A Step Ahead: Jim Stefani's Underclassmen Football Recruiting Blog

Class of 2008: Some Elite Quarterbacks (Part II)

Drew McAllister QB 6'2 188 4.75 Danville Monte Vista California

The top QB in northern California and among the nation’s best…..As a junior, he completed 165 of 250 passes (66%) for 2,118 yards, 21 TDs and 11 INTs. He added another 3 TDs rushing……..As a sophomore, he completed 147 of 225 passes for 1,943 yards, 19 TDs and 8 INTs…….Very athletic. Would be starting at WR if he wasn’t such a great QB…….Named First Team Junior All-State in 2006 and First Team Sophomore All-State in 2005…….His coaches believe he could be a better prospect than former Monte Vista QB Kyle Wright (now at Miami), who was the top-rated prep QB in the nation a few years back….On film he shows excellent movement in the pocket and is very effective in running a no-huddle offense and taking command of the offense. He gets nice spin on his throws and is very accurate…..2006 combine marks of 4.75 in the forty, 4.62 shuttle, 10 bench reps and a 31-inch vertical.


Blaine Gabbert QB 6'4 220 4.65 Ballwin Parkway West Missouri

Gabbert is your prototypical drop-back quarterback prospect and among the top QBs in the nation….. As a junior, he passed for 1,523 yards, 20 TDs and just 7 INTs while rushing for an additional 458 yards and 7 TDs………..Passed for 1,265 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore……..He has nice frame, very strong arm and shows good escapability (4.65 combine forty, 4.37 shuttle). Has a quick release and puts a lot of zip on the ball. Can make all the throws…….Very poised in the pocket but needs to overcome a tendency to hold on to the ball too long……..Very impressive at the 2007 U.S. Army Combine, being named Second Team All-Combine…….Looked good at the 2006 Missouri and Miami (Ohio) camps…..As of late January he had offers from Missouri, Miami (Ohio), Clemson and Kansas State.


D.C. Jefferson QB/WR 6'5 237 4.76 Winter Haven Florida


Jefferson is one of the most athletic and talented signal-callers in the nation and is also a potential super at WR or TE……As a junior he was named Second Team All-Area by the Winter Haven News after completing 92 of 200 passes (46%) for 1,148 yards, 9 TDs and 10 INTs in a run-oriented offense. He rushed for about 900 yards and 5 scores……As a sophomore he had 981 passing yards, 185 rushing yards, 7 TD passes and 7 INTs. Really put together well. A tremendous athlete but still quite raw as a QB, as evidenced by his junior numbers throwing th ball…….A dual threat who has a cannon for an arm and can beat you with his feet. He has really quick feet. Reminds some of Vincent Young due to his size and athleticism, but he is much rawer as a QB prospect than Young was at the same stage……Needs to improve his reads and throwing accuracy and put more touch on his passes…….2006 combine marks include a 4.76 forty, 4.41 shuttle, 30-inch vertical and 14 bench reps……Also plays basketball…...If he puts it all together his ceiling could be higher than any QB in the class. If not, he will play WR, TE or DE…..2.0 core GPA a concern…..As of early January he had offers from Tennessee and Mississippi.


Dayne Crist QB/LB 6'5 221 4.66 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame California

Crist is one of the nation’s top QB prospects......His junior season was his first year as a starter as he backed up USC freshman Garrett Green as a sophomore……He plays for a program that has regularly produced Division I talent in recent years (Justin Fargas, Travis Johnson, etc…)…..As a junior, despite missing four games due to an injury he completed 63 of 119 passes (52.9%) for 1,270 yards, 17 TDs and just 3 INTs. He also rushed for 230 yards and 4 TDs on 48 carries (4.79 average)……He earned First Team Junior All-State honors and Honorable Mention Los Angeles Daily News All-Area honors as a junior…..As a sophomore, he completed 25 of 50 passes for 386 yards, 3 TDs and no INTs. He rushed for 168 yards on 28 carries (6.0 average)…..Has the ideal frame for a drop-back QB but also has surprising mobility and escapability from the pocket. Is a threat carrying the ball as well as throwing it……Has a very strong and accurate arm and can make all the throws. He just needs to get more game experience and shorten his delivery……A tough kid who isn’t afraid to mix it up……Looked pretty good at the 2007 U.S Army Combine after getting off to a slow start.


Nolan Kearney QB 6'4 225 4.70 Downingtown West Pennsylvania

Kearney is the top-ranked QB in Pennsylvania and among the nation’s best…….Has excellent size, a very strong arm and outstanding athletic ability…….Also stars in basketball and as a pitcher in baseball……..On film, in running the spread offense this left-hander shows excellent velocity on his throws, stands tall in the pocket and can move around pretty well, even running the option………..As a junior, he completed 99 of 148 passes for 1,500 yards in leading his team to a 10-2 record. Impressive stats for a team that ran much more than it threw the ball……Passed for 1,194 yards as a sophomore….Outstanding character and a real leader.

posted by Jim Stefani @ 2:11 PM