Class of 2021: Five QBs to Watch in Central Texas
Central Texas, specifically the Austin area has produced professional football athletes in the past. Baker Mayfield, Nick Foles and Drew Brees are among the names that stick out. Here’s a quick look at some of the quarterbacks not getting too…
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Continue ReadingCentral Texas, specifically the Austin area has produced professional football athletes in the past. Baker Mayfield, Nick Foles and Drew Brees are among the names that stick out. Here’s a quick look at some of the quarterbacks not getting too much national attention but are worthy to watch this season.
Nate Yarnell – Lake Travis High School (Austin, TX)
Yarnell comes from Lake Travis, one of the most elite schools in Central Texas. He started to make waves in his junior year when he threw for 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns. The pro-style quarterback has already verbally committed to Pittsburgh but got interest from Houston, Missouri State, Nevada and Texas State. The 6-6 quarterback is 6-0 as a starter and 3-0 in the playoffs. Watching his tape from 2019, he plays like a taller Andrew Luck and has a pretty nice cannon, able to accurately make the deep throws to score touchdowns quick.
Charles Wright – Austin High School (Austin, TX)
Wright has been on the varsity squad since he was a freshman. In both his sophomore and junior seasons, he has thrown for over 2,500 passing yards. In his sophomore year, he threw for 2,862 yards and 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions. In his junior year, he threw for 2,510 yards and 27 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Rushing-wise, he has rushed 177 yards and seven touchdowns his sophomore year, and 113 yards and one touchdown in his junior year. Wright has committed to Texas, choosing to stay in Austin. He also had interest from Iowa State, Arkansas, Louisiana and NC State. Wright also has an arm and can make throws in tight coverage. Much like Yarnell, his best plays are when he’s able to stay in the pocket and rifle the ball to his receivers downfield.
Kyle Brown – Vista Ridge High School (Cedar Park, TX)
Out of Vista Ridge, Brown is another name to watch after an electric junior season with 3,734 passing yards and 41 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He also rushed for 201 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brown has received just one offer from Eastern Michigan but has some interest from Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. According to his Hudl page, he also made AP First Team All-State after his impressive junior season. The difference between Brown and the others on this list is that he is much more mobile. In his highlights, he can be seen juking edge rushers like no problem and following up with throws on the run. His throws are also on the dot, and even while under pressure, he is able to hit the receiver.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAtbHLvK3rA
Ryder Hernandez – Cedar Park High School (Cedar Park, TX)
Hernandez is the last on this list but certainly not least. He too had a great junior season which followed up an impressive sophomore season. He threw for 3,049 passing yards, 383 rushing yards, 34 passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns with just six interceptions in his junior year. Preceding that, was a sophomore season with 2,546 passing yards, 131 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown and 20 passing touchdowns with seven interceptions. Hernandez fell into some problems with fumble his sophomore season, having five total and losing three of them. He also had three fumbles in his junior season. The 6-0 quarterback has garnered interest from Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. He committed but as a baseball player to Texas State. Hernandez’s tape shows that he does make some risky throws, but that can also lead to high reward, which is shown on his highlights. His tape also shows his mobile capability, as he can be seen escaping not one, but two sacks.
Ace Whitehead – Lampasas High School (Lampasas, TX)
The dual-quarterback from Lampasas has just one offer from Texas-Permian Basin, but has made waves in 4A ball. In 2019, he was named the AP Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year and in 2018 was named the District 14-4A-I Offensive MVP. As a freshman, he earned District 13-4A-I Newcomer of the Year. His stats have also shown excellence as he passed for 4,259 yards and 54 touchdowns in his junior year with only six interceptions. He also rushed for 723 yards and 21 touchdowns, bringing his touchdown total to 75 his junior season. In 2018, he passed for 3,049 yards and 35 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also rushing for 349 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his freshman year, he passed for 2,247 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has already started off 2020 hot as well, throwing for 135 yards and rushing 218 while scoring five total touchdowns to give Lampasas a win over Wimberley. He scored four total touchdowns against Stephenville while throwing for 151 yards and rushing for 95. Against Brownwood in early August, Whitehead scored a total of three touchdowns, threw for 121 yards and rushed for 190. Whitehead is a quarterback to watch below the 5A mark and is skilled in his position.
He was also featured in a mini-documentary called “Overlooked” which is linked below: