Three-Point Stance: 2019 QB commits, Big 12 hot seats, recent 2019 pledges

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with a look at the run on 2019 quarterback commitments, an elite group of recent 2019 commitments and the hottest seats in the Big 12.

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This is usually the time of year where there are very few uncommitted rising seniors at the quarterback position, and rightly so. Quarterbacks, more than anyone else, have to lock up their spots early because each team takes one or possibly two at most and some don’t take any in a given cycle. But 2019? Rising juniors? Recruiting is trending toward earlier commitments, and we can already see the game of musical chairs starting for the 2019 class with some early pledges.

Here are some that stand out as I compare whether they have more or less upside than the QB that committed before them.

Grant Gunnell, Texas A&M – Gunnell locked up his spot at A&M in early June and has a ton of upside with his size and arm, but he also has a lot of work to do when it comes to his release. The Aggies have Cade Fortin in this class who is a solid get, but Gunnell has a much higher ceiling.

Dylan Morris, Washington – Morris is one of the top two or three pro-style quarterbacks in the 2019 class, but it’s a weak class under center, at least at this stage of evaluation. With two four-stars, Jacob Sirmon and Colson Yankoff, in the 2018 class, I’d place Morris ahead of Yankoff but behind Sirmon when it comes to potential.

Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma – Rattler is a very talented dual-threat and he’s the best in that category in the 2019 class. I like him better than 2018 verbal Tanner Mordecai by a bit, and I like him about the same as former OU pledge Cameron Rising, who is a Texas verbal now.

Roschon Johnson, Texas – Johnson is a talented kid and a great fit for what Tom Herman likes to do on offense, but I like Rising a bit better. He’s between Casey Thompson and Rising right now as far as potential.

Cade McNamara, Notre Dame – McNamara has talent and puts up huge numbers, but he isn’t that big and that holds him back a bit when projecting his ranking. Class of 2018 signee Phil Jurkovec is raw, like Gunnell, but he can move for a big guy and his ceiling is much higher right now.

Ty Evans, Arkansas – This is an interesting battle. I like 2018 verbal Connor Noland as a potential sleeper of sorts, and I like Evans as a guy who was under-recruited a bit as well before his commitment. I’ll take Evans in a close battle here, but either could end up as a four-star before long.

Jalon Jones, Mississippi State – Jones is a talented kid with a lot of local hype who can sling the rock, while 2018 commitment Jalen Mayden is a talented kid with national hype who has some work to do mechanically. I’ll take Mayden now for his upside, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jones surpasses him in a few years.

Brendon Clark, Wake Forest – Class of 2018 commitment Sam Hartman has shown great heart in overcoming illness and can put up numbers. I like Clark’s size and arm, but something tells me Hartman could be the guy down the line.

In addition to a few of the quarterbacks above, there have been a number of very good 2019 prospects who have committed over the last week or so that haven’t received as much attention as perhaps they should have. Here are a few of them.

CB Akeem Dent, Florida State – Dent is an elite cornerback, one of the top three or four in the 2019 rankings and a kid who has the swagger to play early. He will keep the defensive back tradition rolling in Tallahassee.

WR Jalen Curry, Florida State – I like Curry a lot more than many do, and this is a great pull from Texas. He may not have progressed as much as expected based on huge expectations, but his size will be utilized well.

WR George Pickens, Auburn – Pickens, like Curry, has great size and knows how to use it and is a great in-state pickup. What impresses me the most is his ability after the catch at his size.

ATH Jordan Patterson, UCLA – Patterson is a four-star talent and will likely land there when we redo our 2019 rankings. He can play offense or defense, but he’s a great fit on the defensive side for the Bruins.

LB Ahdarrious Gee, South Carolina – While he lacks great size and length, he is very fast to the football. He could be one of those undersized linebackers that wreaks havoc all over the field.

DE Cameron Williams, Florida – Williams has a huge frame and can play inside or outside in high school. I could see him growing into a massive strongside end or even a defensive tackle before he’s off to college. Plus, he’s good off contact.

Let’s take a look at the Big 12 and rank the coaches from the hottest to the coolest seat as we’ve already done with the SEC and ACC. This is in order of least job security to the most.

1. David Beaty, Kansas – He’s only been in Kansas for two seasons, but 2-22 is horrible and 1-17 in conference is awful. I don’t think Kansas is ready to punt on him yet, especially with recruiting going well, but another double-digit loss season will put him in deep water contract extension or not.

2. Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech – While his record in four seasons isn’t horrendous at 24-26 and 13-21 in conference, it isn’t great either in a down Big 12. His offenses have been amazing and his defenses have been awful, and the defensive woes could catch up to him soon. As a former Red Raider player, he will get longer than most.

3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State – Campbell third on this list shows that very few in the conference are in trouble, as his 3-9 debut season wasn’t great but the team did show improvement. He’ll get a couple more seasons at least.

4. Dana Holgorson, West Virginia – Coming off a 10-win season, his best in Morgantown, Holgorsen is safe and seems to have the team on the rise. He’s only higher on this list than the rest because the others are so entrenched and/or new.

5. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State – Like Kingsbury, he played where he’s coaching. Unlike Kingsbury, Gundy has won. He’s had five double-digit win seasons and has had only one losing year. He’s there as long as he wants to be as long as he plays nice.

6. Tom Herman, Texas – Why Herman above Riley and Rhule, who are also new coaches? Because Texas made a mistake with Charlie Strong and needs things turned around quickly, which puts more pressure on Herman than the other two. At least that’s my logic.

7. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma – Replacing a legend puts you on a slightly hot seat to start with, but OU is set up for success and it will give Bob Stoops' protégé plenty of time even if things go sideways a bit.

8. Matt Rhule, Baylor – Rhule will get plenty of time, and I mean plenty, to get it done at Baylor after the mess he inherited. He’s a very good coach, but it will likely take years and years before it moves away from him.

9. Gary Patterson, TCU – Coming off a rough season, Patterson is still in zero jeopardy with a career 149-54 record and legend status at TCU.

10. Bill Snyder, Kansas State – The man has won 202 games at Kansas State and essentially built the program. He goes out on his own terms.