Original Article <div align="center">An Early Look At The Class Of 2009: The Quarterbacks</div> <div align="center"><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%">by J. Chase Boyadjian</span></div> With the stars of the Class of 2008 having now signed their letters of intent, it’s time to focus on what promises to be another great group of high school athletes in the class of 2009. It’s never too early to begin evaluating potential prospects, and over the next three weeks, sportstwo.com will assess and rank some of the top recruits in the country for the upcoming class. We will begin with the quarterbacks and work our way through each and every position. In the Class of 2008, number one overall prospect and dual threat quarterback, Terrelle Pryor (PA), led the quarterback group. After Pryor, the number of quality dual-threat quarterbacks was unusually small with Indiana’s Marqueis Gray and Virginia’s EJ Manuel rounding out the top three. Future Notre Dame freshman, Dayne Crist, led the pro-style quarterbacks, along with late riser Blaine Gabbert. The Class of 2009 promises to be much deeper on the dual-threat side of things, and once again, it seems as if the top national prospect will be a signal caller. Here’s a look at the top quarterbacks in the Class of 2009. Matt Barkley (Santa Ana, CA - Mater Dei) There’s no doubt that Matt Barkley is the top overall prospect for the class of 2009. Simply a man among boys at the quarterback position, Matt has all the tools necessary to make a huge impact not only at the collegiate level, but in the NFL as well. Standing at 6’4” and weighing in at about 220 lbs, Barkley started as a freshman on varsity at Mater Dei High School, the same school that produced current Arizona Cardinals QB and Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart. Having played against some of the best competition in the talent-rich state of California for three years now, it’s obvious the numbers Barkley has put up are for real. Throwing for more than 3,500 yards and 35 touchdowns in only 11 games in his junior season has earned Barkley some big time offers from nearly every high-profile program in the country. However, Barkley committed to Southern Cal about two weeks ago, ending his recruitment fairly early. Tyrik Rollison (Sulphur Springs ,TX) Listed by rivals as a dual-threat quarterback, I personally see him as more of a pro-style player who just happens to have the ability to beat you with his legs as well. Based on watching his film, he definitely prefers to pass and only likes to run when the situation calls for it. In his junior season, Rollison accumulated 3,691 yards and 37 touchdowns, besting Barkley in both categories. The one area in which Rollison needs to improve is size. Currently listed at 6’2” and 185 lbs, Rollison will need to bulk up if he wants to last in the NCAA. I think he will definitely end up being a 5 star prospect, and has the potential to be a top 10 recruit nationally. He may end up being better than Barkley in college if he beefs up because of his ability to run the ball as well as air it out. Kevin Newsome (Chesapeake, VA - Western Branch High School) The quintessential dual-threat quarterback, Kevin Newsome will, in my opinion, be the top rated dual-threat QB in the nation next year. Standing tall at 6’3” 210 lbs, he already has the body he will need at the next level. In the passing aspect of his game, Newsome shows decent touch on the long ball and a rocket of an arm in the short passing game. Where Newsome really excels, however, is with his legs. He reminds me a lot of Pat White when out of the pocket because any time he scrambles, he’s a threat to take it to the house. Newsome amassed more than 1700 total yards and found the end zone a total of 23 times during his junior season. His play has earned him early scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, UNC, and Penn State. Do not be surprised to see this explosive player stay home and play for the Hokies. Tom Savage (Philadelphia, PA - Cardinal O'Hara High) One of the biggest quarterbacks in this years class, I have Savage ranked as the 3rd pro-style QB in the country behind Barkley and Rollison and the 4th QB prospect overall. Standing in at 6’5” and 220 lbs, Savage has the body to take serious punishment . . . and dish it out. Savage has the best arm in this class outside of Barkley and throws the best spiral out of anybody I have seen so far. Playing for Cardinal O’Hara, Savage was the teammate of 2008 TE prospect and Penn State commit, Mark Wedderburn, so he definitely knows the recruiting game quite well. Despite his bigger size, Savage is very mobile and can run if needed; he’s a tremendous athlete. He only played in about 4 games as a junior due to a broken foot. A true warrior, he already has multiple offers from top tier programs such as Illinois, Miami, Michigan and Rutgers. Last month, he earned MVP honors at the US Army All-America combine in 2008, beating out 70 of the top quarterback prospects in the country. Casey Pachall (Brownwood,TX) Rounding out the top five is another pro-style quarterback, Casey Pachall. He is very similar to Savage in the fact that they both stand at approximately 6’4” and have very strong arms. The only difference, and really the only reason I have Pachall lower than Savage, is the fact he weights in at just over 185 lbs. Once he adds weight, though, look out. His delivery is quick and almost flawless and the ball just seems to glide through the air once he releases it. He throws by far the hardest ball out of anyone in this class; his arm is a rocket. In addition to the passing game, Pachall is very effective running the ball, and can make big plays with his if needed. His only offer right now is Arizona, but expect many, many more to flow in over the summer. Morgan Newton (Carmel, IN) Morgan is a very intriguing prospect out of Indiana given his large frame (6’4” 220lbs) and big play ability. I was tempted to move him up on this list but just haven’t seen enough video of him yet. But based on the few minutes I have seen, he could very well end up being a top 5 QB in this class. Even though his high school uses a heavy run-style offense, Morgan completed 70-of-88 passes for 894 yards and 13 touchdowns his junior year. He only threw two interceptions. From my point of view, he is certainly a dual-threat kid, and I have him ranked as my second dual threat QB behind Newsome and my sixth rated overall QB. His biggest offer at the moment is from Purdue, but he is receiving interest from more than 40 schools. Garrett Gilbert (Austin, TX - Lake Travis High) Gilbert would probably be higher on this list if I had more video to see from him. He looks like he has a great arm, and his stats prove it: he set the Texas high school single-season records for passing yards, attempts and completions in a season as a junior, completing more than 350 passes for more than 4,800 yards and a ridiculous 52 touchdowns. He also rushed for 400 yards. If I had more video, I would definitely have him higher on this list, but for now, he sits at number seven. All-in-all, he looks like a terrific prospect and has received offers from Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Nebraska. Aaron Murray (Tampa, FL – Plant High School) Coming in at number eight is Aaron Murray out of Tampa. Overall, Murray is a great prospect and the only reason he is lower than Savage and Pachall is because of his size. Standing at 6’1” and weighing less than 200 lbs, Murray will need to spend some time in the weight room during his senior year if he wants to make it in college. His play is very similar to Savage’s in the fact that they both throw a nearly flawless ball and have the ability to run if needed. Murray was utilized mainly out of the shotgun in high school. He already holds offers from Mississippi, Oregon State, and South Florida. Tate Forcier (San Diego, CA - Scripps Ranch High) My ninth ranked quarterback is Tate Forcier out of California. Tate is the younger brother of QB’s Jason Forcier (Michigan) and Chris Forcier (UCLA) and many believe he is the best of the three siblings. As with Aaron Murray, the only downside I see with Tate is his size. He’s currently listed at 6’1” and 187 lbs, but after watching his video, he seems more like 6’0” at best. Regardless, Tate has the potential to be a very solid college quarterback and despite his short stature, he has already received written offers from Auburn, Penn State, and Oregon. I see him as more of a dual-threat QB, and have him ranked at number 3 in that category behind Newsome and Newton. AJ McCarron (Mobile, AL - St. Paul's High School) The only reason I have AJ this high on my list is based off of potential and potential only. Many people seem to like McCarron because of how easily he dominated his High School competition (he threw for over 2,500 yards and 26 touchdowns while only giving up three interceptions). However, I don’t see his game translating all that well to the collegiate level. He’s very skinny (listed at 180 lbs at a height of 6’4”) and his throwing motion is very awkward. It seems like he needs to get his whole body involved in his throwing motion just to get the ball to where he wants it. This results in a fairly predictable pass, which opposing college defenses will easily read. However, if he bulks up and improves his strength, he can certainly be a top 10 QB recruit in the class of 2009. He already has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Rutgers and LSU, so clearly many think he’s up to the challenge. We’ll see. For now, he rounds out my top ten. Others to watch for: Moses Alipate (MN), Craig Crawford (WV), Jordan Luallen (IN), Zach Mettenberger (GA), Ryan Mossakowski (TX), Devontae Payne (OH), Eugene Smith (FL)
