UA All-American: Brandon Wimbush
Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep quarterback Brandon Wimbush seems
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to have it all. The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder is the No. 2 pro-style quarterback and
No. 65 overall player in the nation. He also has his college future sorted out,
with a Penn State commitment he made in May.
What he's ready to do now is test himself against the nation's best, and he'll
have the opportunity to do that Jan. 2 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Wimbush will suit
up in the Under Armour All-America Game, facing the best talent he's seen yet.
I'm looking forward to just getting used to the speed, because I know that's a
big factor in college," he said. "Those guys that will be out there playing with
me are high-level guys, high-level athletes, so they'll be running 4.4s, the
D-ends will be running 4.5s chasing after me, and I have to get used to that."
St. Peter's Prep coach Rich Hansen knows all about Wimbush's need to speed
things up. That was a focus for the four-star this offseason in order to become
a more complete player. However, it wasn't his speed getting away from defensive
linemen that Hansen was concerned with. He wanted his star passer to be speedier
choosing where to go with the ball in the passing game.
"There's a maturation process at quarterback," Hansen explained. "Each year
we've identified a shortcoming, and each year he's worked on it and gotten
better. We really wanted him to see progressions faster so that the ball can be
delivered faster. We wanted him to recognize secondary rotations and blitzes.
That's something he's done a good job of in four games. I think from that
perspective it's been so far, so good."
"What really helped was working with Minkah Fitzpatrick," Wimbush
added. "That he goes to my school was a big help for me. Pushing myself and
getting out and getting the exposure, seeing what I had to do to get myself to
this point. Competing with the best of the best, the Elite 11 showed me a lot
and taught me a lot. I came back with a lot and worked my butt off."
Now that his hard work has turned into an invitation to the prestigious contest,
Wimbush is thrilled to follow in the footsteps of previous Under Armour
All-Americans, and to blaze his own path in the game.
"It's an honor and a blessing," he said of his selection. "I know the caliber of
athletes that have been in the game the past couple years, and I know it's grown
tremendously. It's an honor and a blessing to be named an All-American.
"Jameis Winston, [Auburn freshman quarterback]
Sean White, my
running back a couple years ago, Savon Huggins, took part in the game.
He's told me great things about the game, and I know it's a great experience.
I'm ready for that experience."
The bigger question is: is the Under Armour Game ready for him?
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