Top 2021 Quarterback Prospects in Louisiana

A slew of promising young quarterbacks have already started to steal much of the spotlight. But before Louisiana truly turns over to 2022 LSU commit Walker Howard and the dozen 2023 standouts led by Newman’s Arch Manning and Zachary’s Eli Holstein, a slew of veterans will have the opportunity to write the final chapters of their whole high school stories. Several dual-sport athletes and former transfers and position changes worked extensively during the unusual offseason to continue to perfect their craft. And this fall will offer an extended look at the benefits and progress. Here are five of the leaders of that pack. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63594" first="DeVon" last="Tott"] — 6-2, 170 QB — Mandeville</strong> Arguably Louisiana’s most polished passer, [player_tooltip player_id="63594" first="DeVon" last="Tott"], committed last week to McNeese State over half a dozen other offers and some notable Power Five interest. The Mandeville quarterback completed 62 percent of his passes as a junior for 2,713 yards and 33 touchdowns in Class 5A, the state’s highest level, and continued to train as hard this spring and summer as anyone. As he continued to trust his own progress and decision-making more and more, he could prove a steal for the in-state Cowboys — if coach Frank Wilson III and company are able to hang onto the talented quarterback. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63595" first="Hunter" last="Herring"] — 6-4, 205 QB — Ouachita Christian</strong> The tall dual-threat quarterback was viewed more so as a baseball prospect — committed to Louisiana-Monroe — until putting together an exceptional junior season on the football field to lead his Eagles to a Division IV state championship. Herring completed 104 of 197 passes (52.8 percent) for 1,794 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing 121 times for 1,123 yards and another 25 scores. He committed to Louisiana-Lafayette for football this spring and could hold a ton of untapped upside as he continues to further prioritize the sport. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">First points of the weekend...</p> [player_tooltip player_id="63595" first="Hunter" last="Herring"] with a well-placed ball to Eli Extine in the end zone. And Ouachita Christian leads, 6-0, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LHSAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LHSAA</a> <a href="https://t.co/JK9ySJ8OfZ">pic.twitter.com/JK9ySJ8OfZ</a> — Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeritRoser/status/1205554426825658368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63609" first="Dylan" last="Mehrotra"] — 6-3, 188 QB — Episcopal (Baton Rouge)</strong> The former wide receiver as the smaller Baton Rouge private school doesn’t draw the same headlines as many of the counterparts on this list. But Mehrotra passed for more than 1,300 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions as a junior and worked extensively this offseason on raising his arm and shortening his motion to position himself for a a big step forward. Mehrotra, also an athletic runner at his size with a 4.7-second 40-yard dash, committed to UAB this spring, but could just be starting to tap into his potential. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63613" first="Dillon" last="Simon"] — 5-10, 170 ATH — Lake Charles College Prep</strong> The South Alabama commitment fits well into his high school’s system as a quick and explosive, but undersized prospect. His strong arm distributed the ball to [player_tooltip player_id="63575" first="Solomon" last="Lewis"], [player_tooltip player_id="63600" first="Glynn" last="Johnson III"] and company for 2,561 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior, while showing the decision-making to throw just three interceptions. The dynamic runner also compiled 860 yards and 10 more scores on the ground. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63624" first="Kyle" last="Wickersham"] — 6-3, 225 QB — Archbishop Rummel</strong> The son of former LSU quarterback Jeff Wickersham led a special Rummel team through the Catholic League gauntlet and to a Division I state championship as a junior. But many colleges still held off on offers waiting to evaluate him after time missed to injury earlier in his high school career, a transfer of schools prior to the season and defensive- and run-heavy identity in 2019. Still, he completed 137 of his 231 attempts last season for 1,691 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions, rushed 71 times for 199 yards and four scores and, most importantly, found ways to make the plays necessary at critical times to lead an undefeated season. Wickersham also worked this offseason on a quicker release, which would be a huge piece in his continued development. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Third&amp;6 from the 37...</p> [player_tooltip player_id="63624" first="Kyle" last="Wickersham"] has Koy Moore again — and another first down. <a href="https://t.co/YaHD5ljE7B">pic.twitter.com/YaHD5ljE7B</a> — Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeritRoser/status/1203148756251824128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>