Before being nominated for Prep Redzone New Jersey’s 2023 Rusher of the Year earlier this month, Connor Dietz Connor Dietz 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Brick Memorial | 2024 State NJ received a huge scholarship offer. Coming down from Springfield, Mass were the Yellow Jackets to come in and offer Brick’s standout quarterback. I am curious to see where Dietz ends up playing at the next level.

shifty hips for a player of his size; dmust protect ball better, carries it low; most of his rushes are read-option/rpo, few scrambles shifts hips well and dips shoulder/spins off to get free;

Dietz is a bit of a tough prospect to evaluate solely as a rusher because it will not tell the full story of his abilities, as he actually quarterbacks his team. Never the less I shall try to limit this evaluation to him only as a ball carrier.

Formost, Dietz seems to consistently make the correct reads in both run-option and RPO action. He is disciplined as a runner to, religiously following his track. One of the first clips on his film Dietz literally ran in a straight line up the middle of the field on midline option for a score. He is more athletic than most edge players too, as he makes them miss when that defender is the only one who can make that play. In the open field Dietz can work his hips to evade would-be tacklers. Similarly, Dietz demonstrates that he possesses balance and understands leverage – by dipping his shoulders – as evidenced by his ability to escape from piles. Much to my surprise the vast majority of Dietz’s rushing yardage comes from designed runs; whereas very little yardage come via scramble. Dietz carries the ball a bit too low for my liking and I would prefer to see him hold it high and tight.

One of two run-first quarterbacks on today’s watch list, Dietz has been a total dynamo. He has led Brick to a perfect 4-0 record thus far this season. It is no coincidence that the senior leads the state in both total rushing yardage (746) and touchdowns (13) on 80 attemps. If you were curious, he is 26 of 41 through the air for 474 yards and 4 touchdowns to no picks. He also plays defense, having made 33 stops (25 solo), 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss. He is averaging 9.3 yards per carry.

Who said that quarterbacks are prohibited from leading their team in rushing? Dietz just shut them up. A dual-threat quarterback in every sense, the senior led Brick Memorial to their third straight victory over Barnegat 49-14. He rushed 10 times for 142 yards while scoring twice. Adding to his versatility, Dietz was 8 of 10 passing for 214 yards and threw 3 touchdowns. Yet again the Mustangs found another way to use Dietz, as he recorded 4 tackles with 1 tackle for loss in the contest as well.

A quarterback that I happen to really like, Dietz did it through the air, but dominated on the ground. Brick’s signal caller led his squad to a 51-25 victory over Allentown as he accounted for 6 scores (5 rushing, 1 passing). On the ground, Dietz rushed 17 times for 225 yards – a 13 YPC average. He also was an efficient 8 for 11 with 173 yards through the air. Middletown North is next up on the schedule for the Mustangs.

The Brick Memorial Mustang’s offense was levied by one athlete who played like a stallion all season long in 2022. At 6’1″ 170lbs, QB Connor Dietz Connor Dietz 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Brick Memorial | 2024 State NJ put the team on his back and galloped into the end zone countless times. Dietz finished the season going 130/210 for 2083 yards with a 13:5 TDs-Int ratio. He ran like an all-conference back too, slashing 195/1858/23 on the ground. He even impacted the game on defense with 35 tackles and 1 Int.

Dietz capitalizes off of play action and PRO reads quite a bit. This freezes defenders just a step for his receivers to win and allows Dietz to deliver a nicely placed ball in double-coverage, tight windows, or when he is moving the pocket. Dietz is also a tough runner and appears difficult to bring down. He has some balance to boot, as he stumbles and bumbles, staying upright through the first bit of contact and fighting for extra yards. Mustard might be Dietz favorite condiment, as he can sling it into a tight window at times. Mobile enough to avoid the rush, he has the presence of mind to keep his eyes down field once he breaks the pocket, undoubtedly looking for a big play. More big plays will become available to Dietz and the Mustangs as he stays disciplined to carry out his fakes with fidelity.

Dietz looks like a natural when he plays the QB position. In a tough South Group V playoff bracket, expect Dietz to rise to the occasion and lead Brick Memorial into a deep playoff run.