Friday Frosh Watch: 2026 Quarterbacks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A look at two quarterbacks from the class of 2026 who are starting to make a name for themselves early in their prep careers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With this new series I'm starting, we will take a look every Friday at two freshman in each position group that have the potential to develop into high-level players over the next three years. There aren't many freshman that are starting at the varsity level at any position, quite frankly, so I feel focusing on two players each week will give us a good snapshot at the few who are getting meaningful reps. With that being said, here are the two freshman QBs who are starting their varsity careers early in 2022 and project to become strong players for their respective teams as they develop over the next three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Frosh to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jacob Young, Clear Creek Golddiggers (QB)(Fr.)(3) - Young is in his first year as the QB for the Golddiggers and while his numbers might not jump off the page through 6 games (41 of 100 for 805 yards passing, 8 passing touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and a QBR of 56.9), it's important to remember he's 14 years old, in his first year as the starting QB...there's going to be some growing pains. As Young continues to grow physically and mentally, he'll only get better as his career goes on. Young doesn't have much film out there, but from what he does have, you can see he shows the potential to be a highly accurate passer at all levels of the field. Shows good ability as a ball carrier on designed runs, consistently picking up key yards when the Golddiggers need them. Good pocket presence for his age, showing the potential to buy time in the pocket while not panicking and taking his eyes off his receivers downfield. Already shows a good frame for his age (5'11, 160 lbs) and will definitely grow taller and bigger over the next three years. While the level of competition the Golddiggers play at (1A) won't help his recruiting presence over the next three years, his development over the course of his prep career will be something to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tanner Gray, Wellington Eagles (QB)(Fr.)(4) - Gray, much like Young, hasn't set the prep football world on fire with his numbers this season (17 of 48 for 402 yards passing, 5 passing touchdowns against 6 interceptions, a QBR of 61.6, 528 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns), but also much like Young, he is 14 years old in his first year as a varsity starting QB; there's bound to be hiccups over the course of the season. Despite not lighting up the stat sheet, he has been a very important piece of the Eagles offense over the course of 2022. Unfortunately, Gray doesn't have any film available, so I'm not able to give a genuine evaluation on his abilities to this point in his career. With that being said, judging by the numbers (because that's the only thing I can go off of) he has the potential to be a force through the air and on the ground for the Eagles over the next three years of his career. While the level of competition Wellington plays at (2A) might not allow him to establish a strong recruiting presence, it will be a lot of fun to see how he grows as a player over the course of his high school career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->