QB Prospects on the Verge of Crashing SI All-American's Top 10 Rankings
As SI All-American details a deep dive into the college football recruiting class of 2021, the quarterback position continues to be at the center of the discussion.
On Friday, SIAA released its top 10 QBs ahead of the 2020 season, the first of 14 positions to be ranked over the next several weeks. The tail-end of the discussion was drawn out by our staff because of the strength of the position, nationally, this cycle. Naturally several additional top passers were squarely in the mix to crash the top 10 list, here's why.
Eli Stowers, Denton (Texas) John H. Guyer
6-foot-4, 200 pounds
Committed to Texas A&M
Stowers is a long and athletic quarterback prospect and solid rotational thrower. He can pitch with a classic over-the-top release or flip the ball with good velocity and spin from a ¾ slot. Stowers flashes explosive movement capabilities inside the pocket when moved off his midline and navigates well in tight space. The future Aggie has run traits with a fairly long stride and good play speed. His physical tools and athleticism will allow him to open up an offense’s vertical passing game and compliment its rushing attack as a supplemental runner.
Jacob Garcia, La Habra (Calif.) La Habra
6-foot-2, 190 pounds
Committed to USC
Garcia has a palpable moxie and confidence to himself that extends to the field. He can work with solid movement inside the pocket to discover new throwing lanes and has enough athleticism to factor when flushed. He has plus arm strength to attack all three levels and can pitch with fair anticipation. Garcia will take some risks and play a boom or bust game at times, yet the future Trojan is comfortable distributing from the shotgun and executing half-field reads. Garcia has a skill set that should allow him to blossom under college coaching.
Aaron McLaughlin, Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark
6-foot-5, 219 pounds
Committed to NC State
Simply put, McLaughlin is a big, right-armed passer with high-end traits. He will need some seasoning in Raleigh, but he’s among the most talented passers in this class. Despite possessing a big frame, McLaughlin has solid mobility and trunk athleticism to pressure defenses with run traits. His arm strength is among the elite, and allows him to push the ball vertically up the seams with a good stroke. As he continues to sew his physical tools with proper position mechanics, McLaughlin should be a good pilot of an offense with an emphasis on downfield, vertical passing concepts and a blend of zone-read action in the running game.
Garrett Nussmeier, Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus
6-foot-2, 185 pounds
Committed to LSU
Nussmeier has a long and lean build with solid athleticism in his lower half. He does a good job of using his trunk to throw with his legs, while also showing good mental processing. He’s a crafty passer who can alter his arm slot and release depending on throwing lanes. Nussmeier achieves above-average velocity on his throws, yet can pitch change ups with solid ball-placement skills. He’s at his best when working with a moving pocket, as his athleticism and mobility allow him to be comfortable on the move. The LSU pledge will work well on concepts with sprint/rollout/boot-action, along with RPO’s.
Jake Rubley, Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Highlands Ranch
6-foot-3, 190 pounds
Committed to Kansas State
Along with his smooth movement skills, Rubley is a good ball-handler and efficient passer. He shows good mental processing in both the pre and post-snap phase, as he can decisively click through progressions quickly with a solid feel for back-side pressure. The K-State commit has a quick trigger and throws with plus anticipation, timing and touch. While other passing prospects in this class may possess better pure arm strength, Rubley can certainly take advantage of well-schemed shot plays. He should play well as a rhythmic and timing based passer in Manhattan.
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Edwin Weathersby II contributed to this feature
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