SI All-American Watch List: Quarterbacks 11-15
As the 2021 football season draws near, SI All-American continues to evaluate the nation's top prospects at every position in the class of 2022. The first wave of the evaluations are the 'Watch List' selections, also known as SI All-American candidates, to be released throughout the month of July.
It precedes the SI99 rankings, our preseason mark of America's top college football prospects regardless of position, to be released in August.
Naturally, the quarterback watch list is up first and it will be released in more detail than the rest. The 25 SI All-American candidates will be broken down in groups of five, with the top five revealed on Friday before other positions begin to roll out.
[Related: Watch List QBs 16-20 | 21-25]
Editor's Note: Gavin Wimsatt was No. 11 prior to his reclassification to the class of 2021
11. AJ Duffy
Vitals: 6'2", 205 pounds
School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Committed To: Florida State
2019 Stats: 2,568 passing yards, 70.9%, 26 TD, 7 INT - 501 rush yards, 4 TD
Duffy is the opposite of Martin. While he lacks the elite physical tools or elite size teams look for in a top-level quarterback, Duffy makes up for it with an impressive all-around game. His game should take off even more as a senior at IMG Academy.
Duffy is a sound and efficient quarterback that makes good decisions and shows an impressive feel for the game. His accuracy numbers are certainly impressive, but beyond just completion percentage the Florida State commit understands ball placement at a level you don’t often expect to see on sophomore film. Duffy has a very short, clean delivery that allows him to get the ball out in a hurry, which adds to his ability to complete passes at a high level.
Although he doesn’t possess a huge arm, Duffy is willing to attack down the field and he shows good over the top touch. He’s a quality athlete that can do damage on scrambles and as a designed runner. Duffy plays with a lot of confidence and his combination of decision-making, accuracy and running ability is a perfect fit for the FSU offense.
12. Katin Houser
Vitals: 6'3", 200 pounds
School: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Committed To: Michigan State
2020 Stats: 659 passing yards, 63.1%, 7 TD - 107 rush yards, 1 TD (6 games)
Houser is another talented but raw and inexperienced West Coast quarterback whose junior season was limited by the pandemic. Like Martin this is a projection ranking, but the potential here is impressive. After getting a taste of big-time football as a junior at St. John Bosco, getting a full season against that schedule should help Houser grow up in a hurry.
Houser has a lot of tools to work with, including a strong arm and an impressive frame. Houser can power the ball deep down the field, and he can do so with far more velocity than most. He shows touch when he needs to and Houser throws well on the run. His ability to make plays with his legs when things break down and on designed runs.
His willingness to attack tight windows, and the arm strength to pull it off, is something that stands out with Houser. His ball placement and consistency from both an accuracy and decision making standpoint need work, and he obviously lacks experience, but expect his game to take a big jump as a senior.
13. Steve Angeli
Vitals: 6'3", 215 pounds
School: Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
Committed To: Notre Dame
2020 Stats: 919 passing yards, 59.1%, 6 TD, 3 INT (6 games)
Angeli has a nice frame and body, checking in at 6-3 and 215 pounds. He certainly has the look of a pro-style, next-level quarterback, and he's a tough quarterback that is willing to stand in the pocket and take a hit if it means getting off a throw.
I like Angeli's footwork in the pocket, and he shows a good feel for his surroundings, and he shows the ability to avoid the rush, maneuver in the pocket and then get a throw off. Angeli has a nice, clean throwing motion. He carries the ball well, can quickly get into his throwing motion and he has a relatively compact motion. He's a true pocket passer in that he's not really a guy who will throw off platform, but if you can keep him in the pocket he'll be able to do damage.
Angeli has good arm strength but his release is erratic and he goes through bouts where his ball placement is erratic. He’ll need to get stronger and learn to throw with more zip on downfield throws. He’s athletic enough to move the chains if things break down but that won’t be a big part of his game.
14. Devin Brown
Vitals: 6'3", 190 pounds
School: Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon
Committed To: USC
2020 Stats: 1,761 pass yards, 65.1%, 18 TD, 6 INT
Evaluating and placing Brown was a bit challenging due to the difference between what he showed on film and what he showed this spring and summer at various camps. Brown is a fundamentally sound quarterback that shows a good feel for the game. He has a quick release and his ball placement on short to intermediate throws impresses, which makes him an ideal fit for the USC Air Raid offense. He makes good decisions and as he gets more experience I expect to see him throw with better timing and anticipation.
That accuracy and those clean pocket fundamentals helped Brown thrive at the recent Elite 11 finals. Brown finished as the fourth best quarterback at the event in the SI All-American rankings, and his accuracy and consistency were keys to that success. Brown shows excellent touch on film and that was also on display in Los Angeles.
What drags down Brown’s grade is his lack of top-level arm talent, average athleticism and the fact he lacks the physical tools to project to the next level as well as other players. Brown has to muscle up deep throws that require less trajectory and his deep balls tend to hang up a bit.
15. Conner Harrell
Vitals: 6'1", 190 pounds
School: Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson
Committed To: North Carolina
2020 Stats: 3,568 pass yards, 73.4%, 42 TD, 3 INT - 319 rush yards, 5 TD
Harrell put up monster numbers as a junior, completing over 70% of his passes and throwing for 42 touchdowns in his first year as a varsity starter. He’s the product of a strong system and he is going to a college offense that will accent his talents.
The Thompson standout is a smart quarterback that makes quick reads, gets the ball out quickly and he shows impressive accuracy on short to intermediate throws. Harrell does a great job keeping his eyes downfield when he’s in the pocket, he shows a good feel for the rush and he’ll take a hit if it means getting the ball out.
Like Brown, the 6-1, 190-pound quarterback has to muscle up to get the ball down the field some, but he has good touch, throws an accurate deep ball and he’s willing to attack tight zones on the field. Harrell is a quality athlete that can do damage with his legs, but he’s at his best when sitting in the pocket and going through reads. His lack of size and lack of downfield arm strength keep him from being higher on this list despite his impressive high school production.