State, Oklahoma State and some other schools that have been mentioned with him more often.”

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