There's a lot of debate about QB takes on this board, so I figured I would explain what college coaches look for when evaluating a QB. It's very rare that a prospect has everything. You are looking for somebody who has flaws that you can fix.
1. Arm Strength: This is more important than accuracy during evaluation. You can fix accuracy, but there is only so much you can do to fix arm strength. Don't get me wrong, you CAN increase velocity...it just takes a lot of time. College defenses will literally force you to make the hard throws. If you can't make them, you will be a liability in college. A HS QB who can throw a deep on on rhythm (no reset) from the opposite hash, to me, has college level arm strength.
2. Measurables: YOU CAN'T TEACH MEASUREABLES. Everything else is debatable. If a kid is 6'4, he's 6'4. If he runs a 4.5...no argument. I don't care how good your film is, you have to have some kind of measureble/s that are elite. You can get away with a subpar measureable if you are elite somewhere else...Kyler Murray...undersized, but elite speed. This is so important that coaches will literally evaluate the parents to try to predict how their son will grow.
3. Accuracy: Unless he just has some sort of crazy herky jerky throwing motion, this is usually an issue with footwork. There is a shortage of good QB coaches at the HS level. People make the mistake of focusing on the throwing motion. Focus on ball flight. Where are how he is missing will tell you what the issue is and how to fix it. COACHES WHO SAY THAT YOU CAN'T FIX THROWING MECHANICS ARE WRONG. You have to know biomechanics.
4. Athleticism: This is different from pure speed. I want to see a guy who is balanced, agile, and can do things the average person can't. I like multi-sport athletes. Guys who specialize are usually more stiff, less athletic, and more injury prone. Athletic people learn new skills faster, tend to be more coachable, and understand space better. These guys will develop.
5. Tangibles: Competitor? Good leader? Good citizen? Good student? These things are critical but very hard to evaluate. Clemson does a phenomenal job of this and it's part of the reason we take so long to offer.
6. Decision Making: While this would be at the top of my list when picking a starter, this is hard to evaluate from film alone. The average fan looks at this from INT/TD ratio and completion percentage...but for coaches there are way more levels. Does he take the correct drop? Does he start his progression from the correct spot? You don't know what the kid is getting taught, so you have to be careful placing too much weight on these things. Is he throwing a ton of interceptions? Are those interceptions his fault? Interceptions for an underclassman don't bother me much...but as a JR/SR? That raises red flags.
1. Arm Strength: This is more important than accuracy during evaluation. You can fix accuracy, but there is only so much you can do to fix arm strength. Don't get me wrong, you CAN increase velocity...it just takes a lot of time. College defenses will literally force you to make the hard throws. If you can't make them, you will be a liability in college. A HS QB who can throw a deep on on rhythm (no reset) from the opposite hash, to me, has college level arm strength.
2. Measurables: YOU CAN'T TEACH MEASUREABLES. Everything else is debatable. If a kid is 6'4, he's 6'4. If he runs a 4.5...no argument. I don't care how good your film is, you have to have some kind of measureble/s that are elite. You can get away with a subpar measureable if you are elite somewhere else...Kyler Murray...undersized, but elite speed. This is so important that coaches will literally evaluate the parents to try to predict how their son will grow.
3. Accuracy: Unless he just has some sort of crazy herky jerky throwing motion, this is usually an issue with footwork. There is a shortage of good QB coaches at the HS level. People make the mistake of focusing on the throwing motion. Focus on ball flight. Where are how he is missing will tell you what the issue is and how to fix it. COACHES WHO SAY THAT YOU CAN'T FIX THROWING MECHANICS ARE WRONG. You have to know biomechanics.
4. Athleticism: This is different from pure speed. I want to see a guy who is balanced, agile, and can do things the average person can't. I like multi-sport athletes. Guys who specialize are usually more stiff, less athletic, and more injury prone. Athletic people learn new skills faster, tend to be more coachable, and understand space better. These guys will develop.
5. Tangibles: Competitor? Good leader? Good citizen? Good student? These things are critical but very hard to evaluate. Clemson does a phenomenal job of this and it's part of the reason we take so long to offer.
6. Decision Making: While this would be at the top of my list when picking a starter, this is hard to evaluate from film alone. The average fan looks at this from INT/TD ratio and completion percentage...but for coaches there are way more levels. Does he take the correct drop? Does he start his progression from the correct spot? You don't know what the kid is getting taught, so you have to be careful placing too much weight on these things. Is he throwing a ton of interceptions? Are those interceptions his fault? Interceptions for an underclassman don't bother me much...but as a JR/SR? That raises red flags.
