5 QB’s Looking to Break into the D1 Recruiting Scene

As the 2020 Ohio high school football season hangs in the balance, the job of the Quarterback never ends.  The 2021 class is working hard to hone their craft and prepare for what they hope will be a strong conclusion to their high school careers.  Today we take a look at 5 QB’s from across the state of Ohio who are looking to put together big senior seasons, with the hopes of creating a recruiting buzz that could lead to mid-major or power 5 division 1 FBS offers. <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-34895 alignleft" src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Navalinsky_Crop-300x273.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="273" />Steven Navalinsky (Elyria Catholic)-</strong>  Navalinsky will look to build on a very successful Junior season where he completed 60% of his passes while throwing for 2,500 yards and 27 TD’s.  Navalinsky currently holds an offer from Kings College (PA) and has received interest from Ball State as well as D2 Ohio schools such as Tiffin, Ohio Dominican, Walsh University among others. At 6’4 205 and room to fill out Navalinsky fits the mold of a prototypical D1 college pocket passer who will look to do his damage by navigating the pocket and picking defenses apart.  An impressive trait of Navalinsky is his ability to climb the pocket as he feels the rush.  When watching his film you consistently see him step up and deliver the ball on the money even when he knows he’s going to get hit.  His combination of size, quick release, and plus arm strength should put him on the radar plenty of mid-majors and some power 5 schools. <strong>Jaylen Gilbert (Columbus Centennial)</strong>-  Gilbert is a dual threat QB who shows good footwork and a plus arm.  A 3 year varsity starter standing at 6’3  and 215 pounds, Gilbert has a ready-made frame built for the rigors of playing Quarterback at the college level.  Gilbert can play from the pocket as well as extend plays by scrambling and improvising within the system.  In an injury shortened junior season where he missed 4 games, Gilbert completed 53 percent of his passes for 892 yards and 8 TD’s while rushing for 320 yards on 61 carries and 7 TD’s. Gilbert would be an excellent fit for a college offense that likes to utilize the RPO (run/pass option).  Gilbert has a plus arm and does an excellent job of keeping his eyes downfield to allow plays to develop.  While he has yet to receive any D1 offers, Gilbert has drawn interest from several D1 schools including Bowling Green and Kent State as well as power 5 schools Cincinnati, Michigan State, and Pitt. <strong>Kobe Mitchell (Harrison Central)</strong>-  At 6’3 190 pounds Mitchell is not just a good quarterback, but a smooth athlete in general.  When working in the pocket Mitchell displays great footwork that makes it very difficult on the opposing pass rush to get home.  For all the gamers out there when Mitchell gets into the open field with the ball his elusive rating in Madden would be through the roof.  As a junior Mitchell completed 53% of his passes for 1,340 yards and 15 TD's, while rushing for 262 yards on 65 carries and 3 TD's. Mitchell projects very well to a college spread offense.  He commands the offense well, is accurate on his passes in the middle of the field, but also has the arm strength to make the throws outside the hashes.  Spreading the defense will allow Mitchell to use that explosive athleticism to make big plays that can change games.  He currently has interest from D1 FCS and D2 schools West Liberty and Wheeling University.  With a strong senior season Mitchell could catch the eye of D1 coaches. <strong>Cameron Blair (Sandy Valley)</strong>-  Blair is another dual threat QB, who in spite of his size (6’2 210 pounds), is an elusive runner and hard to take down in the open field.  As a passer Blair shows good arm strength and good pocket awareness.  When the pocket breaks down he’s able to escape and make something out of nothing.  As a junior he threw for 1,896 yards with 31 TD’s and rushed for 753 yards and 13 TD’s. Blair projects to more of a run heavy offense.  He’d be a perfect fit for an offense that utilizes the zone read system where he can take advantage of his ability to tuck the ball and run.  He's one of those QB's that seek out physicality rather than avoid it.  In the pass game he’s most comfortable on play-action rollouts and loves to throw on the run. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34251" first="Cade" last="Rice"] (Northmont)</strong>- Cade made big news in the Dayton high school football scene earlier this week by announcing via his Twitter account that he’ll be transferring to Clayton Northmont to finish his high school career.  At Northmont Rice will pair up with senior wide receiver Markus Allen who’s headed to Ann Arbor next fall to play for the Michigan Wolverines. Rice is another dual threat QB in this class who has the size to work from the pocket at 6'3 205 pounds, but also the athleticism to make plays with his feet.  As a Junior he passed for over 2,400 yards and 32 TD's while completing 60% of his passes.  He also rushed for over 850 yards with 12 TD's for an impressive total of 44 TD's accounted for on the season. Rice currently has offers from FCS schools Fordham, Elon, Rhode Island, and Illinois State and has received interest from Akron, Cincinnati, and Michigan State. &nbsp;