Scouting The Class: TN2026 Quarterbacks

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beginning our series of in-depth look's at the #TN2026 class, here we begin with the quarterbacks. This is potentially the best crop of passers we have had in this state in some time, if not ever! </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Quarterback Class Ever?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Over the past decade, the state of Tennessee has steadily grown with in-state football talent, especially at the quarterback position where several prospects have made it to the college level and excelled. Well the #TN2026 crop of signal callers may be the deepest and most talented yet with multiple guys sporting abilities to become possible starters one day on the next level.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nash. Christian rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402548' first='Jared' last='Curtis'] </strong>has been talked about a ton over the past two years due to his physical size and big right arm that has schools like Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, South Carolina and others in hot pursuit.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baylor gunslinger <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='222957' first='Briggs' last='Cherry'] </strong>is on the rise after landing several new offers in the past few weeks and legitimately has a shot to compete with Curtis as the state's top quarterback prospect. Both Cherry and Curtis have the size and arm talent to spin it on the highest level of college football.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sporting college size and a big arm, MBA quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='688833' first='Hugh' last='Price'] </strong>has all the tools to excel on the Power Four stage. He shows some of the best arm power and zip from anybody within our #TN2026 class. Price holds a few big time offers but could see an in-flux on new ones over the coming months. If the Big Red quarterback can come back healthy and remain that way, Price might be a steal for whoever he signs with.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those top three quarterbacks have been looked at and talked to the most up to this point but several others like <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402540' first='Femi' last='Babalola']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1254853' first='Bronzden' last='Chaffin']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='480742' first='Kelvin' last='Perkins'] </strong>and others are right behind them, on the verge of breaking through with tons of new offers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1409152,"width":"295px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/bchaffin.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1409152" style="width:295px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Babalola has watched his stock rise tremendously over the past six months where a variety of schools like App State, Boston College, Georgia St and MTSU have extended offers. Several Power Four programs are showing interest too, so expect to hear more and more about the Raptors passer moving forward.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chaffin and Perkins have yet to see their recruitment take off but that might change very soon. The Bees quarterback already holds offers from MTSU and North Alabama but has multiple high level programs looking his way. Perkins is a multi year starter for Southwind that has a lot of experience and a Mr. Football achievement behind his name. He also holds offers from Alabama St., Arkansas St.,&nbsp; Austin Peay, Eastern Ky, Murray St. and Temple with a lot of schools interested.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Behind those top six are a grouping of quarterbacks with the physical traits and strong college potential to see their recruitment take off over the coming months. McCallie lefty <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1467540' first='Elliott' last='Drapeau'] </strong>is an intriguing talent that brings great size to the field and a winning makeup. He led his Blue Tornado team to the D2-Class AAA state title last season during his 1st year in the states. Drapeau is a true pocket passer that shows the upside to make college throws.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Science Hill rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577633' first='Lane' last='Clement'] </strong>is a new name to the Volunteer State that shows within his junior film the ability to spin on the D1 level one day. I had an up close look at Clement during our recent Winter Showcase where he impressed with his arm strength, accuracy and ability to throw the deep ball well. BGA dual threat quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='914547' first='Kaedyn' last='Marable'] </strong>had a breakout junior season where he produced some big time numbers while leading his Wildcats team to the D2-Class AA state title game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three quarterbacks to keep an eye on over the next few months that have D1 potential are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1153810' first='Taylor' last='Hasselbeck'] </strong>(Ensworth), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='964976' first='Kannon' last='Burroughs'] </strong>(Green Hill) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='492553' first='Hudson' last='Tucker'] </strong>from Briarcrest Christian. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hasselbeck has the lineage behind his name that helps but the rising senior has nice tools that translate well to the next level. He is one of the more cerebral quarterbacks we have from the #TN2026 class. The Hawks have a stud in Burroughs that brings dual threat capabilities to the gridiron that also holds several offers with plenty of interest coming his way. Tucker has one of the strongest arms inside our rising senior class. The Saints signal has yet to breakthrough on the recruiting trail but has talents to see the change in the near future.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The twelve signal callers mentioned above all have the capabilities of reaching the D1 stage. The upper half of this group certainly makes the quarterback position strong for this cycle but this year's crop is even deeper with the next guys mentioned below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1510623,"width":"218px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/IMG_20240928_105020.jpg?w=635" alt="" class="wp-image-1510623" style="width:218px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Strong In-State Quarterback Depth&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The #TN2026 crop of quarterbacks might turn out to be the best group ever from the Volunteer State and a lot of that is due to the names mentioned above but it's the depth beyond those guys that could make this statement true. You have several guys throughout the state that may be a small unknown at the moment but have the physical tools to turn some heads this off-season and place themselves on the recruiting map.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Many across the state may not know too much about Unicoi Co. quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115203' first='Kolby' last='Jones'] </strong>but this dude can play and he has the skill set to find himself on the college stage one day. The Blue Devils signal caller is one the top dual threat guys in the state while also sporting nice arm talent that can develop further over time.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off winning Mr. Football for the 4A ranks, Marshall Co. gunslinger <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422897' first='Tyler' last='Thompson'] </strong>is a hidden gem that has steadily gotten better over the past two years to place himself on the recruiting radar. This dude is a gamer that has a great feel for his position. Much of the same can be said about Oak Ridge quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='205650' first='Blaine' last='Stansberry']</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats passer is simply a “football player” that does a lot of things right while having the poise behind center to become an excellent college leader. Stansberry is a tad undersized but makes up for it with precision passing.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1075617,"width":"291px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/bstansberry.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1075617" style="width:291px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Webb School returns a strong senior core for the Fall season with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150057' first='Ryan' last='Wirtzfeld'] </strong>leading the way at quarterback. This lefty is physically well built that shows nice zip on his passes with timing. Wirtzfeld has some things to work on but the potential is there. Knox. Halls rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1102989' first='Amari' last='Lethgo'] </strong>is a two sport star that has shown upside on the gridiron for the better part of two years, showing flashes of college potential. He sports pretty mechanics with a catchable pass. If he can work on his timing, Lethgo might develop into a D1 sleeper.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two hidden gem quarterbacks to follow over the off-season months are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1315648' first='Damarcus' last='Strickland'] </strong>from Dickson Co. and MUS rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1312859' first='Maddox' last='Giel']</strong>. Both these guys are undersized around the 6 '0 mark but both bring big arms to the playing field along with nice mobility inside and out of the pocket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Strickland has some of the best zip coming out of his right arm that I've seen on film thus far. He has clean mechanics as well, so I'm interested to see how everything recruiting wise falls into place for him. Giel doesn't have a lot of traction right now due to him sitting behind veterans the past two years but has nice passing tools that should shine this summer in camps and in the Fall during his senior year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallatin quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='353896' first='Jackson' last='Stroup'] </strong>has been on the radar for multiple years now due to his early starting experience but now heads into his senior campaign looking to turn a corner. I think he started to do that last Fall where Stroup had his best season yet, displaying better accuracy and timing on his ways along with improved command.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1598774,"width":"229px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/110-Jackson-Stroup-rotated-e1736531392589.jpg?w=795" alt="" class="wp-image-1598774" style="width:229px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Developmental Prospects to Follow</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- We have a lot of talented quarterbacks returning for the Fall season that have a chance to boost their stocks further with a strong summer camp season and improved shown development throughout their senior years. A lot of the guys mentioned below have tools and traits to be enhanced into college guys by the end of the 2025 season but must hit the field hard this off-season to push their games to another level.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sharing snaps with Babalola at Ravenwood, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402559' first='Maverick' last='Chance'] </strong>is an interesting guy that shows a powerful arm on film along with dual threat abilities that may fit some offensive college schemes. What this Raptors quarterback is lacking in overall size, Chance makes up for it with a natural game breaking skill set.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402537' first='Elias' last='Childers'] </strong>from Overton and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402542' first='Gage' last='Porter'] </strong>(Knox. Webb) are two guys with college abilities and size but need more playing experience to see their games take off. Childers finally got to start midway through the season last year with Overton, showing solid arm strength and pocket presence. Porter is an intriguing guy that I could see rise up charts in this state with development in the off-season and a strong senior year at Knox. Webb.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Co. rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='523936' first='Maddox' last='Franklin'] </strong>had a breakthrough junior season that showed vast improvement with his arm strength and accuracy. He needs another off-season in the weight room to continue filling out his body before college coaches get on board but the arm talent is certainly there.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1364985,"width":"282px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/madfranklin.jpg?w=700" alt="" class="wp-image-1364985" style="width:282px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much of the above about Franklin can be said for Hixson quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='567225' first='Luke' last='Finch']</strong>. Standing 6 '2 with a frame that can pack on more weight, Finch showed flashes of strong arm talent during a rough season for his Wildcats team but potential college abilities.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two Memphis area quarterbacks that gained significant experience last Fall was Lausanne rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1562192' first='T.J.' last='Jenkins'] </strong>and Germantown signal caller <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285552' first='Mekhi' last='Robins-Abram']</strong>. Both these West Tennessee talents show solid mechanics on film along with good enough arm strength to push the ball down field. They have some areas that need further development but have good skill sets.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other returning quarterbacks from the #TN2026 class to know about include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285767' first='Aiden' last='Thomas'] </strong>(White Station), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='540015' first='Chase' last='Stephens'] </strong>(Cleveland), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='491549' first='Noah' last='Potter'] </strong>(Stone Memorial), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1562196' first='J.C.' last='White'] </strong>(Brentwood), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1043649' first='Ethan' last='Bones'] </strong>(Clarksville Acad.), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582354' first='Jaxon' last='Dabrowski'] </strong>(William Blount), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1565670' first='Marcus' last='Person'] </strong>(Memp. Biz. Acad.), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='214189' first='Madden' last='Guffey'] </strong>(Seymour), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1602198' first='Brady' last='Swallows'] </strong>(Warren Co.), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='819521' first='Eli' last='Garrett'] </strong>(Cannon Co.), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1562182' first='Knox' last='Lambert'] </strong>(Franklin-Grace), <strong>Mason Tidwell </strong>(Loretto), <strong>Lucas Slagle </strong>(Elizabethton) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1432189' first='Lucas' last='Reed'] </strong>from Tullahoma.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1292711,"width":"284px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/06/mrabram.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1292711" style="width:284px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->