Prospect Tour: Michigan’s Sleeper QBs

Entering Saturdays event, I walked in already knowing a lot of the gun slingers in attendance from coaching them or coaching against them. After looking over my list, I noticed that there were a few I haven’t gotten the chance to see spin. This made me excited to get to see their mechanics and what they’re about. Here’s a list of my sleeper QBs that blew me away this weekend: James Bates- Livonia Franklin 2023 On this list, James “JD” Bates is the one QB I am most familiar with. I previously coached against Franklin High in the same conference (KLAA), and also coached against him during 7v7 this winter. Let me start by saying that this dude is the truth! JD’s swing is absolutely gorgeous and his signature pose after every throw is for a reason. He throws a great ball! Bates’ off-season started off red hot, bringing home a Legacy 7v7 championship during the winter, where his quick release and improvising in the pocket left secondaries in the dust. JD is set to take over for [player_tooltip player_id="93663" first="Zac" last="Olesuk"] as the Patriots signal caller this fall, and with what I’ve seen, JD is beyond ready to lead them on a run for the Division 2 title. [player_tooltip player_id="216997" first="Alex" last="Bueno"]- Rochester 2023 For those who don’t know, “Bueno” means good, and in Alex’s case… he’s muy bueno! I was beyond impressed by this young man on Saturday and so was every other coaches in attendance. This dude is a apex predator at the QB position. His drop back is calm and under controlled like a lion stalking his prey. Like the hungry lion, when the time to strike presents itself,  [player_tooltip player_id="216997" first="Alex" last="Bueno"] strikes with a zip on the ball that leaves Wilson imprints on WRs gloves. His accuracy, timing, patience and leadership had him ranked as one of the top QBs at the event. Bueno’s spring has been filled with camp tours and campus visit to some of the nations top D1 and D2 programs in the country. I expected the offers to be rolling here very soon for the Falcons signal caller. Bishop James- Oak Park 2024 In the game of chess, the bishop moves diagonally along the board to attack. Well, this isn’t chess, and this Bishop moves and places the rock all over the field like a well seasoned veteran. James caught my eye early on with his high release and quick delivery, as well as his leadership in the drills among 16+ other QBs. This field general’s performance on Saturday definitely has moved him up in my rankings among the class of 2024 QBs. With the Knights competing in the stacked OAA, this young gun has the competition to prove he is the Real McCoy this fall.