I was reading an article in The Athletic this morning about the process Dane Brugler, their NFL Draft guru, goes through in order to finalize his draft board each year. It was a fascinating deep dive into the topic, but this section at the very end is what interested me the most:
Now before any of you freak out about not seeing Quinn Ewers’s name on the list, it is important to note that he was listing senior quarterbacks and Ewers is still a junior.
The important bit here is that only 7 of the 41 quarterbacks listed are still at their original school.
I get why quarterbacks move around … there is limited playing time at that position and if your path is blocked then you have to do what you can to get game time snaps. (See Maalik Murphy)
But on the other hand, it is such an important position for schools that you’d think coaches would do more to make sure they take what they need in the high school ranks and bend over backwards to make those guys feel wanted and see that the path to playing time is there.
The other takeaway for me is that if, for some reason, Texas needs a transfer quarterback, they will be available.
Sark’s ability to coach up quarterbacks is his most important feature as a coach. It is what enables him to ensure that he has a playmaker at the most important position in all of sports (and a reason I am very bullish on Texas building something that is sustainable). However, if all Hell breaks loose and he needs to go into the portal, Sark will be able to identify and recruit someone who can keep the good times rolling.
Over the summer, I study, grade and rank more than 1,000 prospects. For example, over the last week, I did a preliminary deep dive on 40 senior quarterbacks and stamped each with an initial grade. Georgia’s Carson Beck is my top senior QB, followed by Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders; Western Kentucky’s TJ Finleystarts as my No. 40 senior quarterback. It’s interesting that only seven of those 40 QBs are still on the team they signed with out of high school, and the rest are transfers — sign of the times. That is one of the greatest challenges this time of year, just keeping up with all the player movement.
Now before any of you freak out about not seeing Quinn Ewers’s name on the list, it is important to note that he was listing senior quarterbacks and Ewers is still a junior.
The important bit here is that only 7 of the 41 quarterbacks listed are still at their original school.
I get why quarterbacks move around … there is limited playing time at that position and if your path is blocked then you have to do what you can to get game time snaps. (See Maalik Murphy)
But on the other hand, it is such an important position for schools that you’d think coaches would do more to make sure they take what they need in the high school ranks and bend over backwards to make those guys feel wanted and see that the path to playing time is there.
The other takeaway for me is that if, for some reason, Texas needs a transfer quarterback, they will be available.
Sark’s ability to coach up quarterbacks is his most important feature as a coach. It is what enables him to ensure that he has a playmaker at the most important position in all of sports (and a reason I am very bullish on Texas building something that is sustainable). However, if all Hell breaks loose and he needs to go into the portal, Sark will be able to identify and recruit someone who can keep the good times rolling.
