News
New Clinic Dates
*** Important clinic dates just announced. Read the 2 page PDF flyer. ***
2010 Quarterback Duel
By Pete Scantlebury
PowerMizzou.com Staff Writer
They're separated by over 600 miles, yet Missouri's quarterbacks of the future -- or the two most recent prospects to receive that tagline -- aren't as different as it may seem.
Both James Franklin and Tyler Gabbert come from successful familes. Both Franklin and Gabbert have a father who's been a strong, guiding force in their development as players and men.
And both are pretty damn good quarterbacks.
But, the path each took to becoming a four-star, nationally ranked quarterback couldn't be more unique. For Franklin, his quarterbacking days began recently, when he was a freshman at Lake Dallas High School. Until then, Franklin had played linebacker and receiver, but when he first arrived at Lake Dallas, head coach Michael Young saw a spark.
"Physically, he had all the tools," Young said. "He's a smart kids and his grades showed that. From the beginning, it was clear he was a leader to his classmates. He just had all that intangible stuff.
"He lives, eats, breathes football. He's what you want in a quarterback."
The transition, according to Young, was "really easy." In fact, the hardest part was finding someone to fill Franklin's old position.
"When we made the switch with him, it was tough to lose such a physical player defensively," Young laughed.
Franklin worked out behind center during his first year, but entering his sophomore campaign, Young decided to utilize his talents as a receiver. Because Lake Dallas had an entrenched starter at quarterback, Young wanted to make sure Franklin still contributed to the team.
"James was ready to be the quarterback at the time," Young said. "But we wanted to ease him into the position, using him as a tight end and receiver. We had a better chance to win that way."
Franklin proved ready to make that leap to varsity ball, and by the end of his sophomore season, he was the offensive newcomer in his district. He was a true triple threat, combining for 996 yards receiving, rushing and passing, with nine total touchdowns.
After the season, the player groomed as Lake Dallas' future star finally became the starting quarterback. Going from linebacker to quarterback to receiver, Franklin was finally set at his long-term position.
Two years later, Franklin left Lake Dallas as one of Young's most successful players. In his final two years, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback threw for 4,448 yards, ran for 2,257 yards and compiled 76 total touchdowns. And, in what may be the biggest indicator of long-term success for Franklin at Missouri, he completed 68.8% of his passes.
According to Young, what made Franklin a star quarterback wasn't necessarily his mechanics or athletic ability -- although it definitely includes those things. Instead, Franklin's journey to the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the nation is a sum of all his parts.
"As a quarterback, it helps to know what it's like as a running back, wide receiver, even as a lineman," Young said. "He never played line, but as a tight end, he was able to see what they do, blocking wise. What might be more important was James' time on defense, when he played linebacker and defensive back. He knows the fundamentals of those positions. He knows what to look for."
That's the main difference between Gabbert and Franklin. While Franklin dabbled in other positions, quarterback runs through Gabbert's veins. Since he started football, Gabbert has been the signal caller, following in big brother Blaine's footsteps. When Blaine began to work with renowned quarterback guru Skip Stitzell as a junior in high school, Tyler joined as well.
"He had a lot of natural ability," Stitzell said of Tyler, "what I call a very good foundation. He had a good idea of how to do things. We worked on taking all the mechanics he had, refining them, and introducing some new ones that maybe he didn't have."
The main thing Gabbert did possess was an incredible competitive edge. That came from aspiring to be better than Blaine, according to Stitzell.
"We'd work out together, and I'd have to walk away," Stitzell laughed. "They'd start going at it with each other, talking about who was throwing better, and I'd just say, 'Alright, I'm out of here.'"
That competitive streak didn't just manifest itself in brotherly bickering, however.
"He has unbelievable work habits," Stitzell said. "Between working with me and working with his own personal strength and conditioning trainer, putting in the hours to do that as well as giving the quarterback position priority, he was dedicating all his time to becoming a great quarterback."
When Tyler became entrenched as Parkway West's starting quarterback, the big numbers didn't follow. They didn't follow for Blaine during his days in Ballwin either, though, and when fans criticize the lack of eye-popping statistics, it becomes a sensitive topic for Stitzell.
"It's really unfair," Stitzell said. "Unless you go watch a kid at a good camp, when he gets to throw to receivers of the same quality, it's unfair to criticize a kid's statistics."
It's a valid point. Not taking anything away from Franklin, but he put up numbers on one of the most successful and talented teams in Texas. Put Gabbert on Lake Dallas, and you might very well see similar results.
According to both Stitzell and Young, both quarterbacks have the mechanics to succeed.
"James has a really compact and short release with the ball," Young said. "He's consistent with it."
"Tyler's worked a lot on developing a quick release," Stitzell said. "And anybody that's seen him throw, the ball comes out of his hand very, very fast."
Stitzell compared Tyler to Blaine. While their wind-ups are different, the end result is the same.
"Being a big guy, it takes longer for Blaine to get going," Stitzell said. "But once his arm starts coming forward, the ball comes out like it's coming from a Howitzer. With Tyler, he's got a rattlesnake-quick release."
Now, however, both quarterbacks get the chance to throw to the same receivers, line up behind the same offensive line, and work under the same coaches. Franklin and Gabbert enroll at Missouri in January, and both are gunning for a spot on the depth chart -- the higher, the better.
Recruiting offers coming earlier for prep stars
By Mike DeArmond
The Kansas City Star
The
Wednesday tutoring session began like so many others.
Lee’s Summit
Then he popped the question.
“If I know I don’t want to play anywhere else,” Berkstresser said, “should I just go ahead and commit to Missouri ?”
Berkstresser’s QB coach, Skip Stitzell — who works on camps with many high schools and colleges, including Missouri — countered with a question of his own.
“You’re telling me that if Florida , USC, Notre Dame, Texas — any of those programs — came after you, you have no interest in them?” Stitzell said.
Berkstresser did not hesitate.
“I just want to play for Missouri ,” he said.
Well, then, Stitzell said, if Berkstresser’s mind was made up, his heart set …
The next day, June 18, Berkstresser accepted Missouri ’s offer of a football scholarship — for the 2011 college season.
Berkstresser, Stitzell confirmed, may not be the only rising junior quarterback to pledge to a college with two prep seasons to play before his college debut.
“For the nation,” said Stitzell, who runs the nationally known Quarterback’s Edge training service out of Fayette, Mo. , “I think 2011 is going to be a very strong year for quarterbacks.”
For Missouri and the Kansas City area especially, according to early listings by Rivals.com, the national recruiting network.
Rivals has yet to publish 2011 position rankings, but Berkstresser is just one of four quarterbacks from the state of Missouri or the Kansas City area already listed as Division I prospects for that recruiting class.
Also listed is Max Shortell of Bishop Miege, who has drawn recruiting interest from Iowa , Kansas , Kansas State, Missouri , Nebraska and Tulsa .
Raymore-Peculiar’s Cameron Coffman already has an offer from Kansas State , where brother Carson is a quarterback, and is on the recruiting list for Missouri , where brother Chase was an All-America tight end.
Across the state, St. Louis Chaminade’s Christian Suntrup has offers from Nebraska and Stanford, along with interest from Missouri , Colorado , Iowa , Northwestern and Wisconsin .
In part because of Stitzell — and plugged-in fathers like Paul Coffman — this area has earned a reputation as fertile ground for promising college football talent. Particularly quarterbacks.
Two area quarterbacks set to begin their college careers this fall ranked among the top 15 quarterbacks in the nation by Rivals.com.
Nathan Scheelhaase, who signed with Illinois out of Rockhurst High, was No. 7 in the dual-threat QB rankings.
Blaine Dalton, who signed with Missouri out of Blue Springs South, was No. 12 on that same list.
“The last three years, there have been at least two — if not three — Missouri and Kansas City kids go Division I as quarterbacks,” Stitzell said. “The level of quality of quarterbacks is getting #ffffff. And more and more schools are recognizing it.”
Early commitments are not binding, on the player or the school. Blaine Gabbert, slated to be Missouri’s starting quarterback, angered Missouri fans by slipping out of St. Louis to commit to Nebraska. Then he changed his mind and opted for Mizzou.
Former Grandview High quarterback Josh Freeman pulled a similar switch, jilting the Cornhuskers for Kansas State.
Such occurrences are why Paul Coffman encouraged his first two sons to wait and fully consider committing rather than jumping early.“I don’t want ’em backing out on anything,” Coffman said. “That’s not the way we as a family try to conduct our business.
“There should be no word such as decommit. If you commit to somebody, you’re in for the long haul.”
Like the marriage vow.
“For better or worse, richer or poorer,” Coffman said.
Berkstresser said he feels the same way, which is one reason he vows his commitment to Missouri will remain firm.
“There was never much doubt,” Berkstresser said. “I knew that’s where I wanted to play. No matter what other schools offered me, I wanted to play at Mizzou.”
Berkstresser’s dad went to Missouri. So did his mom.
“I love it there,” Corbin — and do not call him Corby — Berkstresser said.
“A few schools might come in and try to change my mind. But all I can say is, ‘I’ve already made up my mind.’”
In almost every case, these rising stars have not yet reached even their high school football zenith.
Berkstresser, who threw for about 1,400 yards last season as a sophomore, tossed 10 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions.
The asterisk on the interceptions is that five came in one game against Blue Springs South, when the game plan tried to ignore the effects of wind gusts of upwards of 40 miles an hour.
Suntrup finished with 1,362 yards passing and nine TD tosses.
Coffman threw for 2,369 yards and 23 touchdowns against only seven interceptions and really rose to collegiate recruiters’ attention when he threw for 532 yards and five touchdowns against Liberty High School.
Berkstresser admitted his case might be special.
“I only want to go to one school,” he said.
The early offers and acceptance by rising juniors, however, have some worried.
What is to prevent a high school star from accepting even a nonbinding college offer and then, as a form of insurance against injury, passing up his senior season of prep ball while concentrating on private coaching in preparation for college ball?
“I can see some people doing that,” Berkstresser said. “But really, who would miss their whole senior season of football? A senior year you’ve been playing for since you were in eighth grade?”
It is a scenario Stitzell believes might come to pass, and that might require NCAA attention if it becomes common.
“In a couple of years, I think you’re going to see the NCAA doing some things,” Stitzell said. “Either adding that second signing day, maybe in August. Or adding a stipulation that if you commit (early), you have to play your senior year.”
The early commitment by Berkstresser to Missouri could have an effect on both Coffman and Suntrup.
The Tigers have shown recruiting interest in both. But will the commitment of Berkstresser change that, and should Coffman or Suntrup already be looking elsewhere when it comes time to take official visits?
“I don’t know,” said Paul Coffman. “That’s kind of up to them. If they don’t offer him, then we’re not in the picture.”
More and more, the college recruiting picture seems to be changing. With the move toward earlier and earlier commitments, it is starting to show the improbable composition of a Picasso.
MU’s Daniel, KU’s Reesing help break the mold of tall college QBs
By Mike DeArmond
The Kansas City Star
Skip Stitzell figures Chase Daniel and Todd Reesing can draw themselves up as close to 6 feet tall as either can get and take a bow.
The glass ceiling on “little” quarterbacks may finally be cracking in college football because of the play last season of Daniel at Missouri and Reesing at KU. And throw in Cody Hawkins at Colorado , too.
“More and more, coaches are looking beyond how tall a quarterback is,” said Stitzell, founder of the Quarterback Edge development program and a coach for the national Elite 11 camps who on Tuesday was working Missouri’s annual football camp at William Jewell College in Liberty .
“Daniel and Reesing, and the kid at Colorado , opened up a lot of eyes.”
Missouri lists Daniel as finally having achieved the 6-foot height that was about the only thing that kept him from being given a scholarship at his home-state University of Texas .
Daniel isn’t quite up to that measure, of course. But last season he threw for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Reesing, another former Texas schoolboy star shunned by the Lone Star powers, is listed at 5-10 by Kansas . He isn’t. But he threw for 3,486 yards and 33 touchdowns for the Jayhawks a year ago.
Hawkins doesn’t look to be quite the 5-11 at which Colorado lists him. But the head coach’s son threw for 2,693 yards and 19 touchdowns a year ago.
So does size still matter?
“Not as much,” said Dave Yost, MU’s recruiting coordinator and quarterback coach.
The reason is the spread offense, the habit of dropping the quarterback 6 to 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and increasing the gaps between linemen.
“It’s not as hard to look over those big linemen,” Stitzell said. “They can see more.
“Schools, they can go for just a little bit more athleticism rather than some guy who is going to drop back in the pocket, then step up and throw.”
There have been little big men at quarterback throughout the history of college football and even some in pro football.
Davey O’Brien won the Heisman Trophy at TCU in 1938. Doug Flutie was a Pro Bowler. Eddie LeBaron led the NFL in passing for Washington in 1958.
All were just 5-7.
But at the close of the last NFL season, only one NFL quarterback was listed under 6 feet: Seneca Wallace of Seattle .
So, whatever the effects of a possible college revolution, the pro game hasn’t been much affected.
“It hasn’t yet,” Stitzell admitted. “But I guarantee, Drew Brees (of New Orleans ) is not a big guy. … Rex Grossman (of Chicago ) is not a big guy.” Brees is listed at 6-0, Grossman at 6-1.
Not all colleges have thrown the doors open to quarterbacks of the Daniel and Reesing mold. That’s why those two quarterbacks ended up at MU and KU.
“That’s part of marketing yourself,” Stitzell said. “Pull that roster up. Look at the size, the speed of a school’s quarterbacks.
“It doesn’t do you any good to market yourself to a school that their last three quarterbacks have been 6-4 or 6-5.
“But that’s changing,” Stitzell reiterated, once again crediting Daniel and Reesing. “They’ve really helped out the shorter quarterbacks.”