Spring Season Breakout Predictions: Quarterbacks

I can’t believe I already get to say this, but high school football is back! We are nine days away from the kickoff of the Wisconsin Spring Football Season! The kids at these schools have had to face a ton of adversity between the moving of their season, vastly different learning environments while in class, and having to try and generate recruiting interest from college programs without any recent film. It looks like that last issue might finally be coming to an end as game week is almost upon us.

Because the season is right around the corner, I want to run a series similar to what I did before the kickoff of the Fall Season with a slight twist. I am going to go through the schools playing this spring and identify the players that I believe are going to breakout this spring and finally receive the recruiting attention they deserve. The twist is that, while last fall this was a senior only series, this time I will also be including the junior class. Today, I want to start with the most important position on the field… Quarterbacks. I have identified five QBs that are set to play this spring. In this article, I will provide a quick analysis of their current film and also provide any sort of recruiting interest and offers they have posted on their twitter page. Each player’s twitter account is where I have gathered the information about offers, interest, and the fact they are uncommitted. Let’s dive into part one of the series!

Caden Nelson Caden Nelson 6'3" | 200 lbs | QB Waunakee | 2021 State WI , 2021- Waunakee

I’m very surprised that Caden is included in this article. He has been one of Wisconsin’s top QB prospects for his class since the debut of our 2021 rankings in July 2020. Even after our update this winter he has remained at QB2 and inside the Top 65 players overall. The junior film shows it all. He has a great frame at 6’3″ 200 lbs and plenty of athletic ability to make a defense have to be aware of him as a runner. As a passer, Caden attacks all three levels of the field with accuracy and velocity. The ball jumps out of his hand thanks to a quick release. Even when he gets flushed out of the pocket he can still carve up defenses. Nelson has a complete skill set at the QB position and is going to be a steal for a team looking for a QB in the 2021 Class.

According to his Twitter, Nelson is still available. Based on that deep dive into his Twitter account, Caden holds three offers from Loras College, Bemidji State, and MNSU- Mankato. Three very good programs, but I think there will be a few schools joining them after they see what he does this spring!

Drew Hanson Drew Hanson 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Edgerton | 2021 State WI , 2021- Edgerton

Next up we have our third highest ranked uncommitted QB. The 6’2″ 190 lbs left handed QB is a fun watch. His passing skill set relies on his accuracy and his touch over pure arm strength. He cuts up defenses on intermediate and short routes all game long, and then when it is available, he has enough arm strength to go down the field. Drew isn’t afraid to stand tall in the pocket while blitzers close in on him, and he does a good job of keeping his eyes down the field, even when he has to move around. I would classify him as a pocket passer, but he does have the mobility to maneuver in the pocket or get outside the pocket to buy time, and if there is daylight he can pick up chunks on the ground.

I went through his Twitter account to ensure that he was uncommitted and available. While going through the account, I did find that he holds a few offers from the next level. Those offers are made up of Carthage, University of St. Francis, and Mayville State. I predict there are going to be some other D3 programs, and maybe even some D2s, that will be very interested in how he performs this spring.

Riley Warzynski Riley Warzynski 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Stevens Point | 2022 State WI , 2022- Stevens Point

Riley is our first 2022 in the article. I got my first experience watching Riley during the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase. He had a great day there and it led me to go to his sophomore tape. Even then he clearly had a lot of tools to work with. Between the film and his Showcase performance, Riley has made himself a top 10 QB in the class of 2022 in Wisconsin. He is built for the position at 6’3″ 200 lbs and he has a gifted right arm. While on platform and in rhythm, Riley can deliver perfect passes to all levels of the field. While off platform, he still has the arm strength to get the ball down the field. Even as a sophomore, you can see that Warzynski has a knack for being able to maneuver in the pocket and buy time, and if he has to, he can tuck it and hurt a defense with his legs.

I think the jump in film since his sophomore season is going to be very noticeable and grab a lot of attention from the next level. Since he is a junior, I wasn’t expecting to see any offers on his Twitter account. However, I am surprised he doesn’t have any sort of posts regarding interest from the next level. I am interested to see how much that changes in about eight weeks when the spring season ends. To me, he is a D2 prospect right now with the potential for even more. He is one to watch this spring.

Caden Pendleton Caden Pendleton 6'6" | 205 lbs | QB Kimberly | 2022 State WI , 2022- Kimberly

Good luck finding a QB with a better build than the 6’6’’ 205 lbs QB out of Kimberly. There is no doubt that Caden is a top 10 QB in the class of 2022 for Wisconsin and after this spring I think he is going to have earned a bump up from there. When you flip on the sophomore tape you see that impressive frame slinging the ball all over the field with plenty of velocity and pinpoint accuracy to all three levels of the field. He can hit the quick, rhythm passes underneath and drop it in a bucket 40-50 yards down the field. He can deliver accurate passes while on the run as well. Caden showed a lot of potential as a sophomore. As a junior, I think he goes off and secures a bunch of college interest. This is a name you are going to want to write down.

Caden is another QB in the Class of 2022 that I expected to have several showings of interest from the next level based off the tape he currently has. It looks like the movement of the season has put a hold on that, so far. Currently he has listed interest from MNSU- Mankato. When he finishes up his spring I fully expect that list to fill way up and maybe even include an offer or two.

Peyton Lyon Peyton Lyon 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB Oshkosh North | 2022 State WI , 2022- Oshkosh North

My final breakout prediction comes in the form of the 6’1″ 185 lbs Oshkosh North QB. Peyton’s film collection is made up of his sophomore season and his 7 on 7 play from this past fall. Between the two tapes you can see the development that he has made as a passer. He has enough arm strength to threaten a defense vertically, but he is at his best when he is targeting routes that are about 15 yards and in. In those areas, Peyton kills defenses. He is able to hit tight windows in that range thanks to his accuracy and anticipation. I can’t wait to see how much his play has improved over his sophomore season once the live action starts next Friday. His 7 on 7 film suggests there will be a good amount of improvement over the already solid sophomore film.

Peyton matches the QB above when it comes to interest shown, so far. His current list of teams showing interest is made up of the D2 powerhouse, MNSU- Mankato. There isn’t anything else posted outside of them. That is set to change in a couple months when the spring season ends. I’m confident, though, that it won’t take until the end of the season for him to start reaping the rewards of his talent.

Make sure to check back in tomorrow as we take a look at 5 RBs that I predict are going to breakout this spring!