Rasmussen Up and Running with Collection of QBs and Maybe Some 7-on-7

There were youth baseball tournaments in Oklahoma last weekend and sports in the state are slowly waking up including some football work.

STILLWATER -- Oklahoma is opening up and high school football players will be able to work out with their school teams starting in June with the now usual restrictions of smaller groups and plenty of hand washing and social distancing. Some quarterbacks in Oklahoma have been working in nearby Perkins as Derek Rasmussen, who has F3 QB Academy and coaches Sooner 7, seven-on-seven teams, has been back instructing. 

"We started back about three or four weeks ago, doing small groups again," Rasmussen admitted. "One receiver because they said we couldn't be in more than groups of 10, so we have six or seven or so. Obviously, we bring the hand sanitizer and keep the kids as socially distanced as you can."

I've been watching Rasmussen work with quarterbacks and skill athletes for several years and the former college and arena league quarterback does a good job. He philosophy is different in that he doesn't pick apart quarterback's style and mechanics, but he works on a holistic approach of physical and mental to help build a quarterback up. He understands that quarterbacking now with RPOs and so many different throwing slots and so much throwing on the move is different from 5-to-10 years ago. 

He's popular in that a lot of quarterbacks come to him from across the state and he has worked in other states as well. After a few weeks of being home, Rasmussen and his students were itching to get back together.

"I know the OSSAA rules and you can't do anything at high school facilities, so we've being doing things at parks and places like that," Rasmussen added. "A couple of weeks ago I started doing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays here in Perkins and I'd have kids driving from Coweta and Norman North, Southmoore, Moore, kids coming from all over the state to Perkins. Parents would say, 'we're in the house all day, so getting in the car and driving an hour and 20 minutes is just what we want to do.'"

His top Sooner 7 team this year was really good with a plethora of quarterbacks and lots of skill talent including a jumbo set with top Oklahoma prospect in some corners Ethan Downs of Weatherford, Stillwater's Luke McEndoo, and Mustang junior Andre Dollar all in the formation as receivers, a three tight end look in seven-on-seven. 

Rasmussen loved his team and all the complimentary players around it, offense and defense. He's looking to get back in it at least one more time.

"There a tournament June 13 and 14 in Round Rock, Texas and there is another in Dallas the same weekend," explained Rasmussen. "We have already sent out a feeler to parents explaining what is going on. I'd like to give the seniors one more because they were off to such a great start. We won one, lost in the semifinals in another, and we made the quarterfinals in every tournament we entered including the big 54-team event in Houston where Deion (Sanders) had his team."

One of those players that he liked adding to his team this year with the likes of Downs, McEndoo, quarterbacks like Austin Mages, and Ben Harris, athletes like Beggs standout Kendall Daniels, and Carl Albert running back Javion Hunt was recent Oklahoma State commitment Ty Williams. Rasmussen knows Williams plays quarterback for the Roughers, but knows what he is going to play in the future for the Cowboys, safety or corner. 

"Ty Williams is a fantastic player," Rasmussen said of the Oklahoma State commitment. "We go to these tournaments and we are playing against the Garrett Nussmeiers of the world and Demetrious Davis down in Houston. In his first two tournament he went to this year he had 10-or-11 passes defended and he picked three-or-four passes. Three or four interceptions in seven-on-seven in a season is good. He had that in his first two tournaments he played for us.

"He can diagnose, he sees combinations," Rasmussen continued. "He sees it before it happens, so if this route is here, then this route will be this. He is a student of the game and his knack, he diagnoses so fast."

Before finishing up my radio interview, I had to hit up Rasmussen on his main topic, quarterbacks. He knows the seniors and juniors, but he also knows the passers coming up behind them. 

"Out here, Austin Mages (Perkins), who had such a great junior season," started Rasmussen of his top pupils. "He had a fantastic year with over 2,500-yards of total offense and he actually got faster, so I'm really excited to see what he does in his senior season. Obviously, Mason Williams (Bixby) has put up sensational numbers and we're waiting on a couple of schools to pull the trigger. 

"Guys coming up I'm excited about, the guy that is going to replace Mages that will be one of our top guys next year is Gunnar Thrash," Rasmussen kept going. "He has really elevated himself and he has a live arm. The guy that is going to start for Choctaw this year, was a freshman last year, Steele Wasel and he has been driving up three nights week to work up here. He does some things I've never seen a high school quarterback do. Some of the arm angles he can throw from the power is unreal. He can put his feet down and without taking a step and throw the ball 60-yards. That's something you can't coach. At 15-years-old he is 6-3-to-6-3 and 1/2 and weighs 210-pounds. Trimble at Grove has put in a lot of work. Victory Christian has two good quarterbacks in Triton Chandler and Luke Freeman. Ben Harris at Carl Albert, what do you do for an encore after three state championships?"

Then right about the time I was going to say good-bye. Rasmussen, like dropping a dime throwing the football comes up with a last strike deep down the middle, a face and a name to watch coming up for the class of 2026.  

"This is a name you are want to remember moving forward and he is a sixth-grader," Rasmussen set up the name. "It's Conner Quintero. He is the best 12-year-old that I've ever seen. I'm not saying the best in Oklahoma. but the best I've ever seen. He is out of Enid, Oklahoma. He comes to the high school sessions and throws a high school ball. For a kid that is going from sixth grade to seventh grade that is scary. His dad played in college and his parents run a gym up in Enid. As long as he keeps progressing he's going to be really good."

Now, that's a recruiting story when you get a list of players, a huge positive opinion on an underrated commitment that the Cowboys picked up, and a quarterback for the class of 2026.