The first five-stars: Max Browne
They are the best of the best. The players that are wanted by every program and destined to make a big impact at the college level and beyond.
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Rivals.com has identified the first five-star prospects for the 2013 class and is unveiling them this week. Ten prospects have been awarded five-stars but are not ranked at this time and we will profile two each day. The next player to receive the five-star spotlight is Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline quarterback Max Browne.
Five stars: Max Browne
Browne has thrown 95 touchdown passes in two seasons as a starter.
HIGHLIGHT REELS
Max Browne, PQB, Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline
Attributes: 6-5, 202
Top schools: Browne has offers from Cal, Clemson, Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin and has interest from many others.
Scouting report: Browne threw for 4,034 yards with 45 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his junior season and helped lead Skyline to an 11-3 record and the state championship. As a sophomore, Browne had 4,182 passing yards and 50 touchdowns after taking over for four-star Jake Heaps, who was a senior when Browne was a freshman. The Skyline standout shined at the Palo Alto NIKE Camp and was arguably one of the top quarterbacks at that event regardless of age or class. He also looked great at the Seattle NIKE Camp this past off-season. There are not many quarterbacks in the 2012 or 2013 class who are as polished and look as comfortable as Browne in the pocket. He has backed up his abilities by putting up big statistics in his sophomore and junior seasons. Browne has great arm strength, he can throw on the run accurately and he is smart with his vision and misdirection, keeping safeties off guard.
Analyst's take: "Browne already has a big reputation after throwing for more than 4,000 yards with 50 touchdowns as a sophomore and backed it up as a junior putting up great stats again. His throwing motion is excellent, he spins it very well and although he's thin there is a lot of power behind his passes. He has an advanced understanding of his position. Whether one sees him at a camp or on film, Browne has a great handle for the position, knows how to make all the throws and even when he's flushed out of the pocket, plays with calmness and patience. There is no question that Browne is one of the best quarterbacks that we've seen in this class." - Adam Gorney, West Analyst, Rivals.com
Why he's a five-star: "Rivals.com is tougher on quarterbacks more than any other recruiting website when it comes to five-star status, but this kid has all the tools. The only thing he needs to do is fill out his frame, but as far as his field vision, footwork, arm strength, accuracy as well as the little things high school prospects rarely have like the ability to look off defenders and read defenses with a high football IQ, Browne is the full package. He could be better than any of the 2012 pro-style quarterbacks already and that's saying something." - Mike Farrell, National Analyst, Rivals.com
His coach says: "The real true marking when we knew he was going to be really, really good was in the quarterfinals of his freshman year, he played the entire second half because we were up on a team 49-0 at halftime. They had their starters in the whole game and they were very, very talented. Max stepped up in the pocket and delivered a corner route to the receiver and just got drilled by a kid that ended up going to Portland State and I remember talking in my headphones to the guys upstairs saying he's going to be special. That's pretty gutsy for a 14-year-old kid to just step up like that." - Skyline coach Mat Taylor
Odds and ends: Skyline's offense scored double digits in all of its games this season even in losses to Bellevue, Wash., (31-17) and Lake Oswego, Ore., (56-46) and the team averaged more than 319 passing yards per game. In his freshman season, Browne backed up Heaps and played in 10 of 14 games. He and Taylor cite that as a great learning experience leading into outstanding sophomore and junior seasons. Browne is the fourth brother in his family to play at Skyline.
NFL player comparison: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
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