QB Kaden McMullen Playing Patient Through Coronavirus Pandemic
College football recruiting has been a wash for the entire offseason and the NCAA extended the dead period, eliminating all in-person contact and evaluations, through the end of July.
For Kaden McMullen, a promising rising senior quarterback out of O'Fallon (Mo.) Living Word Christian, it meant a true delay in his recruitment. Scholarship offers for the 6-foot-3, 199-pounder have come in, but the higher-end FBS programs taking a look at him need to see more.
"Recruiting is going well," he told SI All-American. "I'm building a relationship with some of these coaches. Because of the virus, they have more time to recruit, but I'm trying to not let it be a distraction. I'm focused on the team, I'm focused on winning.
"Northern Iowa, Idaho, UT-Martin and a couple of others have offered. I'm talking to Southern Miss and Alabama. A big part of recruiting is evaluation, so obviously they wanted to get me up to camp to throw with some receivers. If that's not possible, we'll find a way to make it work with Zoom or something like that."
Quarterbacks are on a bit of a different trajectory when it comes to the recruiting calendar. Most dive into the decision-making process in between their junior and senior seasons thanks to a bevy of evaluation opportunities from regional camps to university-led events, 7-on-7 competitions and more. None of those settings took place this year for McMullen.
"I was going to the Elite 11 regional and the Under Armour camp," he said. "A visit to Alabama was going to happen for sure.
"I think it could have helped me a lot because live evaluations are a big part. Coaches want to see you in person, they want to see you throw. How big you are. But I also think it's been good to build relationships with the coaches so I think there's pros and cons to it."
McMullen, who threw for 2,578 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 70 percent of his passes as a junior, says he is getting bigger and stronger in the meantime.
"My arm strength, how much stronger I've gotten from last year," he said. "How much bigger I've gotten, I've gained 15 pounds from last year. Plus accuracy, a big part of my game and something I've developed the most with.
"I'd like to showcase my speed and strength, something I've been working on this offseason. Showing out on more QB runs and stuff like that."
There is pedigree at play here, too. McMullen's father was a professional pitcher in the Twins and Giants' organization. His uncle played quarterback at Ohio State in the early 2000's. They didn't round into top physical form until their late teens.
"His dad was a late bloomer, his uncle was a late bloomer," Mike McMullen, offensive coordinator at Living Word Christian, said. "Both of those guys are 6-6 and 6-5. His dad went from throwing 85 in high school to 96 his freshman year of college. Their whole family has a history of guys growing late, and in spurts. I still don't think he's done growing. The last time we weighed him he was 199 and he was 182 in November. He's about 6-3 and a half, now.
"He's mentally tougher than any kid I know. He's physically tough. The kid is just old school, he's not gonna back down from a challenge. He's a competitor. The mental aspect of it is huge. The kid calls all of our protections, everything. He has all the measurables, he's got everything you want."
McMullen has led player-only workouts near his home for the better part of the last month, building chemistry with his passing targets, linemen and more. He says his focus remains with his teammates more than the recruiting process, one he won't accelerate until he is able to take visits once again.
His coach -- and father -- says more national programs have been inquiring about him into the month of June.
"We've talked to Alabama, Auburn, Nebraska, Iowa State, Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Ole Miss, UCF, Houston..." McMullen said.
Having only visited programs located in the Midwest like Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, Northern Illinois and a few others, the young passer is looking forward to seeing several campuses sometime soon.
If it is during the season, which is the current indication, it may come as he looks to continue the momentum he capped his junior season with.
"He was lights out in the playoffs last year," McMullen said. "His decision-making, the way he ran and moved. He can take his game to another level. He threw for 511 yards and four touchdowns in his last game.
"He knows what he's doing. We give him a lot of freedom to change things. As a quarterback you sometimes see stuff the coaches don't."
The Eagles are currently scheduled to open the 2020 season August 28 against Palmyra (Mo.).
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