Rising QBs from the 2025 Class

The New Jersey 2025 class is absolutely stacked at the QB position. Because of this, a lot of top tier signal callers aren't in the rankings, but have slid into the watchlist territory. However, I don't believe all of those QBs should be there.   There's a few QBs that I believe have showed they are some of the top competitors in the state and deserve a higher ranking based off of past performances and what I have seen in film. Below are five of my favorite quarterbacks on the watchlist. Each deserves more recognition, which they will all gain more of once the 2024 season begins.    Time and time again I come back to Mount Olive and [player_tooltip player_id='1043553' first='Jake' last='Asbury']. I think this team is one of the most well equipped in north Jersey, and a lot of that has to do with the success they've had with Jake as their signal caller. Jake is one of the smaller QBs on the list, but that does not hold him back from having a massive impact on the game. If anything, Jake's size forces him to not only be more careful but also more creative with the ball in his hands. Jake has a little bit of Johnny Manziel in his style of play. He excels when the play breaks down, able to buy himself time behind the line in order to let one of his guys get home. And when worse comes to worse, Jake can take off with it downfield. He can accelerate out of the pocket and get into the secondary extremely quickly.   Throwing for 1667 yard and 15 touchdowns last fall, look for Jake to do it again in 2024. Jake can make a play out of nothing, and will surely stun defenders again when the season arrives.      Though Lyndhurst finished 2023 with a losing record, I am predicting they will turn it around and come home with a few more victories in 2024. [player_tooltip player_id='1022239' first='Shawn' last='Bellenger'] is the main reason I have that much confidence in Lyndhurst. A big sized quarterback with a cannon for an arm, Shawn is cooking up to be one of the most dangerous QBs in the conference. Tossing for 1345 yards and 17 touchdowns in '23, Shawn showed off his arm talent by consistently sneaking the ball into tight windows and sometimes outthrowing the coverage completely. Shawn does not let up at all in his wind up. He unloads the ball with speed and power and gets his full body into the throw. When he tosses it with that much velocity, it's tough for defenders to react in a timely manner, as the ball is already soaring by them. While he may throw the ball into too tight of coverage every once in a while, he's proved that he can find success when he does so. He's a confident passer that is only going to get better with time.      While Wallkill Valley didn't have a massively successful 2023 season, there is reason to believe they are on the upward trajectory with [player_tooltip player_id='1005646' first='Zack' last='Clarken'] returning as their starting quarterback. There is a lot to like with how Zack handles his offense. He is a nimble, duel threat QB that will pass first but will take off with it when it's the best option available. He didn't light up the scoreboard last season (7 passing touchdowns and 6 rushing), but with what he displayed between the end zones was enough for me to feel he can be a major threat in 2024.   As a passer, Zack showed off his quick release as he was able to get rid of the ball quickly when under duress. I think we will see Zack's most impactful play while he's on the run this season, as he's able to maintain his composure and eyes downfield when he's flushed out of the pocket. Zack showed off his quick footwork last season not only when in the pocket, but even when he took off with it downfield. He is shifty enough as a runner to take it the distance from any point on the field.      I've said it once and I'll say it again, [player_tooltip player_id='802075' first='Nate' last='Johnson'] is one of my favorite QBs in the NJ 2025 class. It is hard to argue with it with how much success he's had early in his career. Leading his team to back-to-back 9 win seasons, and an appearance in the sectional finals last fall, Nate has proved time and time again that he is a quarterback to reckon with.   What I found most impressive with Nate's performances last season was how much he spread the ball around amongst different receivers. No one receiver on the roster put up monster numbers, but instead, Nate shared the love and found success through multiple options. This made it extremely difficult for defenses to narrow in on one player, as they had to be concerned with every receiver and runner on the field. Speaking of runners, Nate was the lead ball carrier for Northern Highlands in 2023, and I don't expect that to change next season. Rushing for 748 yards and finding the end zone 11 times, Nate dominated on designed runs and unplanned exits from the pocket.   With elite arm strength, Nate can place the ball anywhere on the field. He can make the off-platform, off rhythm throws look easy, because they are easy for him. Throwing for over 2000 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, there is reason to believe Nate will do it again next fall.      Last but not least we have another one of my favorite quarterbacks in the 2025 in [player_tooltip player_id='933995' first='Stephen' last='Paradiso']. Putting up some of the most impressive stats last fall (2420 passing yards and 28 touchdowns), Stephen took control of nearly every game Cedar Grove competed in. I don't know if you'll find many other QBs in the state that throw the ball as fast as Stephen can. Stephen can put some zip on the ball, and it really stands out with how he can throw it on a line when hitting his guys across the middle. Stephen doesn't leave defenses many opportunities to find success, as the ball is in his receiver's hands before they can get in position to knock it down.   The timing and cohesiveness Stephen has with his receivers leads me to believe that they are on the verge of something great in 2024. Cedar Grove is one of my early favorites to make a deep playoff run, and it all centers around Stephen and his playmaking abilities.

The New Jersey 2025 class is absolutely stacked at the QB position. Because of this, a lot of top tier signal callers aren't in the rankings, but have slid into the watchlist territory. However, I don't believe all of those QBs should be there.