ESPN College Football Recruiting

Originally Published: April 5, 2009

Future Big 12 QBs on display at TCU

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By JC Shurburtt
Scouts Inc.
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FORT WORTH, Texas -- While the top-notch signal-callers lived up to their billing, several other quarterbacks emerged as legitimate Division I prospects at the Elite 11 regional workout Saturday at Texas Christian University.

The event featured multiple quarterback prospects currently committed to Big 12 programs.

Texas quarterback commit Case McCoy (Graham, Texas), the brother of Longhorns Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy, had a solid showing. He has a quick release and velocity on his passes. McCoy is a confident player; he reminded several of the scouts and coaches at the event a bit of his brother.

"You definitely take a lot from this because you are always learning out here," McCoy said. "You are throwing to people you are not used to throwing to, so it's sort of hard to get into a rhythm, but you can take what you learn and go home and apply them to your own routes.

Future Texas A&M quarterback Jameill Showers (Kileen, Texas/Shoemaker) displayed a good arm and solid footwork during drills. There is a lot of buzz that Showers will move from quarterback to another position in college, but he showed Saturday that he has a lot of upside behind center.

Another future Aggie, Matt Joeckel (Arlington, Texas) has some upside as a pure pocket-passer. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has a strong arm and threw several nice balls at the event. In a pro-style system, he has a lot of upside. He and his brother, offensive lineman Luke Joeckel, committed to Texas A&M on Friday during an unofficial visit to College Station.

This isn't the type of event that plays to the strengths of Missouri commit James Franklin (Corinth, Texas/Lake Dallas). On film, the 6-foot-2, 218-pounder does a lot with his legs, escaping pressure to throw the ball. Still, Franklin had some good moments during the event and has a good enough arm to make some noise in Mizzou's spread offense. Franklin commented that he picked Missouri because the Tigers were the only Big 12 school recruiting him that planned to give him a shot at quarterback.

Johnny Deaton (Sand Spring, Okla./Page) was Oklahoma State's first commit for the 2010 recruiting cycle. On Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder showed why the Cowboys were so interested. He caught the eye of several of the scouts who were in attendance, including ESPN's Tom Luginbill.

Another Skyline standout

With Under Armour All-Americans Corey Nelson (linebacker) and Mike Davis (wide receiver), there is no question that Skyline High in Dallas boasts its share of headliners. Quarterback Javia Hall showed that he is another star on Skyline's loaded roster. Hall was impressive throwing the football and going through drills. He has a strong and accurate arm, and at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Hall has the size to play the position at the next level.

"It was a very good performance," Hall said. "I just went out there and did the things that we worked on in practice. I am not surprised that I did well. It's just how it is playing at Dallas Skyline. We have competition every day, so things like this just come naturally for me."

Hall said that he runs an "attack spread" offense at Skyline. He rotated with a second quarterback last season (incoming SMU freshman Chris Frazier), yet managed to throw for more than 1,400 yards.

Hall's build also means that he would be a candidate to play cornerback or receiver in college, if things did not work out at quarterback. Most schools, however, are talking to him about playing quarterback.

"San Diego State was the first school to talk to me," he said. "I've spoken to coaches at Kansas and Texas Tech and they said they are going to come down to Skyline and take a look at me during their spring evaluation period."

Hall also likes Florida State, Ole Miss, Minnesota, Kansas State and Arizona. He is waiting for his first scholarship offer.

Future star?

Expect coaches, players and fans quickly to learn the name of Marshall Williams (Flower Mound, Texas). The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Class of 2012 prospect was poised, even competing in the accuracy challenge at the end of the event. Like any young player, Williams has to get bigger and stronger, but he impressed with the touch he put on the ball and his overall accuracy.

After playing junior varsity football last season, Williams believes he has the inside track to start on the Flower Mound varsity this year. Most recently, Flower Mound produced Tennessee quarterback Nick Stephens, who started six games last season for the Vols.

Williams plans to camp at Texas this summer and said he may also camp at Texas Tech.

Sleeper Alerts

The coaches and scouts at the event were extremely impressed with the play of Matt Brown (Allen, Texas). Brown really came on during the later work, impressing with throws on a variety of routes.

On film, Brown can also do some damage with his feet, so he could be a player who sees his stock rise once more colleges find out about him during the spring evaluation period and beyond.

Tanner Price (Austin, Texas/Westlake) threw for 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions at the high school alma mater of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder throws an excellent ball and was one of the true sleepers at the event.

Price threw for 2,325 yards last season and holds offers from Ivy League schools Harvard, Dartmouth and Columbia. Stanford and Wake Forest have also been in contact with Price. He added that he would love to hear from Vanderbilt.

Academics are a huge factor for Price, who is considering majoring in business.

Another Gabbert

The younger brother of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, Tyler Gabbert (St. Louis/Parkway West), was at the event and performed well. Tyler Gabbert is not blessed with the height of his 6-foot-5 brother, but he is still a quality Division I quarterback prospect and holds offers from Missouri, Kansas and others.

Tyler was one of the better prospects at the event.

Notes

Trae Davis (Mexia, Texas) won the EA Sports Golden Gun Accuracy challenge, beating out Hall, Williams and others.

Other quarterbacks who had nice moments during the event included Hayden Hawk (Coppell, Texas), Jared Lanpher (Blue Springs, Mo.), Brett Maxie Jr. (Southlake, Texas/Carroll) and Emory Miller (Mesquite, Texas/Horn).

JC Shurburtt covers recruiting for ESPN.com. He can be reached at jcsespn@aol.com.