Scouting The Class: #TN2025 Quarterbacks

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">We have locked ourselves away in the "Film Room" to begin scouting the 2025 in-state class and here we begin with the Quarterbacks. Inside we provide an in-depth look at this year's signal callers and how they may stack up moving into the off-season months.  </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>** Tons of evaluating will take place for our quarterback class over the coming months as well as new prospects will be added to the database as we continue through this recruiting process **&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East TN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The crop of quarterbacks coming out of the East TN region this year is a bit of a mystery to me at this point. There is talent here and several players with upside to reach the FCS, possible D1 level but work must be done this off-season to reach that status.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just from an early initial look, West Ridge senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='466230' first='Trey' last='Frazier'] </strong>and Sequatchie Co. 6 '3 passer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='279486' first='Sam' last='Evitts'] </strong>look like the two guys out of this region that have the physical tools, traits and upside to see their recruitments take off. Frazier is an athletic guy behind center who shows on film the ability to push the ball deep down field as well as run past defenders using his legs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evitts is more of a pocket passer, sporting the ability to run the ball if need be but it's his arm talent that could place his skills on the big stage of college football. Don't get it twisted, Evitts is a good athlete too that moves well in and out of the pocket but it's his passing abilities that should keep him highly ranked throughout this process. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/SamEvitts8/status/1756383832029200818?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SamEvitts8/status/1756383832029200818?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another strong passer at the top of charts from the East TN region is Knox. Catholic senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139272' first='Jayden' last='Neal']</strong>. The Fighting Irish pocket passer had a breakthrough junior season where he ranked Top Ten in the state for passing yards while also throwing for 29 touchdowns. Neal is a tad undersized but more than makes up for it with precision passing and his mental, physical toughness.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='301391' first='Weston' last='Edmondson'] </strong>out of Grace Christian, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219427' first='Houston' last='Hicks'] </strong>from Boyd Buchanan and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='445180' first='Cash' last='Bandy'] </strong>down in Cleveland all have great size, physical traits that can develop into a college recruited prospect but need a strong off-season to push their stocks further.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rams have a big presence behind center in Edmondson. The 6'5 pocket passer shows good mechanics on film along with solid arm strength. His development within his lower body this spring will be key towards what level he lands at. Hicks is a cerebral guy that loves the game, so he brings a lot of locker room value along with solid arm talent. Bandy is the wild card that has shown next level skills but is coming off an injury that knocked him out of his junior season, so it will be interesting to see how he comes back this year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two under the radar East TN passers to know about are new Anderson Co. senior passer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='650014' first='Landen' last='Hensley'] </strong>and Northview Academy quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='279489' first='Mason' last='Phillips']</strong>. Coming over to AC from Campbell County for his senior season, Hensley is a veteran performer and multi year starter that should step into the Mavericks offense easily and excel. He is a bit undersized but is a cerebral guy that throws for efficiency on a consistent basis.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars have a good core on offense returning for the 2024 season with Phillips at the helm, sporting physical traits (6'2 175) and skills that can develop for the college level. He will need work this off-season getting bigger and stronger if he wants to see his recruitment take off.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mid TN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going through this quarterback class, the Mid-Tennessee region is where the most star power resides for the #TN2025 crop but there are also some guys that need to step up to the plate a little to establish themselves as bonafide D1 prospects.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The clear cut #1 quarterback in the state is Brentwood Academy signal caller <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219419' first='George' last='MacIntyre']</strong>. Just recently, the Eagles 6 '5 passer gave his commitment to play in the SEC with Tennessee and MacIntyre has all the physical tools and upside to not only shine with the Vols but develop into a potential Sunday level quarterback. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lipscomb Academy has a pair of talented passers in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219425' first='Tav' last='Shaffer'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480646' first='Jackson' last='Kilburg']</strong> that are both considered top of the list players at their position within the #TN2025 class. Shaffer has nice mechanics along with good arm strength that shows D1 potential. Much of the same can be said for Kilburg, who is a little bit bigger than Shaffer but not as athletic, however he sports good mechanics too along with upside to greatly improve over the coming off-season months. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1180990,"width":"355px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/tavshaffer.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-1180990" style="width:355px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An intriguing talent to follow this off-season is Mt. Juliet rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219402' first='Tyler' last='Travers']</strong>. The 6 '5 strong armed senior has great size, deceptive athleticism and the ability to push the ball down field. What makes Travers so interesting is the fact that he shows some of the best upside at quarterback in the state and with tweaks on his mechanics, he could work himself into a Power Four prospect.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DCA rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='445181' first='Mitchell' last='Carey'] </strong>and Lewis Co. passer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='362006' first='Brycen' last='McDonald'] </strong>are two small school products that show on film the ability to not only spin it on the college level but maybe even the D1 playing field. Carey is a smooth passer with solid arm strength that I believe will develop further this off-season while McDonald is a multi year starter with great size and a powerful right arm. If he can work on his mechanics and lower base mobility this off-season, the Panthers senior could see his stock rapidly rise.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next four guys we mention are considered sleepers but sport talent that can take them to the college game with a strong off-season and Fall football year. Giles Co. lefty <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='962845' first='Johnny' last='Jackson'] </strong>is a dude to look harder at if your college coaches or fellow scouts as yes he has some work to do but the Bobcat senior is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in this class with some zip coming out of that left arm.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sleeper to watch for is Father Ryan quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150055' first='Joseph' last='Derrick']</strong>. He has limited action as he sat behind a FCS signee that last few years but this Fall should be his time to shine and Derrick sports good size and arm talent that plays up on the college level. Wilson Central senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='258654' first='Gavin' last='Mayfield'] </strong>is one of the smaller quarterbacks from the Mid-Tennessee region but has some of the best mechanics you will find along with confidence to place the ball into small windows.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another under the radar guy to pay attention to is Kenwood senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='855565' first='Jakoby' last='Cox']</strong>. This 6 '5 passer has untapped potential and upside as he sports some of the best arm strength of all from the Mid-TN area and maybe the entire state. He has a lot of work to do however as he needs to develop his mechanics much further along with his ball placement.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West TN&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- We got some talent coming out of West Tennessee this year and it's more from a depth point view than anything as we have several quarterbacks out this way that could play on the big state of college football. Two guys in particular who fit that bill are McKenzie senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1102448' first='Tate' last='Surber'] </strong>and MUS signal caller <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='219433' first='Brady' last='Hughes']</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Surber has all the tools you want with a D1, Power Four quarterback. He has good size (6'3 205) along with a well built body and a powerful right arm. The Rebels star prospect also has excellent mechanics and the ability to make plays outside the pocket. He already holds offers from North Alabama and UT-Martin but plenty of D1 programs are sniffing around and could be close to pulling the trigger. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/tate_surber/status/1741231133340188805?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/tate_surber/status/1741231133340188805?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hughes is someone I like a lot as a quarterback that is still growing into his body but shows the potential for long term growth as a D1 player. He is a smooth passer that shows nice anticipation and arm strength along with the mobility to evade the rush. Hughes also has low tread on his tires, so there is a ton of talent left inside him that can be developed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winning has to be the biggest commodity with a quarterback right? Well that's what <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='816017' first='Chandler' last='Day'] </strong>is, a winner! This Houston left handed quarterback was a major cog inside the Mustangs Class 6A title run last year, displaying excellent command and poise along with timely passing. He is also a mobile guy that can tuck it and run if needed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Memp. Central quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834585' first='Hays' last='Wright'] </strong>and ECS passer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='534630' first='Kade' last='Butler'] </strong>are two pocket passers with athletic traits, who both put up good numbers last year as juniors that could take their stocks to another level with a strong off-season and Fall football year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much of the same can be said for Bartlett rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='279488' first='Kam' last='Alexander']</strong> and Arlington quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='866680' first='Jacksen' last='Lyons']</strong>. Both of these guys had less than stellar junior years but sport physical tools and traits that can be worked into the college game. Alexander in particular has shown flashes of strong play but with continued learning of the game and work in the weight room, the Panthers quarterback could have himself a big senior year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last guy to mention is a definite sleeper that many may not know about now but might by the summer time and that's Collierville rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1177637' first='Grant' last='Troutman']</strong>. I got to see this guy spin it against Clarksville in the opening round of the playoffs last year and he was impressive. The Dragons quarterback can work it deep with a powerful right arm that definitely has college upside. He just hasn't had the opportunity yet to be the guy but that should change this Fall with Troutman penciled to take over for a future SEC signal caller.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":837385,"width":"355px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/28-Kam-Alexander.jpg?w=938" alt="" class="wp-image-837385" style="width:355px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->