Watch USC QB Commitment Jake Garcia at Work
ORLANDO, Fla. -- SI All-American is tracking the tail-end of the college football class of 2020 cycle but some 2021 prospects have impressed in live settings into the New Year.
Under Armour held its annual Future 50 event, where several of the top underclassmen prospects compete before the seniors play in the Under Armour All-America Game, and a future Pac-12 signal caller looked the part throughout.
Jake Garcia, the junior who just made the move to La Habra (Calif.) High School, committed to USC in September over more than 20 additional scholarship options coast to coast. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound prospect has been rock solid to Clay Helton and company ever since, a critical stance considering USC failed to sign a quarterback during the Class of 2020's Early Signing Period in December.
A good athlete who has added mass to his frame, Garcia looked swift in footwork drills early in the camp setting. He can maintain a level plane while sliding up and down the pocket or while setting to throw on the run. Garcia also looks comfortable while moving laterally, with enough quickness to evade defenders in the pocket. He also has the ability to extend plays or even move the chains on the ground.
As a passer, Garcia has a polished, almost classic three-quarter release with a smooth delivery. The rate of the release is well above average and that athleticism helps him get his head and hips around to targets sideline to sideline with relative ease. Garcia's arm is fairly strong, particularly down the field, with a solid combination of drive and touch as needed.
With perhaps the most important quarterback passing trait being accuracy, especially in the pass-first age of college and even NFL football, Garcia can hit the mark. During the 2019 season at Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne High School, he completed 70 percent of his passes. The future Trojan finished the campaign with 2,301 yards and 25 touchdowns in just nine games according to the Orange County Register. As a sophomore, Garcia was even more efficient, completing a gaudy 75 percent of his attempts at Narbonne.
That consistency showed up at the Future 50, too, even while working with targets he was largely unfamiliar with. One of the top pass catchers on hand said he threw the prettiest, most catchable ball of the quarterbacks on hand. The accuracy will help Garcia's transition to his new high school and of course the eventual assimilation into the Pac-12.
In between events, Garcia is also actively working to help USC rebound from what may shape up as its worst recruiting class in the modern era. The easiest pitch he may make should be to the Trojan wide receiver targets like fellow in-stater Beaux Collins (below), considering he directly impacts that group. That position may also stand as the only one USC has continued to recruit at an elite level despite the trend down elsewhere.