Southern Illinois Quarterbacks Ready to Rise

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quarterback play has always been one of the biggest factors in building a successful football program, and Southern Illinois continues to produce signal callers capable of leading their teams on Friday nights. While some have already earned recognition, others are just beginning to establish themselves. As they continue gaining varsity experience and developing their games, these five quarterbacks have an opportunity to elevate their recruiting stock over the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Jesus Atilano | Granite City</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atilano enters an important stage of his development as a quarterback. Every varsity snap is valuable, and continued growth in command of the offense and consistency as a passer will be key. Granite City has produced competitive athletes over the years, and Atilano has an opportunity to emerge as one of the area's quarterbacks to watch this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hayden Mulvey | Newton</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mulvey has quietly become one of the more intriguing quarterbacks in Eastern Illinois. Playing in a smaller-school environment often means earning recognition through production, and another strong season could put him on the radar of more college programs. His continued development and leadership will be worth following this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Lane McAnally | PORTA</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McAnally is another quarterback with an opportunity to take a significant step forward. Quarterbacks often make their biggest improvements between seasons as they become more comfortable reading defenses and operating an offense. A productive year could make him one of the region's breakout signal callers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">John Venvertloh | Quincy Notre Dame</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Venvertloh has the chance to continue building his résumé as he gains more varsity experience. Quarterbacks who consistently make good decisions and lead their offenses efficiently tend to attract recruiting attention, and another year of development could put him firmly on that path.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Joseph Carmack | Freeburg</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the youngest quarterbacks on this list, Carmack already has plenty of long-term upside. As he progresses through Freeburg's program and continues developing his skills, he'll be a player to monitor over the coming years. Young quarterbacks who embrace the learning process often make significant jumps, and Carmack has the opportunity to do exactly that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->