New QB Offer in Cali - AJ Duffy 2022 Rancho VerdeHS

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He's 6'1 200lbs QB out of Moreno Valley.

He had a great Freshman year throwing for 2,984yds 40TD's & 7INT's & followed that up his Sophomore season with 2,568yds 26TD's 7INT's at 70%cmp & rushed for 500yds.

He's got nice arm talent throwing with very good velocity & displays his big arm with the deep ball, lightning quick release & got good mobility too as true dual threat. He reminds me of Jayden Daniels.

His dad is the HC at Rancho Verde & he's begun blowing up with offers from Oregon, USC, AZ St, LSU, Auburn, FSU, Utah, Cal, PSU, Arkansas etc.. But he's primarily a heavy Oregon lean as of now.

Will definitely be a high 4-star by next year.
 
Only knock I have is he locks in on every wr he throws to. I mean he don't look them off or go to any one else but the wr he locked in on before the ball was hiked. Hes got to get a lot better with that aspect of his game. His coaches need to work on that in practice like daily.
 
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Only knock I have is he locks in on every wr he throws to. I mean he don't look them off or go to any one else but the wr he locked in on before the ball was hiked. Hes got to get a lot better with that aspect of his game. His coaches need to work on that in practice like daily.

he's 15-16 yrs old.Good coaching can fix that...one thing you can count on from Cali...Good HS QB's that play against pretty decent competition.
 
Really nice write up in The Athletic. Here's the link if you subscribe: https://theathletic.com/1875448/2020/06/16/aj-duffy-2022-california-quarterback-recruiting/

If you don't, some highlights:

Several people who evaluate players for a living say Duffy is polished for his age. He spent several years observing his father’s previous quarterbacks, a list that includes Hank Bachmeier, who started for Boise State as a freshman last season, Sheriron Jones, who was a four-star prospect in the class of 2015, and Carlos Hernandez, who led Rancho Verde to an undefeated season in 2011 and went on to play at Stony Brook. Duffy was at Rancho Verde’s practices when the likes of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tyron Smith, Ronald Powell (the No. 1 recruit in the 2010 recruiting cycle) and current New York Jets receiver Quincy Enunwa played for the Mustangs.

AJ Duffy knew what being a good quarterback looked like. It’s what helped him refine his accuracy at such a young age. He knew what kind of work he had to put in. And he had valuable instruction from his father, who didn’t send his son to a private quarterback trainer until recently, opting to develop him himself.

In 2018 were pretty low key. Duffy was supposed to be the junior varsity starter and the varsity backup as a freshman. But the quarterback who was supposed to be the varsity starter moved over the summer, which thrust AJ into the starting lineup.
“I just kind of got thrown into it,” Duffy said. “My dad was like, ‘You’ve prepared for it. You’re mentally ready. You’ve just got to go out there and throw the ball.’ I had some good guys to go throw to and went from there.”

As a freshman, Duffy threw for 2,984 yards, 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and rushed for 316 yards and another four scores. In the playoffs, he truly started to blossom.

Duffy led Rancho Verde to three wins and the CIF-SS Division 2 finals. Two of those wins were on the road, and one came against Moss, who was a sophomore quarterback for Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.) at the time. That run helped Duffy realize what might lie ahead for him.

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Duffy displayed his athleticism, his knack for making quick decisions and a throwing arm honed through years of playing third base during that playoff run. There was something else that stood out during that stretch of games, more of a trait than a skill.

When Duffy began playing Pop Warner, he started off at center. Pete Duffy didn’t want to be the coach who immediately inserted his kid at quarterback. AJ also played some defensive end and fullback. In a sense, that starting point helped him become a better all-around football player, getting him accustomed to contact at an earlier age and toughening him up for the pressure quarterbacks play under.

As a sophomore, Duffy threw for 2,568 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His rushing output increased to 501 yards. Pete Duffy noticed his son’s confidence reached another level and that he had a better understanding of what the defense wanted to do.

Serra (Gardena, Calif.) coach Scott Altenberg witnessed that firsthand in the playoffs last year. Serra made it a point to disrupt Rancho Verde’s passing game, putting plenty of hits on Duffy and limiting him to just 10-of-25 passing for 115 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.

Even though the passing game sputtered, Duffy still found a way to make an impact. He rushed 13 times for a season-high 93 yards and a touchdown as the Mustangs won in overtime.

“He absolutely made about three or four runs that won the game for them,” Altenberg said. “For me, that’s an important gauge in a quarterback. I always tell quarterbacks, ‘I don’t care about your stats. I care about one stat: win and loss. If you can win the game, whatever it takes, that’s the stat that matters.’

In late February 2019, Nevada receivers coach Eric Scott called, and moments later the Wolf Pack became the first to offer Duffy. “I was actually in class and my dad had called me out at break to come to his room,” Duffy said. “I came and he was like, ‘Coach wants to talk to you.’ I was thinking, ‘Oh, he just wants to get to know me or something.’ Then he offered … I just blew up after that.”

Florida State offered two days later, and Rutgers offered two days after that. Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Arizona and Nebraska followed months after. In early October, LSU, which was on its way to a national championship, extended an offer to Duffy as well.

“LSU was wild to me,” Duffy said. “They just won a national championship with Joe Burrow and all those great players. Miami. I always liked Miami for some weird reason, thought they were cool. Oregon’s always cool. Growing up, you always see the uniforms so you’re like, ‘Oregon offered? Wow.’ SC always just because of the greatness.”

The past three months spent at home have given Duffy a better understanding of the recruiting process. Quarterbacks tend to commit much earlier than other prospects because programs like to utilize them as recruiters as they fill out their classes. More than half of the top 15 2021 quarterbacks were already committed entering their junior seasons. So the recruiting process should intensify for Duffy soon. He said he has tried to remain really open with every program. He has FaceTimed with Ed Orgeron and Clay Helton. He keeps in touch with several programs on a weekly basis: Penn State, Miami, Florida State, Oregon, Oregon State and USC are the ones he listed.

What will ultimately guide his thought process?

“Job security with the coaches,” Duffy said. “I want to go somewhere where the coach is trying to stay. Somewhere where the offense fits me well, and just the bond I’ve had with the coaches.”
 
Likens and Lashlee are speaking with Duffy regularly. Duffy says he had plane tickets in March to get down to campus and visit.

Of why UM will be a school he visits before making a decision, Duffy said, “That’s because growing up I just always liked Miami. They were always cool. `Oh, Miami’s playing, let me watch that game’ or `Oh, he got drafted from Miami.’ And I knew Rob Likens from when he was at Arizona State and had a good relationship with him before he want to Miami. And I started talking to coach (Rhett) Lashlee and I like him too.”

Duffy has taken visits to USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada.

Duffy, who plays in a spread offense, finished this past season hitting on 185 of 261 passes for 2,568 yards with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder with 4.7 speed also added 501 rush yards and four more scores.
 
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When I see QB's like this I also look at the receivers, he has some good ones always wise to investigate for both interests.
 
Looks like he could be the guy for next year

I like it
Braedyn Locke, AJ Duffy, Jacurri Brown & Cade Klubnik are at the top of the board for the 2022 QB's.

I still hope we offer Garret Rangel, Connor Weigman, Josh Hoover & Adryan Lara, the 22 class is loaded at QB in TX & AZ like it is every year lol.

We missed the boat this class dragging our feet getting a gunslinger from down there, but for next year we need to be hyper aggressive in QB recruiting to get us a kid with high level arm talent.
 
Braedyn Locke, AJ Duffy, Jacurri Brown & Cade Klubnik are at the top of the board for the 2022 QB's.

I still hope we offer Garret Rangel, Connor Weigman, Josh Hoover & Adryan Lara, the 22 class is loaded at QB in TX & AZ like it is every year lol.

We missed the boat this class dragging our feet getting a gunslinger from down there, but for next year we need to be hyper aggressive in QB recruiting to get us a kid with high level arm talent.
Do you have a preference?

I feel like no matter who stands out right now I’ll want to reevaluate once we actually see Lashlee’s O in action.
 
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Do you have a preference?

I feel like no matter who stands out right now I’ll want to reevaluate once we actually see Lashlee’s O in action.
Well, if we had a miracle season & went like 11-1 or something I'd go all out for Quinn Ewers, but that's not realistic at all lol. But he's the best QB coming out of HS since Trevor Lawrence & honestly I believe he'll be better than Lawrence.

But among the QB's we have a real shot with, I like Locke, Duffy & Klubnik. The 3 of them have very Good arm talent & would have an opportunity to compete day 1 as TF's because the transition would be seamless playing in Spread/Raid offenses in High School. Locke & Duffy have the best arms within this grouping, I like Duffy a lot, but I'd be surprised if he didn't stay out west & commit to Oregon.

Jacurri Brown is a very intriguing prospect, big arm & great athletic ability, apparently we have a good shot with him & he's another Valdosta kid playing at Lowndes with Thomas Davis, but I fully admit I'm a bit shellshocked with GA QB's lol.

Locke to me is the kid I think we'll have a really good chance at landing, he visited Miami with his family on his own dime just about a week ago & his relationship with Lashlee is a strong one. I think if we zero in on him we'll get a commit.

But I'm also a huge Garret Rangel fan, I think he's the ultimate sleeper in the 22 class & he's a kid that will put up major numbers in college, super high upside.
 
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