Unpacking the Deepest QB Class in Recent PA History, #42-34
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Noah Lion PA #397 QB #41 HEIGHT 6'0" WEIGHT 180 POS QB CLASS 2026 View Profile Noah Lion Instagram Twitter State: Pennsylvania School: Laurel Highlands t 6’0, 175 WR/OLB capable Baseball participant 3.6 GPA The sophomore tape out of Noah…
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Continue Reading- t
- 6’0, 175
- WR/OLB capable
- Baseball participant
- 3.6 GPA
The sophomore tape out of Noah Lion Noah Lion 6’0″ | 180 lbs | QB Laurel Highlands | 2026 State PA goes beyond three minutes or so. First rep has Lion delivering a rocket on a corner route after absorbing a hit in the pocket, pass would go for a score. Carries/positions the ball low, often times at his belly button while in the pocket. Ball drops when on the run as well. Great awareness of all things around him. I get the feeling he has good field sense working out of shotgun, on the move as well. Is a threat to run with the football, whether it be impromptu or not. Good build, said build doesn’t have him shying away from hits, he’s a tough kid. Accurate, on time, great vision of his targets inside of 15 yards. Unafriad to hit open but contested hitches, curls, and slants inside of 15 yards. Have him work his reads in the intermediate areas, have him utilize his legs on sprint-outs or in veer/read-option sets. He places inside the Top 400.
Highlights
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- 6’0, 205
- 4.0 GPA
- Basketball participant
Sophomore tape extends just over five minutes long. Tape showcases just four starts, however. Averaged just over 250ypg throughout that stretch, impressive. First thing that stands out on tape is his confidence. Detruf has no problem giving his man a shot downfield, many of these vertical shots hit their target or turf, considering he only threw one interception on the year. Operates out of a wide system, gun, Detruf can deliver a 40 air-yard ball from the pocket to truly test a secondary deep. Boasts a high release, almost looks like he releases the football behind his helmet at times. Won’t terrorize a defense with his legs, but is seen tucking and running for first downs, as well as being a factor inside the five. Slightly above-average athlete, plays basketball too. A lot of upper-body torque to generate his power, not too much lower-body churn. Great grades, heard good things about the young man. Likely a Top 30 QB if he has a full year of production.
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- 6’0, 170
- DB capable
Josiah Williams and Ethan Parvel were senior QBs I had my eye on out of Emmaus, happy to see Sherman still able to produce a sophomore tape with these two kids still around. I’m assuming it’s the Sherman show moving forward at Emmaus. Most of his tape is JV reps, tough to justify him being this high. There are some varsity reps sprinkled in, yet his ranking likely reflects what we expect to see with Sherman at the helm next Fall. A high projection that might look risky from my end, here’s to hoping he proves us right.
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- 6’3, 175
- 4.2 GPA
- behind a special passer
Logan Kushner was in the building, so all other special passers would have to sit back and learn from the Division One prospect. No rush, North Allegheny is sitting pretty with multiple options to replace Kushner, who has yet to decide on his collegiate future. A ton of Failla’s tape comes under the sun, not under the lights. Still, as an evaluator who knows the QB seat is up for grabs, I can’t ignore this young man’s athletic profile. 6’3, 180 pounds, is a legitimate dual-threat passer, a ton of fantastic runs on tape, improvised or intentional. Great grades, I couldn’t help but put him on this list. Failla has some reps under the lights, but I imagine they came in garbage time with NA already up big on teams. I’ll save a proper eval for when he sees Varsity time behind center. Brady Brinkley Brady Brinkley 6’3″ | 170 lbs | QB North Allegheny | 2027 State PA is a 2027 I’m liking out of NA as well, I’ll have my eyes peeled.
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- 5’10, 165
- 4.43 GPA
- Baseball participant
99/150, 1,500+ yards, and 20+ TDs to his name, on a year that Avonworth narrowly missed going to Cumberland Valley in place of Belle Vernon. Boasts a lengthy five-minute tape that fully encapsulates what Bellinger brings to the Avonworth offense. First thing that stands out on tape is his decisiveness. The young man isn’t lost behind center, he isn’t lost pre/post snap, Bellinger calls the cadence, gets the snap, and has a clear plan on what he should be doing with the football. Probably the fastest snap-to-throw on this list. The brains and field sense is there. Good depth perception downfield especially considering he’s a bit undersized for the position. Brings his feet forward and sets quickly, a lot quicker than his upper body, so his release has to catch up. Leads to a snappy, slingshot release that has plenty of torque behind it despite his less-than-ideal weight. I don’t come across many more confident, comfortable, and purposeful QBs, especially underclassmen. I wouldn’t bet against this kid in terms of leading his team to deep playoff runs as a junior/senior. Looks seasoned and poised. Tough kid too, downfield accuracy is a major plus.
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- 5’10, 145
- 3.9 GPA
Happy to see Drew Ross Drew Ross 5’10” | 150 lbs | QB Freeport | 2026 State PA stay inside the Top 300. Love seeing Ross grow into the position from a confidence perspective. Freeport is comfortable running five-wide sets, giving the keys to the offense to the sophomore passer. Thrived with the vote of confidence, Ross is a bit better an improviser than we give him credit for. Not a blazer or track star of course, but good field awareness has him making subtle moves in the pocket to out-maneuver the pass rush. Launch point mover, can extend plays to create new passing lanes. This part of Ross’s game isn’t covered much, yet deserves some ink. Continuously catching secondaries/DBs off guard with his ability to stretch the field. Ross doesn’t have a Wyoming arm, but the young man has enough juice to make Freeport an offense you have to respect at all three levels of the field with Ross at the helm. I’m not usually a fan of 11-minute tapes, yet it’s a welcomed sight coming out of a sophomore. The more quality reps the better right now.
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- wrestler
- 5’10, 175
6-minute tape released by Scharrer back in November. Little bit of flare in this kid’s game. First rep on tape, Scharrer delivers a bomb that travels 45 yards through the air. Involved in a ton of misdirection sets, whether it be trick plays, zone-reads with backs in the backfield, or backside wheels after front-side sprint-outs, Sun Valley has no problem trusting Scharrer to carry out these creative sets. Multiple QB keepers inside of ten yards, tough kid who can provide some duality to the position. Love his follow-through after release, smooth and cool mechanics, puts the sword back in the sheath. Doesn’t abandon clean mechanics or correct dropback step counts if he sees pressure, someone is coaching this young man pretty well. Again, another confident sophomore passer.
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- 5’11, 175
- baseball participant
2,500+ passing yards, 25 TDs, 7 INTs is the ratio he carries into the offseason. Proud to see Tavares cash in on a productive season. WPIAL’s passing leader, multiple single-season records are now held by the “undersized” Norwin underclassmen. The young man deserves respect, I had no choice but to leave him inside the Top 300. Spread-offense operator, has the most “wow” throws on tape. The accuracy, some of the buckets this kid drops the ball into are jaw-dropping. Tavares has always flashed a strong arm, he’s always flashed a good understanding of the position. He took a step forward this past Fall. Dimes thrown to the far shoulder of targets when attacking vertically. Can arc the football, doesn’t deliver a flat ball downfield, he knows how to get the point down. The work in the offseason with his weapons translates, there is clear chemistry on tape. Tavares is aware of his own build, yet he doesn’t let anything deter his base or vision downfield. Of course, he could do a better job keeping his eyes downfield, stepping into pockets, etc. Yet I have no problem seeing Tavares throw off-platform to avoid getting punched in the mouth. I have no problem with Tavares going off-script and creating with his legs behind the LOS. Great season out of the Norwin passer.
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- 5’9, 160
Possibly the liveliest arm on this list. Matt Ortega Jr. Matt Ortega Jr. 5’9″ | 160 lbs | QB Coatesvillesch | 2026 State PA is going to face an uphill battle in recruiting, for obvious reasons. That being said, coaches who come through Coatesville have no choice but to acknowledge Ortega’s abilities behind center. The young man fed two great offensive weapons, both of which will be playing Division One football in the future. I’d argue Ortega has the best release/arm talent combination on this list, a combination that has clearly been worked on throughout the years. I like Ortega’s 3-minute tape enough to place him above all of the rest on this list. Those who follow my rankings know what it means to place inside the Top 250. This is a sophomore class, so I’d call it a bit premature to grade him at the FCS level, but I could easily foresee a future where Ortega garners real interest from local PSAC schools. It’s way too early in the young man’s career to truly put a cap on what he’s capable of, so for now, we’ll keep our eyes peeled. I’ll likely be in attendance for another Coatesville District One football game this coming Fall.