West Coast Spotlight: Under-the-radar QBs
The quarterback position is unique in college football recruiting. Most teams only take one per class, and coaches start scouting the position earlier than all others. That approach means some players fall through the cracks, and it's why you have NFL starters Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppollo, who never received a Power Five offer in high school.
Today, we continue our weeklong look around the country at under-the-radar quarterbacks with a glance at the West region.
MORE UNDER-THE-RADAR QBS: Midwest | Southeast | East Coast
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
Brown does something unique to football these days, almost unthinkable in some ways. The 2022 quarterback still takes snaps from under center. That means the Queen Creek, Ariz., standout is well-versed in three- and five-step drops, timing up routes with his receivers and Brown is excellent at delivering the ball all over the field.
Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State and Wisconsin have offered early on - and Brown is playing on a loaded team filled with other FBS prospects - so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him at double-digit offers through his junior season. He’s a drop-back passer but Brown can also move to dodge defenders and then keep his eyes down the field to deliver strikes.
Eget has good size, a great arm, he is fluid and mobile in the pocket and he does a fantastic job of buying more time by escaping pressure and finding receivers get open down the field. It’s hard to believe the Valencia (Calif.) West Ranch quarterback has only been offered by San Jose State and Western Kentucky.
As higher-rated quarterbacks come off the board in the coming months - and many have been committing in the last couple weeks - it would be surprising if more Power Five programs don’t get involved with Eget, who put up huge numbers in his junior season. He’s too talented to not have more attention.
Fifita ran Anaheim (Calif.) Servite’s offense well last season, he has tremendous arm talent, he has great vision down the field, he puts the ball only where his receivers could get it and he had some learning lessons along the way but he played great in arguably the best high school league in the country.
So why does the 2022 standout only have offers from Hawaii and Idaho State? Good question. One guess is because of his size and he’s listed generously at 5-foot-9. But if he can grow just a few more inches over the next two seasons, Fifita has the ability to easily have double-digit offers and to make a real impact on the next level because he’s a tremendous passer but also a dual-threat guy who can create problems for defenses.
The Colorado State commit is all of 6-foot-4 after seeing him in person at the National Combine in San Antonio and he has all the tools to be really special as he continues to develop. McAllister has length but a tight release and not a lot of wasted motion on his throws. He could develop some more pace on his passes as the ball doesn’t always zip like some other quarterbacks, but that could come with time as well. He’s also a surprisingly agile runner when he’s flushed from the pocket.
McAllister has already developed a good relationship with first-year coach Steve Addazio and his staff and if Colorado State can keep his commitment, then he could be a really nice addition to that program in the coming years.
Oregon State is the lone offer for Ward. After putting up such impressive highlights during his junior season and then having a strong offseason, that is surprising
Ward has a live arm, guns it all over the field and is accurate. A lot of the offense is receivers using speed on the outside and Ward letting them run under his passes, but the three-star has no problems moving the ball down the field and making things happen. More offers could be on the way early in his senior season.