PRZ Clayton Combine Rewind: Quarterback Breakdown

Now that we've run <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/05/prz-clayton-combine-all-camp-team-offense/">All-Combine teams</a>, it's time to dive deeper into what we saw on Sunday, as there was a ton of talent to roll through Clayton, NC for our Prep Redzone NC Combine. I've found that I prefer all-encompassing breakdowns to the more traditional "top performers" approach, so this week I'll have something on every player in attendance.   First up, a solid group of high school quarterbacks from around the state. I really liked this group and I'm excited to jump into a breakdown of their play. Here we go.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">PRZ Clayton Quarterback Breakdown</h2>   I'm not here to provide fake positivity. Kids paid money to compete and learn. That being said, there was a lot of good from a strong group of quarterbacks, something that always excites me. If the passers are talented, the rest of the players benefit.   Coach Justin Clark from NC Wesleyan put these guys through the ringer and did a great job of maximizing reps. That helps me, as I get to base my thoughts on an entire day, rather than a throw or two. Finally, I don't have full testing numbers yet, so any numbers or times I have here are from my own hand and are unofficial. If you have your times, send them over to me on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>).   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Footwork, Footwork, Footwork</h3>   It should come as a surprise to no one that footwork was the biggest point of emphasis for the quarterbacks, as that's something that tends to get lost in spring practice at the high school level. Camp settings like this are a great place for QBs to work on their drops and Clark had them really thinking about their steps.   American Leadership Academy QBs [player_tooltip player_id='1664581' first='Jackson' last='Gerdes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1650566' first='Ian' last='Wands'] each prioritized their drops, working closely with Clark to improve their footwork. The lefty Gerdes is an athlete who has played multiple positions in the past and he really improved his game Sunday with a focus on the technical aspects of the quarterback position. Wands was the starter last season and flashed nicely, with a couple of well-placed corner routes and good timing.   Similarly, Hopewell's [player_tooltip player_id='1041542' first='Ty' last='Sigler'] was really listening to the coaches, working on his footwork to improve his accuracy. I loved that and that's what I need to see from him. In terms of pure arm talent, Sigler is among the top passers in the entire state, but occasional issues with timing and inconsistent footwork made him somewhat erratic as a sophomore. I could tell he's been prioritizing keeping his mechanics consistent this offseason and I expect his completion percentage to take a jump because of it.   The guy with the best footwork overall was probably Cuthbertson's [player_tooltip player_id='1662114' first='Austin' last='Davis']. The 2027 QB seriously raised his stock ahead of our upcoming rankings updates, flashing consistent mechanics, strong drops and an athletic profile that frankly surprised me a bit. His 4.4 5-10-5 is excellent for a quarterback and shows his impressive change-of-direction and short-area quickness. On film, he's comfortable navigating the pocket and now I see why.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Size Isn't Everything</h3>   Several smaller quarterbacks really threw well on Sunday with big arms despite shorter stature.   Reidsville's [player_tooltip player_id='1665217' first='Braxton' last='Johnson'] really impressed me with his poise and simple mechanics. I recently caught word that he's in the running to start as a sophomore, despite being undersized.. The first word I wrote down in my notes for him was "solid" as he's an all-around talented passer. He had some zip on his passes, even amongst some of the bigger quarterbacks and he already looks well-coached.   Similarly, 2027 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='589556' first='Jackson' last='Duke'] held his own early then really shined when the receivers started getting greedy and taking defensive backs deep in one-on-ones. His functional arm strength accuracy over the middle was decent, but he had one of the better deep balls among any player in attendance, consistently delivering with zip and accuracy.   2028 passer [player_tooltip player_id='1663551' first='Adam' last='Ford'] out of John Paul II had a solid day as well. He wasn't a guy to deliver highlight-reel strikes, but he rarely missed, and when he did, it was usually in a spot where his receiver had a better chance than the defender to make a play. There's a lot of potential there.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Scouting the Bigger Guys</h3>   I certainly wasn't surprised that Olympic's [player_tooltip player_id='1228977' first='Chance' last='Cato'], West Carteret's [player_tooltip player_id='870217' first='Tanner' last='Payne'], and Hunter Huss' [player_tooltip player_id='1656741' first='Ethan' last='Presley'] were among the best players in attendance. I have D1 grades on all three of them, with Payne being a borderline Group of Five guy on my board. Clark drilled each of them on drops, footwork, and timing, and that's probably the next step in the evolution of each.   Cato has done a tremendous job cleaning up his mechanics and has improved leaps and bounds since I first saw him about two years ago. He played with good rhythm and anticipation Sunday and gets better every time I've seen him.   Payne's arm is college-ready, so I'd like to see him do more with his legs, and I've heard the same from some college coaches. He's one of the top pocket passers in the state, but won't have to be confined to that at the next level. Last year, the emphasis for Payne was cohesion and timing as a pocket passer for Payne and his receivers in his first year as a starter. I've seen him play in-phase (though he can and will continue to work on urgency at the top of his drops) and I expect to see some more improvisation this year after losing some of his top targets. He has the athleticism (Sub-4.8 40) so I expect him to break the pocket a bit more in 2025.   Presley plays with good anticipation and has college size. He can break the pocket and deliver on the run, something he showed both on film and on Sunday. A transfer to Hunter Huss will bring both challenges and opportunities. He'll need to make more tight window throws and improve his accuracy, but should also have a few more throws in phase. I'd expect his completion percentage to jump in 2025, if Sunday was any indication.

Now that we've run All-Combine teams, it's time to dive deeper into what we saw on Sunday, as there was a ton of talent to roll through Clayton, NC for our Prep Redzone NC Combine. I've found that I prefer all-encompassing breakdowns to the more traditional "top performers" approach, so this week I'll have something on every player in attendance.