Spring Rankings Update: 2022 QBs

The spring evaluating period has been active for quarterbacks in the state of Mississippi. Back in February, we released our initial rankings for the class of 2022. Since then, things have changed a bit. New players have popped up, players have been preforming well in camps, and new film has come out for some guys in their spring season. Kicking things off, we have a new front runner for the No. 1 spot in the quarterback rankings. Hernando’s [player_tooltip player_id="104367" first="Zach" last="Wilcke"] has been one of the hottest names in Mississippi recruiting this past spring. Wilcke made the decision to commit to the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles a few short weeks after he was initially offered by them. He has looked very impressive at camps this spring as well, specifically the UA All American camp this month. Wilcke has good athleticism, accuracy downfield, and poise in the pocket. We have really loved getting to dive into his game tape. Wilcke was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback initially. At the No. 2 spot, we have another riser. Greenville Christian’s [player_tooltip player_id="104069" first="Deandre" last="Smith"] has been another hot name to know this past spring. Smith has torn up 7v7s and camps and even had a big time basketball season. Smith won a state championship as a hooper and looks to win one this year in football as well. It was a hard choice between him and Wilcke for the No. 1 spot. Both guys are immensely talented. Smith currently lists offers from ULM, McNeese State, Mississippi Valley, and Arkansas State among others. This guy is the ultimate winner and will look to cap off his historical high school career this season. Smith was ranked 4th initially. At the No. 3 spot, 2020 state champion [player_tooltip player_id="104068" first="Kabe" last="Barnett"] from Oak Grove puts his name on the list. For Barnett, it has been a more quiet off season than a lot of folks anticipated. That was until May 5th rolled around. In one day, Barnett added offers from 6 junior colleges, with another one tailing a day later. Barnett still feels like he could be considered to be in the "sleeper" territory.  6’4" quarterbacks who can both run and throw well are very hard to come by. Look for Barnett to take on the summer with his eyes on his first Division 1 opportunity. Big time player who will have a chip on his shoulder entering the 2021 season. Barnett was previously ranked 1st. A bit of a newcomer, Neshoba Central’s [player_tooltip player_id="112388" first="Eli" last="Anderson"] comes in at the No. 4 spot. We’ve covered Anderson plenty of times over the spring period, but we didn’t get eyes on him until after our initial rankings came out. Anderson is the type of player that has been the starting quarterback for the majority of his high school career and has also won a bunch of ball games. Copiah Lincoln, Hinds, and East Central have all extended scholarships to the rising senior. With recent instant impact receivers transferring into Neshoba Central, look for Anderson to have a big senior season and capitalize on his recruiting momentum. Anderson was previously unraked. Capping off the top 5 was ultimately a difficult decision. We had a 5a in [player_tooltip player_id="142994" first="Tyler" last="Fortenberry"] and 5b [player_tooltip player_id="126461" first="Marcus" last="Beamon"] we were almost equally as high on, but ultimately decided to roll with Fortenberry. The Brookhaven Academy quarterback was another guy that seemingly came out of nowhere. He put up gaudy numbers last season as both a rusher and a passer, and also had a solid basketball season. Fortenberry is the type of player that can step into a modern RPO based offense and play at a high level early on. He is still considered a sleeper and hasn’t added his first offer yet, but his senior season should turn some heads. All in all, this is a talented group of quarterbacks. We are excited to see how they continue to perform and ultimately where they sign to! To recap: <ol> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="104367" first="Zach" last="Wilcke"] | Hernando</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="104069" first="Deandre" last="Smith"] | Greenville Christian</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="104068" first="Kabe" last="Barnett"] | Oak Grove</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="112388" first="Eli" last="Anderson"] | Neshoba Central</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="142994" first="Tyler" last="Fortenberry"] | Brookhaven Academy</li> </ol> &nbsp;