SAN ANTONIO – With all due respect to the great San Antonio quarterbacks of the past, this year’s group may feature the best overall talent in Alamo City history.
A total of six San Antonio area senior quarterbacks have been listed in various preseason publications and recruiting sites as FBS (formerly Division I) prospects.
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That does not include former Reagan quarterback Kellen Mond who transferred to play his senior year at the IMG Academy in Florida. Mond has since verbally committed to Texas A&M.
Among the senior six in SA, five have verbally committed to FBS schools with Alamo Heights’ Will Chaney still undecided.
Area coaches believe this year’s crop of quarterbacks is the best in recent memory.
Stevens High School head coach Darryl Hemphill and Roosevelt High School head coach Matt Carroll have two of the best in Bryce Rivers and Bryson Carroll.
Both coaches believe leadership off the field translates to success on it.
“Leadership skills, learning how to throw the ball finding the open guy has really made quarterbacking an identity,” Hemphill said. “Not just high school, but colleges and also in the pro ranks. They want guys who could lead and I think its very important for kids to understand that, and Bryce Rivers is the perfect example.”
WATCH: Coach Hemphill and Coach Carroll discuss the rise of the SA area quarterback below:
“This 2017 class is obviously a loaded class with quarterbacks and I can just speak for us at Roosevelt, it really just boils down to you want to find the best leader on your team,” said Carroll.
Rivers, a UTSA verbal commit, is more of a pro-style quarterback while Carroll, a University of New Mexico verbal commit, is considered more of a dual-threat quarterback.
Both put up big offensive numbers last season in different systems.
“There’s a lot of great talent at the quarterback position in my class. I think the main thing is we’re all athletes,” said Bryson Carroll. “I think that’s changed the game, but it’s really cool to be a part of that.”
One area district is loaded with senior quarterback talent.
District 27-6A features three quarterbacks headed to an FBS school: Steele’s Xavier Martin (Texas Tech), Smithson Valley’s Josh Adkins (New Mexico State) and Clemens’ Frank Harris.
Harris is one of the most exciting players in the area and is considered to be a major local recruiting win for UTSA along with Rivers.
While each quarterback wants to win and achieve team success, they have all built a respect for one another after years of matchups on the field. They also understand their leadership roles.
“We all want to be the best quarterback out here. We all get along, the quarterbacks from all over, everyone puts in their own work,” Harris said. “We’re just trying to be the best quarterback for our team.”
“Being able to be respected and have people know that, not only that I know what I’m doing, but that I can help us and lead us, it makes it a lot easier,” Martin said.
As heralded as this class is, the San Antonio quarterback trend is not expected to end anytime soon.
Three area junior quarterbacks are already on the college football radar: Judson’s Julon Williams, Somerset’s Zadock Dinklemann and MacArthur’s Tyler Vitt.
“The transition from three yards and a cloud of dust to spread them out and play backyard football has really made quarterbacks important,” Hemphill said.
It’s also a transition that has led to the rise of the San Antonio area quarterback.
Below is a list of where the SA senior six quarterbacks have verbally committed:
Steele’s Xavier Martin —-- Texas Tech
Clemens’ Frank Harris —-- UTSA
Smithson Valley’s Josh Adkins —-- New Mexico State
Roosevelt’s Bryson Carroll —-- New Mexico
Stevens’ Bryce Rivers —-- UTSA
Alamo Heights’ Will Chaney —-- Has not verbally committed