Legacy QB eyes Bulldawgs starting QB job
Rising junior quarterback Kelly Stevens believed sitting out the 2022 high school football season would allow him to grow bigger, taller and stronger and put him in the best position to compete for the Las Cruces starting QB job in…
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Continue ReadingRising junior quarterback Kelly Stevens believed sitting out the 2022 high school football season would allow him to grow bigger, taller and stronger and put him in the best position to compete for the Las Cruces starting QB job in 2023.
Based on his performance thus far for the New Mexico Legacy 7×7 team, he may be proven right.
Stevens has been a bright spot for Legacy in their first two tournaments. Standing tall (he’s about 6-foot-3) in the pocket, Stevens fires the ball around the field to his array of receivers.
Stevens will likely compete with rising sophomore Gunnar Guardiola, who saw limited yet potentially valuable action serving as the backup QB for the Bulldawgs varsity last season, including at least one start.
Expect a spirited battle between Stevens and Guardiola for the Bulldawgs’ starting QB job this summer. Preseason camp begins in mid-July.
“I just wanted to get bigger and stronger for my junior season,” Stevens said, explaining why he sat out 2022. “I didn’t have much confidence in my arm at that time. Hopefully, I’ll be running the varsity offense this coming season. I feel like I’ll be calmer in game situations and be more composed and disciplined.”
Stevens said Las Cruces head coach Mark Lopez, while understandably ‘disappointed,’ graciously accepted his decision not to play football in 2022.
“He took it better than I expected,” Stevens said. “He was a little disappointed because I think he saw something in me.”
Stevens spent last fall throwing with his private quarterback coach and lifting weights at the gym.
“He changed my throwing motion and now I’m able to throw the ball about 30 yards farther than I did two years ago,” Stevens said. “I’m far more accurate and throw with more power.”
Stevens, who split time between the Las Cruces freshman and JV teams in 2021, said he’s building chemistry with his current Legacy receivers. Their third tournament will be this coming weekend in Las Vegas, NV.
“Right now, we’re a lot better than when we started,” Stevens said. “We‘re getting better with the timing and playing better together.”
Stevens says he has grown four inches and gained about 20 pounds since his freshman year in 2021. He plans to attend a variety of camps this summer, including the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana, Arizona State, Arizona and most of the in-state schools.