I absolutely had reservations about Sam at the beginning of last year, and wasn’t sure how he would perform against such a ferocious schedule. After just a few weeks, Eyde put together some very notable performances, culminating in a huge victory over eventual D2 state champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Fast forward to this offseason and I have seen him work a few times now, and he continues to push himself and get better. From mechanics to decision making to pure athleticism, he has put in the time required to keep getting better. What I thought could be a question mark for Brother Rice is more of a strength at this point, and I will be paying close attention to him this fall!

Sam is another QB whom I spent a lot of time looking at this season. The upside is there, as evident by his D1 offers. Watch him during warm-ups or a camp, and you’ll see a tall QB with a big arm.

Frankly, I was not confident in Sam early in the season. It was apparent to me that he was not playing up to standard when it came to Catholic League play. Though as the season went on, he kept on improving. I saw a big spike in efficiency in games against De La Salle and St. Mary’s. Against DLS, Sam played amazingly in the second half, nailing a few big throws to seal the game for Brother Rice. In the regular season matchup against St. Mary’s, Sam played great all game, hitting his reads quickly and accurately. I’m frankly expecting another significant jump in efficiency coming next season, and I beleive in Sam’s commitment to his development.

Sam absolutely exceeded my expectations! The defense put pressure on him and he was forced to move, manipulate the pocket, and make some off balance throws, and he absolutely did that. Super clean game by him for the most part and led his team to a massive W! I will be keeping a close eye on his progression heading into next season.

I’ve got a good grasp on Sammy now that I’ve watched two full games of his in person. In short, he’s a talented QB who can make any throw, but the offensive scheme just doesn’t currently allow for an elite number of pass attempts, especially not downfield.

Though Brother Rice did trust Sammy to close the game out last night. Two big-time throws in the 4th quarter- one beautiful, perfectly-placed deep ball right over two defenders’ heads. Additionally, I thought Sammy showed better pocket presence and overall poise when compared to last Sunday versus DCC.

A few phenomenal flashes from Sammy last night. I’m extremely excited to see how he continues to develop.

A ton of pass attempts for Sam, and a big learning experience without a doubt.

On paper, Sam did not perform well, but I honestly don’t know who is going to perform well against the CC defense. Sam did miss a few throws. The first play of the game, Sam had an open man down the sidelines, but waited a tad too long, then overthrew his receiver. In short, Sam was a tad late on many throws. On others, he was late and inaccurate, sometimes overthrowing, sometimes underthrowing.

It’s obvious that Sam is talented. He’s got the arm, has the height, and absolutely has the potential to be a great Quarterback in the Catholic League. I feel that if Sam stays patient with the process and learns to settle down in big moments, he’ll be just fine.

The Quarterback rankings were a pain to rank. As I’ve said a lot, most of the top guys have limited Varsity experience. Sam falls into that category, yet his talent is obvious.

So, now we wait for the season to begin. In short, I’m hoping for Sam to show us why he’s as highly touted as he is. I’d love to see that arm put on full display against Brother Rice’s grueling schedule.

The biggest wildcard of the group. I’m kicking myself for not watching Sam closely at the Toledo camp.

Though Sam’s talent is obvious. He’s tall, has a live arm, and generally checks a lot of boxes. A UNLV offer in December of 2023, and a Toledo offer last week.

D1 interest is very intriguing, though I need to see more tape- Sam has very little.