QB Prentiss Air Noland Earns Recognition On and Off the Gridiron
For anyone that’s been fortunate enough to meet and be around special athletes, the ones that truly make a team better with their personality and character as much as raw talent, those are the players that can be remembered in a heartbeat.
Those players make the grade on and off the gridiron. So has the following young quarterback.
Prentiss “Air” Noland has fit that profile. Two years ago, this young man was playing for the 15U Cam Newton 7v7 team that every other team in that age bracket wanted to knock off because of its star-studded talent. Even then, players on his team, and players on other teams quite frankly, gravitated towards Noland’s precision passes and easy-going disposition.
Why?
He was just a good dude, first off. Always laughing, smiling and just being himself. It was easy for a player, coach, or anyone watching him to feel comfortable whenever he’s been around. That was the same deal when he was around his teammates at Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes as well.
Prentiss Air Noland's release has stayed true throughout his high school career.
That’s been refreshing for media members as well. In what’s often become a me-first sports world, The 6-foot-3 and 190-pound Noland has not been that way at all. The smooth-passing lefty has earned respect for how he’s carried himself off the gridiron.
Then, there’s the passing talent that’s earned him offers from across the country, and also allowed him a chance to showcase his skills on a big stage.
This past Sunday, Noland performed admirably during the Under Armour Atlanta Combine and earned an invite to the All-American Game that will be played in January of 2024. Watching him pass the football over and over helped solidify that he’s gone through a long journey of improvement even though he was already ahead of his time as a freshman.
The following represented a timeline of Noland over the past couple of years, and he’s been evaluated firsthand at least a half dozen times since February 2021
Freshman Season
Even his first year behind center for Langston Hughes was a success. His passing numbers included going 77 of 124, 62.1%, 1,348 yards, 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He continued that success during the winter and spring.
Seeing Noland during seven-on-seven action, he was already a natural over-the-top passer that seamlessly let it rip on deep outs, corner routes, and anything 20-plus yards down the field. That's unusual for a young quarterback.
In fact, he looked so natural throwing to the perimeter it was hard to truly compare him to any one quarterback at the same age (perhaps some of that has to do with Noland being left handed?).
Sure, there were other quarterbacks that earned applause within the same age group, but few made it look as easy as Noland. The most impressive thing he did, however, was not due to physical prowess alone.
Whenever there would be a third down and long, Noland was consistently even more accurate than during other basic situations. It’s hard to understand why until it was broken down more closely.
The defense would play the sticks, Noland would have to throw a pass that sometimes even required him to throw on the other side of a defender in anticipation of his receiver continuing his route and surpassing the opposition, and there it was.
The ball would be in a good position for the receiver to make a play on it. It was uncanny. He could see plays develop before ever letting the football go. Sometimes those passes were line drives, other times he took something off. That was a good start, but not all.
Noland was already starting to look off safeties, quickly pivoted from one read to the next, and his throwing motion would stay consistent the vast majority of the time.
As for what Noland needed to work on from when he was a freshman, one note. He needed to be a little more consistent with throwing the football as soon as it needed to be let go. Noland would occasionally hesitate just a moment too long.
Sophomore Season
Noland was a part of the big step forward at Langston Hughes. They came within a missed field goal of beating Buford for the Georgia 6A state title. Noland’s knack for hitting clutch passes was a major part of the reason his high school team made it that far.
Noland's passing statistics included going 174 of 271, 2,581 yards, 64.2%, 34 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.
He showed an improved arm, quicker decisions before making a pass, and a willingness to still throw to receivers that he had to trust against tight coverage. He was still developing mechanics and the overall understanding of the quarterback position (the latter honestly never stops, regardless of the level of play), but it was a good sign that after a poor throw or poor decision that Noland would come right back and throw a great pass; his maturity showed.
Junior Season
After watching Noland take command of a fall camp practice where the football hardly ever hit the turf, it was obvious that he had taken another step forward with his overall quarterback maturation process. His timing with the receivers, tight ends and running backs was excellent. When it was game time, the football found its mark as well.
Dialed in: Air Noland waiting for the play call during a Langston Hughes practice.
Hard to go against these numbers on the gridiron: 236/323, 73.1%, 4,095 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.
The biggest difference was just how quickly he attacked the defense on each play. Using run-pass option plays helped, and so did the skill talent at Langston Hughes, but Noland augmented each player’s strengths with how and when he threw the football, and did it fast.
Noland was fearless with throwing back-shoulder fades, hitting a quick slant from a RPO read, or simply going up top with a bomb that would be placed out in front of his receiver so that good coverage simply was not good enough.
He showed a killer instinct. Langson Hughes was destroying teams. There was a three-game stretch where it won by a combined 160 points, and Noland was the signal caller behind center leading the charge.
Additionally, Noland finally started to run a little bit. He had five rushing scores as a junior. Up until this past season, he was primarily a player that passed the football from the pocket or from designed roll outs.
During the first seven-on-seven event that he was witnessed this spring, Noland's accuracy continued to impress. He was playing with South Florida Express and quickly acclimated to his new teammates. His delivery was as natural as any quarterback at the SUP7R event in Naples, Fla.
2023 Under Armour Atlanta
The throwing motion has not changed much; it was still great. The feet looked quicker and even more consistent with helping him keep his balance. Noland’s lower body and hip strength was evident during footwork drills where he was asked to suddenly turn and fire a strike.
When necessary, Noland made passes with different trajectories that saw him throw a line drive, sometimes just looped a pass over the defender, or placed some air on it and allowed a receiver to run under a bomb.
Noland was not infallible, but there was only one pass thrown behind his intended target that was witnessed. Finally, his lasting impression went back to the first point from the beginning paragraph.
After the awards ceremony and his invite to the All-American Game, Noland was happy to be interviewed and just talk football and recruiting. Down to earth, like always. Noland was still the same likable personality as he was two years ago.
All combined, Noland’s traits have attracted offers from the likes of Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado, Maryland, Utah, West Virginia and Vanderbilt among others.
It’s not surprising he’s seen such a wide array of offers. Noland has passed his way to those scholarship opportunities with his left arm, plus his personality and character.
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