Early is an exciting two-way player for Banning Lewis. The QB/SS measures in at 5’10 170-pounds. He went 106/200 for 1655 yards, 53% completion rate, 14 TDs, 7 INT, 105 carries for 515 yards with 2 touchdowns, 29 total tackles (11 solo, 18 assisted), 1.5 TFL, 3 PD, 1 FF, and 1 blocked field goal. Sam has very good athletic ability due to very good balance, acceleration, speed, with good change of direction. As a safety, he shows his physicality and aggressiveness. Very good tackling. Stops ball carriers in their tracks with ease. He’ll come into the box and dominate with his run support. As a QB, he has a good release and throw power. Early maintains good pocket presence. Goes through his progressions and if no one’s open will use his very good scramble ability to gain the first down. It’s not too Early to look at him.

Early measures in at 5’10 170-pounds playing QB/SS. He went 106/200 for 1655 yards, 53% completion rate, 14 TDs, 7 INT, 105 carries for 515 yards with 2 touchdowns, 29 total tackles (11 solo, 18 assisted), 1.5 TFL, 3 PD, 1 FF, and 1 blocked field goal. Early has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, speed, balance, and good change of direction. As a QB, demonstrates good throw power and good release. A fluid throwing motion. Early goes through his progressions and finds the open man downfield. If no one’s open, he’ll use his athleticism to gain the first down. As a safety, he thrives in the box. Very good tackling and shows off his aggressive nature. Great player that deserves some more looks.

The first thing that popped to me while watching Sam Early Sam Early 5'10" | 175 lbs | QB/DB Banning Lewis | 2027 State CO ‘s film is the twitch he shows in the pocket paired with some explosiveness when escaping and scrambling.  Early is quicker than fast and uses short quick steps to be agile and shed tacklers that can’t get a good grip on him.  His deep ball has good touch and I like how he throws on the run which shows off his quick, efficient release.  A unique trait I like is his ability to move around the pocket at different speeds.  Often times I see QBs trying to move around the pocket and run at their top gear – Early does a good job knowing when to maneuver in a secondary gear and then accelerate leaving the DL with no chance to catch him, like a point guard changing pace.  Whilst all this he also does a good job keeping his eyes downfield while scrambling.  A threat with his legs, Early is a tough runner on option plays, QB designed runs, and of course scrambles which was on full display against Alamosa earlier this season.  I also like Early’s ability to work the middle of the field, finding soft spots within underneath zones to get his playmakers the ball quickly with opportunities for yards after catch.  Early shows great poise and command in the pocket, I’m excited to see him continue to grow this season and next.