Q&A With Kenwood QB Kaleb Garner

<h2 style="text-align: center">[player_tooltip player_id="20223" first="Kaleb" last="Garner"]</h2> Pos: QB Ι Ht/Wt: 5’11, 170 Ι High School: Kenwood Ι Position Rank: 10 Overview When you think of a quarterback prospect, you probably think of someone 6’3 plus and around two hundred pounds. However, with the NFL continuing to evolve and go with smaller QB’s behind center, it has led to many college programs choosing to go with a similar approach. QB [player_tooltip player_id="20223" first="Kaleb" last="Garner"] of Kenwood may not wow you with his physical stature, but man is this kid a true gunslinger. Garner, to me, is a perfect fit in a wide-open spread offense, where he can make checks and consistently dissect coverages. He’s natural at climbing the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield, looking for possible targets. He has the ability to improvise and throw from awkward body positions. When the pocket breaks down, he has the speed to get to the edge and pick up a first down rather effortlessly. Garner is exceptional at diagnosing blitzes and getting the ball out quickly on the perimeter to his playmakers. After an All-Public League 2019 campaign, Garner returns to lead one of Illinois’ most talented offenses at Kenwood High School. The Broncos return four wide receivers and one running back, all with Division one offers. Last fall, Garner helped leam the Brconsoes to the 2nd round of the 6A playoffs and an 8-2-1 record. With a whole cast of talent returning, I expect Kenwood to be state title contenders entering 2020.   Q&A Tell us a little about yourself "My full name is Kaleb Emanuel Garner. I’ve played Quarterback my whole life. I started playing football at the age of 7. I used to play basketball, but once I got in high school, I had to pick one, and I focused on football." What is your favorite part about football "To be honest, my favorite part about football is all the lessons I’ve learned. From every loss to every mistake I’ve made, groomed me to elevate my game to the next level. The grind is also my favorite part, all the hard work that’s put in inside the weight room and the hard practices. My coach always told me, "practices are hard, so the games are easy!" What are you most looking forward to in your senior season? "I’m really looking forward to my senior season. If I had to pick one thing I’m most excited about, it would be that all of the seniors have been at Kenwood Academy for four years sticking together. This is the original group that came in at the same time as Sinque Turner and the rest of the staff. Our class of 2021 group is special and we plan to win state for the first time in Kenwood history." What are some of the strengths of your game? "The strengths in my game are that I’m very smart. I understand a lot of defenses the opposing teams throw at me whether that’s disguising coverages or LB blitzes. I understand when a DB is vulnerable, where I can throw the ball in the right spot at the right time. The best part of my game as far as a quarterback is my athleticism. The ability to extend plays, move the pocket, and make plays with my feet as well." What goals do you have for the upcoming season? "The number one goal for this season is to win the first state championship in Kenwood history. That is the only goal in my mind. The way to achieve this goal is for the team to stay healthy and to take it one game at a time." What schools have offered? "I currently have offers to Southern Miss and Northwood." What schools have you visited? "I’ve visited Southern Miss, Ball State, NIU, U of I, Northwestern, Memphis, Ole Miss, LSU, and I was supposed to visit Army West Point but couldn’t due to the pandemic." What schools are your favorites right now? "My favorite schools are the schools that are showing love in the MAC and a couple of FCS schools." Are there any of your teammates we should look out for this fall? "2021 DB [player_tooltip player_id="20351" first="Aldo" last="Brown"], 2021 DB Hasan Mitchell, 2021 ATH [player_tooltip player_id="10981" first="Isaiah" last="Smith"], 2021 DB [player_tooltip player_id="20341" first="Myles" last="Mooyoung"]. All Four of these guys are special and going to help us win a lot of games this year!" What’s something people should know about you? "A lot of people should know that I’m very hardworking, and the love for the game I have is out of this world. Words can’t explain how much I love the game of football. They also should know my Jr. year was good, but my Sr. year will be ten times better!"