Kentucky Sleepers to Watch For: Quarterbacks
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In my last post, we looked at the top wide receivers who have been heavily slept on in the Bluegrass State. For the last piece of my Kentucky Sleepers series, we will be looking at the quarterback position. Although most…
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Continue ReadingIn my last post, we looked at the top wide receivers who have been heavily slept on in the Bluegrass State. For the last piece of my Kentucky Sleepers series, we will be looking at the quarterback position. Although most of the positions we have covered have an expansive list of top recruits & wide range of talent in them, the quarterback depth cannot compete to an extent. In other words, there is not much of a wide range of top-tier quarterbacks as there are top-tier players in every other position. Today, my job will be to list some of the more talented quarterbacks in Kentucky that have received little to no college interest from recruiters.
Conlee Crossno
Conlee Crossno
Conlee had a great 2022 season for LaRue County High School, completing 111 passes for 1,977 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 11 games played. The most recent recruiting classes for quarterbacks have shown an increase in dual-threat quarterbacks. Conlee is another dual-threat quarterback that can beat you with both his arm and his legs. The junior is excellent at making good read option plays either running the ball or throwing a pass. Furthermore, Conlee can accelerate to full speed instantly and break out on to open field when he sees an open running lane. Crossno is one of the better QBs in the state for deciphering the defensive positioning and exploiting their weak spots. When throwing the ball, Conlee has great footwork to keep him steady and get the ball out of his hands quickly with lots of power coming from his lower half. Lastly, his strength enables him to stay up despite getting multiple hits from incoming defenders to still make a play. Although he has recently been invited to a few D1 football camps, there have been no public offers announced by Conlee and I believe a school could use his skills at QB for their offensive arsenal.
Past Analysis: Clay had a solid performance against Carroll county in their 62-14 win, completing 13 passes for 287 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns, & 1 rushing touchdown. The 2025 grad excels at throwing the football in the pocket, as he can get accurate bullets thrown into the receiver’s chest every time. Clay also does a really good job at reading the defensive alignment before the ball is snapped, quickly improvising to exploit the weak spot on the defense to score. Clay’s accuracy and field IQ carry Beechwood’s offense to consistent scoring drives.
Current Analysis: Clay finished his sophomore season in fantastic fashion, as he completed 67.5% of his passes for 1,822 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and ONLY 2 interceptions thrown in 10 games played. Clay finished in the top 6 in the entire state for the highest completion percentage. Clay’s throwing mechanics are nearly a beauty to watch. His stellar footwork to his smooth throwing motion enables him to get the ball out quickly and throw accurate dots to his receivers. Even when the defense covers the receivers well, Clay throws with precise accuracy that he can drop it in the narrowest gaps to his receivers. It is exciting to think about the potential for Clay to continue developing his already elite game since he is only a sophomore. Although he is a younger prospect, the fact that Clay already has the talent and mechanics of a collegiate prospect should get him recognition and interest from college teams by now. I expect that to change very soon.
Highlights
Kaden Gregory Kaden Gregory 5’11” | 180 lbs | QB Graves County | 2025 KY had a solid 2022 campaign for Graves County High School, completing 61.6% of his passes for 2,021 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions in 11 games played. Kaden is another quarterback who possesses top-tier throwing mechanics and throws with extreme accuracy to his receivers on nearly every throw. What is unique about the way Kaden throws is his wrist action as he is releasing the football. Gregory is one of the hardest-throwing QBs in his class, and his wrist swings back like a catapult to give him a whip-like release to hurl the ball quickly to his target. Lastly, Kaden is fantastic at exploiting the weaknesses in the opposing defense. Especially once the ball is snapped, Gregory has amazing field vision to help him find a weak spot to exploit, whether he will find a receiver to throw there or run it himself to gain yards. Kaden is one of the higher-IQ quarterbacks in his state QB class and how much work he puts in during the offseason surely shows it in his in-game performances. As of now, Kaden has received no public offers from college schools, but I expect this to change by the start of his Junior Year.
Highlights
Luke Pennington Luke Pennington 6’0″ | 180 lbs | QB Sayre School | 2025 State KY had a spectacular sophomore season for Sayre High School, completing 63.1% of his passes for 1,785 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 11 games played. What immediately stands out about Luke is his arm strength. Pennington has superior arm strength that enables him to make accurate 35+ yard throws to his receivers, both in the pocket and on the run. Along with that, Luke’s lower half works quickly to help him create momentum for him to release the ball out of his hands quickly and increase the overall velocity of the throw. So not only does Luke have a cannon of an arm but can make those deep passes with absolute laser throws. As of this February, Luke has received no public collegiate offers/camp invites however that may be partially due to him recently creating his recruiting profile this past December. But I believe within the next few months, Luke will get noticed and he will begin to receive lots of interest from schools. With 2 years left to play for Sayre High School, the potential for this young man to develop into a top-tier QB in Kentucky is there for him to take.