2029 Quarterbacks To Keep An Eye On This Season

The class of 2029 is one of the most talented rich that Tennessee has ever seen. When you look at it, they have a plethora of high-level Division I prospects at each position. Now that they've had a full season to become acclimated to the high school game, you're seeing several take that next step.   I'm starting a series surrounding the class, where I scout six prospects at each position that you need to keep an eye on moving forward. Kicking things off, we have the quarterbacks. This is a group that's loaded with talented athletes, in more than one way. Out of the six, two come from private schools, with four being public school quarterbacks.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    Christian Brothers' [player_tooltip player_id='1717494' first='Nate' last='Brick'] is an unbelievable in-state talent who has the potential to be a top 100 overall recruit in his class. He has some of the best tools out there, but has put it together this summer, leading to a great start in his junior season.   Brick offers excellent size, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 185 pounds with a strong frame. He has some of the best arm talent in his class and is able to make just about every throw on the field. Something that goes under the radar for him is his pure athleticism.   He may not burn you down the field, but Brick has enough wiggle to buy time and evade tacklers. The 2029 prospect has good vision, throws the ball with anticipation and puts nice touch on his passes.    ---    Oakland's [player_tooltip player_id='424644' first='Kam' last='Morton'] was in a two-quarterback system last season, but has now earned the full-time job and is flourishing. Everyone always knew that he was a great athlete, but he's taken that next step as a passer.   Morton offers good size, standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 175 pounds with a stout, thick frame. Morton is a more compact player, but he's built very well, allowing him opportunities in the running game.   He isn't a run-first quarterback, but the 2029 prospect has the wheels to extend plays or even take off for a big gain. Morton is an accurate QB, possesses excellent football IQ, has nice touch, can fits passes into tight windows and has the ability to push the ball downfield.    ---    JD Gillum is one of my favorite 2029 prospects, regardless of position. He stepped in as a first-time starter for Anderson County, and would shine while healthy. The sophomore passer rode that big momentum into the summer, where he's taken the next step.   He's a big, physical quarterback for his age. Gillum stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 195 pounds with a well-built frame. The 2029 prospect has one of the strongest arms in his class, with the accuracy and touch to go with it.   Gillum can make every throw on the field, excels on deep passes, is not afraid to throw over the middle, has strong mechanics and has top-tier football IQ.    ---    [player_tooltip player_id='1553521' first='Arden' last='Lewis'] is an interesting player to scout. He is a tremendous athlete and could excel at any position that he wanted to play. However, he's at quarterback for the time being. Still, he is an impressive prospect who has Power Four upside.   He offers good size, standing 6-foot and weighing 175 pounds with an athletic, long frame. Lewis is easily the best pure athlete of any passer in the 2029 class. That allows him to be a dynamic threat in the run game, but he can sling the rock, too.   The sophomore has solid velocity on his passes, is very accurate in short and medium passing downs. He can push the ball downfield, has strong vision and has elite football instincts.    ---    I've been high on [player_tooltip player_id='1633607' first='Turner' last='White'] for a while now. He was part of my 2029 series this offseason, where I said he would take the next step. Well White did that and beat out an older player for the starting quarterback job.   He has things to clean up, but the sophomore has shown a lot of good things through the first month. The QB has good arm talent, has shown the ability to push the ball downfield, nice touch, good accuracy and solid decision making skills.   White needs to polish his passing, but I do think sky is the limit. I would not be surprised to look up in two years and see him garnering interest from a plethora of Division I schools.    ---    [player_tooltip player_id='1532507' first='Gavin' last='Shrader'] had to wait his turn for a year and play backup to a Mr. Football winning quarterback. He did that, learned a lot and is now looking like a good prospect.   Through three games, he's averaging 156.3 yards per game with a trio of touchdowns. He certainly needs to polish some areas of his game, but very few sophomores don't have to. He offers good size, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 189 pounds with a stout frame.   Shrader has a good arm, has worked on his accuracy this offseason, can complete passes outside the hashes, has nice vision and has the upside to be a strong deep-ball passer. I am excited to see how he progresses this season with some experience.

The class of 2029 is one of the most talented rich that Tennessee has ever seen. When you look at it, they have a plethora of high-level Division I prospects at each position. Now that they've had a full season to become acclimated to the high school game, you're seeing several take that next step.