Official Emory Williams - 2023 QB COMMIT

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Quarterbacks seem to have more "diamonds in the rough" than other positions.

I took Yahoo's ranking of the top 20 QBs. Anybody who was not a blue chipper is in bold and underlined.

Josh Allen
Patrick Mahomes
Aaron Rodgers

Joe Burrow (low four-star)
Tom Brady (pre-recruiting rankings, USC didn't offer)
Justin Herbert
Deshaun Watson
Kyler Murray
Dak Prescott
Russell Wilson
Lamar Jackson

Matt Stafford
Ryan Tannehill
Matt Ryan
Derek Carr
Jimmy Garoppolo
Kirk Cousins

Jared Goff
Carson Wentz
Jalen Hurts

As you can see, the vast majority (including the most talented guys) were not blue chippers. A bunch of them were completely off the grid. And while recruiting rankings have improved in many ways, the last two drafts still had four "sleeper" QBs get drafted in the first (Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett). Only two of the 9 QBs drafted this year were blue chippers.


All true.

But if you took all the 4-star and 5-star QBs, and compared their "hit-rate" of being drafted high and/or doing well in the NFL, and then compared that to the hit-rate of the 3-star-and-below QBs, the blue-chips would have a better percentage.

But, yes, QB is a position for which development is based on sooooo many factors. I do think that traditional Rivals/247 ranking systems are based almost entirely on the measurables and stats, as it is very hard to measure and rank things like "leadership" and "football IQ".

It's a roundabout way of saying that I'm fine with the Emory Williams take, as long as Gattis and Ponce saw what they needed to see. I think that it's much worse to be backed into a take like this when you have missed on other candidates and start to rush the evaluation of other lower-rated recruits. The fact that we saw what we wanted while Rashada was still on the board is very encouraging.
 
Yea I think this is the biggest concern. He has a top tier school recruiting his WR and committed there, yet no sense of them recruiting him or any other relevant offers. Dude can sling it though.
UGA and QB recruiting
Lmao Reaction GIF
 
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as noted in the thread. go to the :15 mark in the tape. .....



then we can talk

His footwork is primo in my book.
 
UGA and QB recruiting
Lmao Reaction GIF
Sure but it’s more about his teammate a top 150 composite WR who is committed to UGA and lists a multiple SEC offers including Bama plus ND. QB and WR are obviously symbiotic positions, major schools have seen Emory based on Contrell and have not offered. Why? I trust the staff, but I stand that locking in on this kid at this moment isn’t great optically. His tape is pretty good but I see concerns of a stud that doesn’t translate at the next level. Once again, I trust the staff but people are raising valid questions here.
 
Quarterbacks seem to have more "diamonds in the rough" than other positions.

I took Yahoo's ranking of the top 20 QBs. Anybody who was not a blue chipper is in bold and underlined.

Josh Allen
Patrick Mahomes
Aaron Rodgers

Joe Burrow (low four-star)
Tom Brady (pre-recruiting rankings, USC didn't offer)
Justin Herbert
Deshaun Watson
Kyler Murray
Dak Prescott
Russell Wilson
Lamar Jackson

Matt Stafford
Ryan Tannehill
Matt Ryan
Derek Carr
Jimmy Garoppolo
Kirk Cousins

Jared Goff
Carson Wentz
Jalen Hurts

As you can see, the vast majority (including the most talented guys) were not blue chippers. A bunch of them were completely off the grid. And while recruiting rankings have improved in many ways, the last two drafts still had four "sleeper" QBs get drafted in the first (Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett). Only two of the 9 QBs drafted this year were blue chippers.
this may be true but it's also important to remember that we're recruiting to win college football games not NFL games. a lot of these diamond in the rough guys were late bloomers, or hyper-athletic raw prospects who needed a half-decade of playing quarterback to get to an elite level. there are some college studs underlined here (Lamar, Russell, Matt Ryan) but also a number of guys who played their best football in the NFL. the college careers of Watson, Burrow, Murray, Stafford, Hurts are far better than Allen, Mahomes, Rodgers, Brady etc -- the first group has multiple national titles, Heismans etc. some part of that is obviously not the fault of the second group (bad coaching, middling programs) but the 4 and 5 star studs give you the best chance of getting a superstar college player who can carry it into the pros. Mac Jones is the only one who was an unheralded QB recruit who played for a championship team in college and was deemed talented enough to be drafted in round 1.

the best argument for Emory Williams is that QB recruiting is just incredibly volatile. it's true that Bama, Georgia, Ohio State stack chips at QB. they've also ended up starting Mac Jones, Stetson Bennett, and Justin Fields (transfer) in recent years -- and Georgia tried to take a transfer. if you get your roster to that level you can develop lesser talent as useful stop gaps and not have to rush young QBs, and/or can attract superstar transfers (Burrow etc).
 
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Qb’s is one position stars go out the window. There’s a reason the best evaluators normally have the best qb’s, there’s also a reason why qb’s get an instant bump when a certain guru offers.

This kid hasn’t hit the seven on seven camp circuit hard as most , hes likely a four star when it’s all said and done.
Then why are top 20 qbs more likely to be a blue chipper than others? Stars don’t go out the window if the data shows blue chippers are better on average. But yeah I’m not saying Emory won’t be a 4 star in the end. He could even be a 3 star who ends up being good. Just on average, the odds favor blue chip recruits.
 
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Weaker arm? Who has that concern? Literally made every throw at the Elite 11 event.
Im not concerned about the kids arm. Personally I can see why the staff thinks so highly of him. I love his footwork, pocket presence, field vision, the fact that he is always looking downfield and his awareness is excellent. Add to that he has great accuracy and ball placement plus the ability to go through his progressions. He isn't the athlete that Jacurri Brown is obviously but he's no lead footed statue either. He's athletic enough for a true pocket passer. Would be a great take for us with the type of QB room we have currently. Yes I really like Evan Williams. Kid can deal.
 
Quarterbacks seem to have more "diamonds in the rough" than other positions.

I took Yahoo's ranking of the top 20 QBs. Anybody who was not a blue chipper is in bold and underlined.

Josh Allen
Patrick Mahomes
Aaron Rodgers

Joe Burrow (low four-star)
Tom Brady (pre-recruiting rankings, USC didn't offer)
Justin Herbert
Deshaun Watson
Kyler Murray
Dak Prescott
Russell Wilson
Lamar Jackson

Matt Stafford
Ryan Tannehill
Matt Ryan
Derek Carr
Jimmy Garoppolo
Kirk Cousins

Jared Goff
Carson Wentz
Jalen Hurts

As you can see, the vast majority (including the most talented guys) were not blue chippers. A bunch of them were completely off the grid. And while recruiting rankings have improved in many ways, the last two drafts still had four "sleeper" QBs get drafted in the first (Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett). Only two of the 9 QBs drafted this year were blue chippers.
6/20 is even in bigger favor of blue chip recruits then. Only 9% of ranked recruits are blue chips but they make up 30% of the top 20 NFL QBs. Play the odds and get a blue chip recruit imo. Emory could still obviously get to that level though.
 
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He's a QB that makes his OL look good. He has plenty of arm. I don't see where that's even an issue. What he does before the throw impressed me. He made the small moves in the pocket, either climbing up or sliding to get that extra half second he needed to make the throws. He has a fast, high release as well on the normal throws, but he can change the release point when he has to as well.
 
Quarterbacks seem to have more "diamonds in the rough" than other positions.

I took Yahoo's ranking of the top 20 QBs. Anybody who was not a blue chipper is in bold and underlined.

Josh Allen
Patrick Mahomes
Aaron Rodgers

Joe Burrow (low four-star)
Tom Brady (pre-recruiting rankings, USC didn't offer)
Justin Herbert
Deshaun Watson
Kyler Murray
Dak Prescott
Russell Wilson
Lamar Jackson

Matt Stafford
Ryan Tannehill
Matt Ryan
Derek Carr
Jimmy Garoppolo
Kirk Cousins

Jared Goff
Carson Wentz
Jalen Hurts

As you can see, the vast majority (including the most talented guys) were not blue chippers. A bunch of them were completely off the grid. And while recruiting rankings have improved in many ways, the last two drafts still had four "sleeper" QBs get drafted in the first (Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett). Only two of the 9 QBs drafted this year were blue chippers.
Miami dude for a sleeper stud!

@LeedsCane enjoyed the pod with Roman!

Emory is visiting this month, right?
 
Yeah because our four stars were lighting the world on fire. We actually have a staff now to coach up the 3-5 stars.
Especially that QB room in 2019 with two Top 100 guys in Jarren and Tate! Lol!
 
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I'm pretty sure Gattis, Ponce, and our army of offensive analysts have a lot to say about which QB to recruit. Mario is not going out and analyzing QBs.

but that would have been true at Oregon as well.
 
ok, so i had heard this offer was very likely a couple of days ago.

had a chance to speak with someone who i trust who has some knowledge of this kid. he and i got on zoom and broke down some tape of him from last year, because he wanted my take.

after about 20-25 minutes, my opinion was pretty well formed:

TAKE THIS KID. If he wants to come, and the in-person evals confirm what's on the tape, ... (always an open question) .... then I could care less if rashada or moore are in this class. i think this kid has that kind of ceiling.

always welcome to hear @Lance Roffers weigh in with me on the QB's. (and of course, @Liberty City El or @Stevo365 if they have any insight).
I watched two full games of his. There were things to like, but he wouldn't be top of my board.

- Does this spin the football long way motion after almost every snap looking for the laces. Does it on run plays, pass plays, etc. He will have some missteps with this if it doesn't get coached out.

- You can tell he's done thousands of footwork drills. Always on-balance, in rhythm if things go smoothly. I think he looks robotic with it because it's been drilled so much. When the play goes off-script he really struggles to maintain.

- He's an athletic kid, but lacks any sort of dynamism to really make plays out of structure.

- Had a few bad snaps and really kept his composure, found the ball under control, then threw it away. I liked that because things happen in a game and being able to keep a level head is a winning attribute.

- His arm is merely average for a P5 QB. He threw several comeback routes in the games I watched and the ball took forever to get there. Several were knocked down and/or popped up into the air. This was against, shall we say, kids who will be going pro in something other than football at the CB position.

- Really nice, catchable ball. The ball comes out of his hand beautifully. You can see him doing really well in a system like at Western Kentucky where he gets the ball out quickly and lets playmakers make plays.

- Plays in a system that is very simple, one-read, RPO or Read-Option on most plays. Throws outside of the hashes on the vast majority of throws and doesn't work the MOF well at all. Throws slants, but tends to drop his elbow and lose accuracy with any sort of pressure.

- Struggled against pressure in his face and tended to panic.

- Excels at stepping up in the pocket against outside pressure. Did this over-and-over again in the games I watched.

- Frame is skinny. Narrow shoulders, pop gun arms, thin legs. Looks almost frail.

- He is playing against quite marginal competition and he has a WR committed to Florida, who is, honestly, just better than the players he's facing. Throw the ball at the LOS and let him run for big yardage was the game plan.

- Also had a RB who is 215 pounds and bigger than many of the DL he faced. On money downs, it was always a screen to this kid, a draw to this kid, or a screen to the WR above.

- Deep ball really lacks trajectory and is thrown too on a line. That can be developed, but it was a consistent issue. Also tended to underthrow his deep ball. I charted five throws that were underthrown deep balls. This came after his first deep ball was overthrown on a blown coverage and the player could've walked in for a score. Perhaps he just over adjusted and his WR kept Moss'ing the poor CB's so he kept doing it.

- Accurate with the ball when he's in structure with the play. But let his elbow drop when facing middle pressure and was scattershot on those. He will see that more often than the play working perfectly and it concerned me a bit.

- Lacks a true trump card ability to make others better. He's a game manager.

- He is EXTREMELY loose with the ball while carrying it. Big hands, so he controls the football this way, but D1 edge players will knock that ball out repeatedly if he doesn't clean it up.

Overall, he wouldn't be a take as the only QB in a class. He could be the #2 QB who comes in and fills out a room, but not on the level of Rashada and Date Moore and others we were chasing.

If I had to do the whole stars thing, he is solidly a 3-star QB with the tools to start at a G5 or lower P5 program.
 
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