2021 Recruit Profile: Florida Gators Commit QB Carlos Del Rio
Carlos Del Rio, Pro-Style Quarterback
School: Grayson High School
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
247Sports Composite Rating: Four Stars, No. 11 Pro-Style QB, No. 17 overall (Georgia), No. 169 overall (National)
Recruitment History:
Everyone knows Dan Mullen loves his quarterbacks, and the recruitment of Carlos Del Rio shows just that.
After a spectacular sophomore campaign by Del Rio in 2018, the nation was put on notice by the talented prospect from Georgia. Despite a bit of a plateau statistically, Del Rio showed growth in multiple facets of his game. As a result, on June 2nd of 2019, Florida extended an offer for who they believe to be their quarterback of the future in Del Rio.
Having received offers from the likes of home-state Georgia Tech, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida State, along with Florida, Del Rio has his fair share of options to decide where he wants to continue his playing career.
Being in on the recruitment of the talented quarterback from very early on, his primary recruiters—quarterback coach Brian Johnson and Mullen—saw something special in the guy following his sophomore campaign and the 2019 Friday Night Lights Camp at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
With that, Mullen and Co. pursued Del Rio even harder, working to earn his commitment. Soon thereafter, in July of 2019, Del Rio would announce that his commitment.
Since then, Del Rio has stayed firm in his commitment to Florida and has played a significant role in recruiting fellow high school teammate Daejon Reynolds and other top prospects to join the ranks of the 2021 class.
Where He Fits:
Listed as a pro-style quarterback out of Grayson High School, Del Rio skillset presents much more than that. Accounting for 3,930 yards and 36 touchdowns throughout his two years as a starter, Del Rio has shown a mixture of talents that translate very well to the next level.
With an elite level of arm talent that allows him to make throws all over the field, Del Rio pairs an ability to work outside and inside of the pocket.
In a full scouting report on Del Rio published nearly two months ago on AllGators by Zach Goodall and John Garcia, Del Rio's uncanny ability to extend plays and make throws off-balanced was emphasized. Exemplifying high level throws when scrambling outside of the pocket, he has a natural gift that allows him to make throws on the run with great accuracy.
However, Del Rio shows that he’s most comfortable making throws standing in the pocket. Being able to stand tall in the pocket and fire the ball downfield without fear of being taken down on the release, Del Rio shows real maturity in his throws and tops it off with a great zip on his throws.
As stated previously, Del Rio can do more than just throw the football and I believe the pro-style label is a bit misleading in his case. Adding over 500 yards and eight touchdowns on 117 rushing attempts during his junior season, he has proved to have that he has more than the passing element in his game.
As a player who is a willing runner—and a talented one at that—Del Rio fits the mold that Dan Mullen has excelled with throughout his time as a head coach.
While he is far from being a fully polished quarterback prospect, Del Rio’s pure athleticism and moxie make him an intriguing addition for the Gators. With help on coachable issues like footwork and accuracy delivering the ball downfield at times, Del Rio has a real shot to be remembered for his time in blue and orange.
Likely to see a few developmental years given the current state of the quarterback position in Gainesville, Del Rio is unlikely to see the field within his first few seasons in Florida.
However, depending on how the chips fall and how his battle with the second QB commit of the 2021 class in Jalen Kitna unravels, Del Rio projects to have an enormous impact on the Gators program in due time.