QB Talent on the East Coast

Historically, California has been a well known breeding ground for the country’s top high school quarterbacks. Names such as Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, and Jeff Garcia are all well known Pros who have had not only success at the college level but drafted to be come All Time greats. The Southern part of our country has also produced multiple hall of famers such as Louisiana  (Payton and Eli Manning), Mississippi (Brett Favre, Archie Manning, Steve McNair) and Texas (Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck). However, high school football on the East Coast is hoping to change the recruiting landscape at the QB position. With the most recent NFL successor from the area being super bowl champion Joe Flacco (New Jersey), the next wave of QB future stars are being developed in front of our eyes. 2022 class standouts, and ESPN 300 Steve Angeli of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey and Peter Delaportes of Jefferson Township in New Jersey along with [player_tooltip player_id="226825" first="Henry" last="Belin"] of Cardinal Hayes in Bronx, NY hope to set the standard for next wave of quarterbacks to come out of the Tri-State area. The 6’3, 215 Steve Angeli recently lead Bergen Catholic to NJ State Championship with an unbeaten season. Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees believes Steve is the future of their program. Duke commit, [player_tooltip player_id="226825" first="Henry" last="Belin"] who finishes top 5 in the state in passing yards (2,577) brings great passing ability and exceptional, dual threat athleticism as a Blue Devil with his 6’3, 215 strong and speedy frame. Peter Delaportes, the Boston College commit, shows great pocket presence and a cannon for an arm who can make all the downfield throws with his 6’4, 205 build, has the strength and speed to absorb hits and make defenders miss when escaping the pocket or on Jefferson’s QB designed runs. These seniors are some of the highest recruited QBs in their states in recent years, but the 2023 class is showing to have even more talent. Iona Prep’s Anjani Sheppard (NY), Nun School’s [player_tooltip player_id="28042" first="Marco" last="Lainez"] III (NJ), and Orchad Park’s [player_tooltip player_id="270233" first="Ben" last="Gocella"] all headline the 2023 QB class. At 6’2, 220 pounds, Sheppard is one of the most impressive QBs in his class. After 2021 season, he finishes 4th in the state of New York in passing yards with 2357 and leads all New York State QBs <em>who have more than 17 attempts</em> in completion percentage (71%). With 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions on the 2021 season, he shows great football smarts, has the ability to escape the pocket  and make plays with his legs when needed as he also rushed for over 1,000 yards this season. [player_tooltip player_id="270233" first="Ben" last="Gocella"] leads all QBs in New York with 2,731 passing yards. At 6’3, 200 lbs, Ben shows great accuracy and can read defenses well to make the best decisions on his ball placement. The dual sport athlete (baseball) threw for 31 touchdowns 2021 season, averaging a nearly 60 percent completion rate of his passes. [player_tooltip player_id="28042" first="Marco" last="Lainez"] III at 6’2 220 pounds is a tough pro style QB who can make plays inside and outside of the pocket with great efficiency. The Iowa commit has a high ceiling and hopes to develop into the best QB possible as a Hawkeye. But here are two more names you may not be aware of yet, St Peters Prep (Jersey City, NJ) QB [player_tooltip player_id="146477" first="Robert" last="Long"] and [player_tooltip player_id="229221" first="Trey" last="Drake"] of Jamestown High School in New York. At 6’3, 200 pounds, [player_tooltip player_id="229221" first="Trey" last="Drake"] who is also a varsity basketball standout is a pro style QB with great field vision, toughness and poise in the pocket. Drake makes great decisions with the ball with only 2 interceptions last season, 11 TDS, and 82 completions for 1,346 yards. Trey has not yet committed to a college yet, but could very will much be a standout this upcoming season and a sure name to look out for on national signing day Robert ’Champ’ Long, originally from Fairfield, CT as a standout receiver has developed into a versatile QB and has worked hard to earn the starting quarterback job at St. Peters Prep for the 2021 season. The 6’1, 200 pounds, the Maryland commit, threw for over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. Champ may be one of the most athletic QBs in this entire class due to his background as varsity basketball player and making plays as receiver What makes this class even more special is the added motivation and work ethic they all endured as the 2020 pandemic altered their pivotal sophomore football seasons, canceled, workouts, access to coaches etc. While they all bring different attributes to the table, overcoming adversity, being resourceful, and working hard to win starting jobs to catapult themselves to be nationally recruited as hometown heros  is something they all share.