All signs seem to be pointing to Gunner choosing LSU at 11a.m. today ( Friday Dec 23td ) I'm glad we were able to overcome ND and Vandy. Some people are excited because he is the #1 QB prospect, but if you really analyze his film, he is even more impressive. His coach claims that he is an Andrew Luck-type QB who is very intelligent and a student of the game. Says he is very comfortable reading Defenses, identifying blitzes, and making Audible play changes at the line of scrimmage. I think the Tebow-lite comparison is actually pretty apt, although Rivals best comparison for him was Peyton Manning ( which ain't too shabby )Now, am I saying he's another Tebow? No, but his body shape and size are comparable to Tebow. He does a great job running drawn up QB runs, in addition to being able to make plays with his feet when WR's are covered. Either way, when he does end up carrying the ball, he runs kinda like Tebow, as well. He's not a Michael Vick/Vince Young slippery, quick change-of-direction style runner. He has great vision, good acceleration, lets his blockers help him set up runs, and isn't afraid to take on contact and grind out those few extra yards. I think he would be great running our Option/Zone Read plays. When it comes to passing, he really shines. Some people are worried about his competition, as Indiana isn't really known as a powerhouse football state. However, some things that are easily visible separate him from many, if not most high school QB's, and make him deserving of his 5 star #1 QB rank. First off, he has a great arm. He puts some heat on his passes and does a great job of anticipating the WR's route, threading the needle, and hitting the WR in stride so that they can gain YAC. He can throw the deep out, the wheel, the out and up, and the fade, as well as having excellent touch and accuracy on the screens, dropoff to the RB, slant, short out, etc. Like a good college QB, he is already comfortable watching his receivers if they are too well covered while running a route, using his feet to extend the play, and then making a pass to a receiver running an improvised route upfield. He doesn't avoid contact and consistently steps up into the pocket to make a throw with a defender bearing down on him. Most importantly, in my opinion, is that he already seems to be able to read a defense, knows his primary read, and is able to take the snap, keep his head on a swivel while rolling out or not, go through his WR progressions, and then make an accurate pass. His footwork is good, but could be a bit better, and he'll certainly need work taking snaps under center, as he doesn't seem to do so in HS. Overall, though, he looks like an elite QB. With someone like Kragthorpe teaching him, and with Mettenberger in front of him for a few years to allow him to gain strength and knowledge of the playbook, I really think we could have a superstar QB on our hands. In addition, this could definitely help us to reestablish ourselves as WR-U........along with DB-U and DLine-U. After this year, LSU's offense is going to be on the rise for years to come and the one word that I'm beginning to see in my mind is.........UNSTOPPABLE!!!!
New rumor going around is that he has already informed our staff he is coming but will go public Christmas Day.
Those morons at SDS don't ever know what they're talking about.........and I know 3rd graders who write better than they do. I had heard that the decision had been postponed until Xmas day, but I haven't heard the part about our coaches being informed of his LSU plans already. Would be great!!!! It'll be the biggest "low profile" announcement in a while. I hope its true. Some recruitniks are saying that it is still completely up in the air between LSU and ND and that no one, not even Gunner, has made a decision. I like your version better, Bhelm!!!
For LSU to land the #1 QB in the nation and pull him all the way from Indiana would be huge for recruiting and the overall status of our program. IMO it would truly put us on the map and in the face of ANY program that we can and will pull the top prospects regardless where thy're from or where we have to go. It would put a long term stamp on talent recruiting on our program like no other. To accomplish this feat and win the NC all in the same football season would be amazing. I really think the possibilities would be endless moving forward. What it would do for our future recruiting as a whole couldn't be put into words. Well maybe one...SWAGGER.
