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Prep Zone: High School Sports

Quarterbacks expected to shine in 2012

7:00 am August 21, 2012, by GHSF Daily

It’s shaping up to be the year of the quarterback in Georgia, maybe the best of all time.

Two metro Atlanta signal-callers – Johnathon McCrary of Cedar Grove and Eddie Printz of Lassiter – are within striking distance of the state record for passing yards in a career. McCrary has thrown for 6,098 careers yards, while Printz has thrown for 5,792. The record is held by former Metter quarterback Zach Stanford with 9,062 from 2001 to 2004.

McCrary (committed to Vanderbilt) and Printz (UCLA) are among 11 Georgia quarterbacks who have pledged to FBS (formerly Division I-A) schools. A handful of others, including Cole Segraves of Colquitt County, have offers from FBS schools.

Six Georgia quarterbacks are committed to BCS (major conference) schools. According to Rivals.com, which has online records back to 2002, the most Georgia quarterbacks to sign with BCS schools in one season was eight in 2006.

Georgia has three quarterbacks this year who are rated four stars by Rivals. That’s the most since Rivals began publishing its ratings online in 2002. The three are McCrary, Brice Ramsey of Camden County (committed to Georgia) and Anthony Jennings of Marietta (committed to LSU).

The others who have committed to FBS schools are Parker McLeod of Walton (Alabama), Joshua Dobbs of Alpharetta (Arizona State), Taylor Lamb of Calhoun (South Alabama), Justin Holman of Stephenson (Central Florida), A.J. Erdely of West Forsyth (Middle Tennessee), Dominique Allen of Richmond Hill (Air Force) and Brett Sheehan of Collins Hill (Florida International).

“It’s more D-I’s than I can ever remember,” said Calhoun coach Hal Lamb, whose nephew Taylor Lamb led the state in passing yards last season. “I think it’s just coincidence, but at the same time there are more spread [offense] teams across the state. This happens to be a tremendous year for quarterbacks in our state.”

And keep in mind that the season hasn’t started. University of Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason didn’t have an offer in the preseason of 2009, when he set the state record for passing yards in a season.

Here is a look at 10 of Georgia’s more celebrated senior quarterback prospects:

*Joshua Dobbs, Alpharetta: Committed to Arizona State, Dobbs was 234-for-392 passing for 3,113 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2011 for a team that won its first region title.

*A.J. Erdely, West Forsyth: Committed to Middle Tennessee, Erdely threw for 1,955 yards and 17 touchdowns for a team that had its best finish ever (11-2) in 2011.

*Makail Grace, Wilcox County: Grace is perhaps the best of Georgia’s passing quarterbacks who are being recruited at other positions. He has an offer from Louisville, but like his former Wilcox County teammate, Nick Marshall, he could be pegged as a defensive back in college. But he threw for 2,778 yards last season and is a legitimate QB prospect. Other quarterbacks in this mold include Eman Westmoreland of Central Gwinnett, Trevon Jones of Mays and David Whipple of Wilkinson County.

*Anthony Jennings, Marietta: Committed to LSU, Jennings threw for more than 2,200 yards and rushed for more than 500 in 2011 for a Marietta team that advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

*Johnathon McCrary, Cedar Grove: Committed to Vanderbilt, McCrary is an Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 player. He was 165-of-241 passing for 2,643 yards and 27 touchdowns with nine interceptions in 2011.

*Eddie Printz, Lassiter: Committed to UCLA, Printz is an AJC Super 11 player. Printz was 277-of-442 passing for 3,350 yards and 28 touchdowns for a Class AAAAA semifinal team in 2011.

*Brice Ramsey, Camden County: Committed to Georgia, Ramsey was 80-for-125 passing for 1,308 yards and 17 touchdowns against only two interceptions in a run-based Wing-T offense. He is the consensus No. 1 quarterback recruit in Georgia.

*Taylor Lamb, Calhoun: Committed to South Alabama, Lamb led Georgia in passing yards last season, when he was 269-of-332 for 3,638 yards and 40 touchdowns with nine interceptions. That’s after playing wide receiver in 2010 in South Carolina.

*Parker McLeod, Walton: Committed to Alabama, McLeod is ranked the No. 29 quarterback prospect in the nation, according to Rivals, making him one of five from Georgia in the top 30. McLeod’s talents at Walton are overshadowed by a run-based offense built around Tyren Jones, a 2,000-yard rusher who also is committed to Alabama. McLeod was 101-for-158 passing for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns against only four interceptions for the Class AAAAA runner-up team in 2011.

*Cole Segraves, Colquitt County: Segraves was 160-of-268 passing for 2,115 yards in 2011 for a Class AAAAA semifinal team. Segraves has offers from Central Florida and Marshall. If he accepts either, he would be the 12th Georgia QB to commit to a D-I school.

Georgia QBs going to FBS

The number of Georgia quarterbacks who have signed with FBS schools, per Rivals.com, since 2002. The totals for 2013 are based on early commitments, as players may not sign until February. It’s likely that more than 11 Georgia quarterbacks will sign with FBS schools in 2013.

2013 – 11

2012 – 5

2011 – 6

2010 – 4

2009 – 5

2008 – 5

2007 – 5

2006 – 8

2005 – 5

2004 – 9

2003 – 6

2002 – 8

Georgia quarterbacks who have signed with major-conference teams (Pac 12, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big East) as quarterbacks since 2002, according to Rivals.com. The 2013 players include commitments only. Those in italics in blue were rated four-star recruits by Rivals.com.

*2013 (6) – Johnathon McCrary, Cedar Grove (Vanderbilt); Brice Ramsey, Camden County (Georgia); Anthony Jennings, Marietta (LSU); Eddie Printz, Lassiter (UCLA); Parker McLeod, Walton (Alabama); Joshua Dobbs, Alpharetta (Arizona State)

2012 (4) – Greyson Lambert, Wayne County (Virginia); Steven Bench, Cairo (Penn State); Kanler Coker, Flowery Branch (North Carolina); Nick Schuessler, Grayson (Mississippi State)

2011 (1) – Martay Mattox, Clarke Central (South Carolina)

2010 (4) – Connor Shaw, Flowery Branch (South Carolina); Hutson Mason, Lassiter (Georgia); Miles Gooch, Towers (Virginia); Nash Nance, Calhoun (Tennessee)

2009 (2) – Zach Mettenberger, Oconee County (Georgia); Brendan Cross, Chattahoochee (Wake Forest)

2008 (3) – Jaybo Shaw, Flowery Branch (Georgia Tech); Jon Richt, Prince Avenue Christian (Clemson); Justin Tuggle, Northview (Boston College)

2007 (2) – Cameron Newton, Westlake (Florida); Josh Nesbitt, Greene County (Georgia Tech)

2006 (8) – Antonio Henton, Peach County (Ohio State); Justin Roper, Buford (Oregon); David Cone, Statesboro (Michigan); Byron Ingram, Redan (Georgia Tech); Ross Applegate, Walton (Boston College); T.J. Yates, Pope (North Carolina); Zach MacDowall, Harrison (Wake Forest); D’Metres Hill (Tulane)

2005 (2) – Marcus Jones, Southeast Whitfield (Duke); Tray Rutland, Tri-Cities (Mississippi State)

2004 (7) – Joe Joe Brown, Crisp County (Kentucky); Cullen Harper, Sequoyah (Clemson); Calvin Booker, Mays (Auburn); Alex Mortensen, Landmark Christian (Arkansas); Michael Rozier, Henry County (North Carolina); Kisan Flakes, Lovejoy (Illinois); Kyle Manley, Buford (Georgia Tech)

2003 (2) – Blake Mitchell, LaGrange (South Carolina); Reggie Ball, Stephenson (Georgia Tech)

2002 (5) – Joe Tereshinski, Athens Academy (Georgia); Aryhel Freeman, Tri-Cities (South Carolina); Justin Tyler, Jones County (Mississippi State); Joel Statham, Murray County (Maryland); Wesley Hill, Crisp County (Auburn)

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14 comments Add your comment

Coach T

August 21st, 2012
11:37 am

As a Coach in Georgia one of the things I find disturbing is how the big 4 media monsters rank, rate and influence our Georgia High School players. The young men believe it is more important to show for a combine or camp over workouts with their respective High School program during the summer. I have watched and read the results of many of these events and frankly I find most of these analyst don’t have the qualifications to be authorities in the industry. Most have never coached or played the game yet they speak as if they greenlight a prospect to play on the next level. It’s not hard to watch a DL from Grayson and know he is a bigtime player but when these writers label other players 2 stars to 5 stars I believe it is a huge injustice for a number of reasons to the student athlete.

I know they are for profit subscription sites for the fans but most HS players don’t understand how the paradigm works. I also find it creepy how these writers chase 15 year old kids for their cell phone number and call them all hours of the day. I don’t see it changing anytime soon because of all the dollars at stake but I still believe the best recruiting tool is good film from Friday nights and an on campus camp visit in front of the decision making college coaches.

sportsnut

August 21st, 2012
12:05 pm

Well said Coach T.

rwdekalb

August 21st, 2012
12:27 pm

Although he may not have the stats of thes other quarterback, I believe the quarterback for Tucker is one of the more effective quarterbacks in any classification. I say that because he can make big plays as needed with his arm or his legs when the team needs him to. Its not always about piling up big numbers but rather can you as a quarterback come through for your team in that crucial moment when your offense may have stalled and the next play could make or break you. The quarterback for Tucker has done this time and time again and is a true leader when he is on the field.

BcS2010

August 21st, 2012
1:37 pm

Tucker’s QB Juwann Williams should be on this list…

Camden74

August 21st, 2012
6:15 pm

Coach T……..I agree! Stats don’t show Leadership and Heart! :-)

HSFBJunkie

August 21st, 2012
7:59 pm

Coach T, you are dead on, and thanks for speaking up. I am a former college QB, coach and scout. I’m semi-retired now and I spend much of my free time helping smaller colleges find hidden talent in GA high schools. I’ve helped a few kids in GA to get money in other states over the last several years. I don’t make any money at it, I just do it for fun and to try to help these kids out. I love GA HS football, and I enjoy telling the rest of the country how great it is down here!

Preseason player rankings and college recruiting are based on what players did last year. It is impossible to compare stats between two players who played in different regions or classifications with different levels of competition. But college coaches don’t have time to analyze all this themselves, and they’ve fallen back on the so-called “experts” who usually don’t even go watch the kids play.

College coaches recruit and offer earlier every year. This strongly favors players who get experience as a sophomore or junior. But it leaves out the new crop of seniors every year who have not played much because of injuries or they were behind a great player on the depth chart.

The best way for unknown seniors to get noticed is not combines. It is to perform on Friday nights and help your team win! Despite the early season hype, there are plenty of scholarships available, so don’t panic. But do perform on Friday nights and do get your films out to college coaches after about game 3 or 4. Keep those highlight films to 5 minutes or less. You only want to show your best plays, and show your very best first. Too much else, and coaches will cut your film short and won’t see the end of your film. Also, work with your position coaches to put together your film. You may think you did something well, but your position coach may see a mistake that a college coach will see.

This summer, I spent most of my time looking for talent at 7 on 7s, not combines. I found several talented QBs and numerous WRs and DBs who aren’t getting recruited yet. Here is my ranking of the top 15 QBs in GA based on what I saw. No disrespect meant towards anyone not on the list, I haven’t seen everyone yet, and I don’t rate players I haven’t seen myself. I just wanted to highlight how good some of the QBs are that no one knows about yet. I’ll be looking around the state for more good players during the season, and I know others are too. I bet Georgia gets two or three more QBs into FBS schools, and many more into FCS and DII schools.

1. Josh Dobbs, Alpharetta
2. Anthony Jennings, Marietta
3. Johnathon McCrary, Cedar Grove
4. Michael Haynes, North Gwinnett
5. Tyler Queen, North Cobb
6. Eddie Printz, Lassiter
7. Brice Ramsey, Camden County
8. DeShaun Watson, Gainesville
9. Parker McLoud, Walton
10. Brett Shehan, Collins Hill
11. Alejandro Bennifield, Lovejoy
12. Taylor Lamb, Calhoun
13. Joseph Wilber, Norcross
14. Zach Moon, Brookwood
15. A. J. Erderly, West Forsyth

on there way to the top

August 22nd, 2012
8:58 am

Jordan Ramey of South Gwinnett is one of Georgia biggest sleepers 6′5 200 with a rocket arm throws a 90mph fast ball. Here his Highlight http://www.hudl.com/athlete/876595/jordan-ramey#

Devil in Atlanta

August 22nd, 2012
10:33 am

Coach T, I couldn’t agree with you more! It is completely out of hand these days with regards to recruiting. This completely warps a young man’s self esteem and ruins a lot of good kids who think they are bigger than life at 14 or 15 years old. These are still children and they shouldn’t be allowed to be put on a pedistal like they are at such an early age. This year, even Mack Brown at Texas has been offering scholarships to young players simply because he has to ‘go with the flow’ to keep up. He was one of the last ones to resist this trend.

The outcome you get by making a child a superstar is pretty sad. Take a look at the Crowell kid for a perfect example. There needs to be regulations placed somewhere to protect these kids from the money predators. Sure, a college education is a great gift to play football, but placing these sophomores and young boys on a pedistal so early serves no positive purpose. The contact should be limited- not just the offers. When we watch these kids on Friday nights and even Saturday, we need to remember that these are kids and young men and encourage them instead of hurting their self esteem with unrealistic expectations. I love the sport too but some of this is insane.

Devil in Atlanta

August 22nd, 2012
10:36 am

Really if you think about it, these combines and ‘all star’ games are no different a concept than child labor in China!

rankthis

August 22nd, 2012
3:49 pm

Coach T – I agree with you 100%. The camp/combine process is out of control and does not produce reliable evaluations.

Big Elephant

August 22nd, 2012
9:06 pm

@HSFBJunkie I respect your comments but I think your rankings bias in a number of areas.

@Devil in Atlanta I agree 99%. I have to reserve the 1% because at least in china they get a bowl of rice for their efforts.

NGHS 09

August 23rd, 2012
8:50 pm

Parker McLoud and Joseph Wilber are highly overrated.

HSFBJunkie

August 27th, 2012
5:28 pm

Hopefully you got a chance to see Michael Haynes, North Gwinnett in action in the Dome. As I predicted, North beat Colquitt. Haynes was a difference maker because he is smart, accurate, could move his feet, and is a true competitor. You can see the desire to win in his eyes. He has the best velocity of any QB in the state that I have seen, especially while rolling out right or left. He was two inches away from having two TDs and making that game a blowout. His last minute drive shows what he is capable of doing at any level. He will be a true find for some college. I am a believer in North after seeing them beat top ranked teams and QBs at Hoover and believe they have a real shot at the state title this year.

Johnathon McCrary, Cedar Grove had a tough first outing against Tucker, who is one of the top 10 schools in the state in any classification. Cedar Grove does not have quite enough talent to match up with Tucker. I did not get to the game, but I do expect McCrary to rebound and do well the rest of the season. I would have like to have seen Tucker’s QB and will make a plan to do so.

Brice Ramsey, Camden County, looked good in the Dome, but Peachtree Ridge made him look much better. I think he only had to throw about 3 passes to wide open receivers for 3 TDs. Brice is a very good QB, but it’s hard to tell how good yet. He throws a beautiful ball, but he has not had to play under pressure. We will see in coming weeks.

Parker McCloud, Walton really didn’t have much to do against Brookwood because his buddy Tyren Jones kept taking the ball into the endzone the easy way. Zach Moon, Brookwood, had a difficult time against a very good Walton team. I felt Walton was a little overrated going into the game, but they proved themselves. Moon had pressure on him all night and receivers couldn’t get open. It’s hard to play from behind when the defense knows you’re going to throw. Moon and Brookwood will get better.

I think I’ll head over to South Gwinnett this week to see how that South Gwinnett QB fares with Norcross QB Wilber.

Right now, two of my top QB’s who haven’t found a home are Michael Haynes at North Gwinnett and Joseph Wilber of Norcross. They will go head to head on GPB TV on September 14 at North. That is likely the region championship game and will be great visibility for both of these two fine young men.

Gainesvilleredelephantneck

August 28th, 2012
4:09 pm

No Deshaun Watson? Are you kidding? Over 3k passing, over 1k running and 58 total touchdowns as a sophomore. He was taken out numerous blowout games early. He shined against some of the best competition in the state-Sandy Creek and Burke County. Granted burke was a loss, but even the burke folks were impressed with him. Barring a terrible injury, he will probably top 10k career yds as he started as a freshman. Whew!