Quarterback Competition

This story originally appeared on Perfect Game USA. Please visit it here.

As the games played on in Jupiter at the 2010 Perfect Game/WWBA World Championship late last week, two notable dual-sport athletes were guiding their football teams to big wins for their respective high school teams.

Archie Bradley and Derek “Bubba” Starling not only are potential early first-round picks for next year’s June Amateur free agent draft, but they also are extremely talented quarterback recruits. Bradley guided Broken Arrow High School (Oklahoma) to a victory over previously undefeated Norman, while Starling did the same in Gardner-Edgerton’s (Kansas) win over their fierce rival, St. Thomas Aquinas.

In taking down Norman, Bradley, who has committed to play both sports for the Oklahoma Sooners, was 12 for 25 in passing for 271 yards. He did throw two ‘pick-sixes’ in which interceptions were returned for touchdowns, and left the game briefly in the second half with a shoulder injury. The two games prior to that, Bradley was 31-for-43 for 402 yards with seven touchdown passes.

Starling had the opportunity to show what he’s capable of on national television, as ESPNU picked up the game in high-definition. Starling, one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation that has already committed to play both football and baseball at Nebraska, was in the spotlight, and didn’t disappoint in a 57-17 victory. Taking the snap out of a stacked wishbone formation, he rushed for 304 yards on 19 carries, including three gallops for over 50 yards, and three scores. He only made three attempts passing, completing two for 14 yards and one touchdown pass.

The two also face even bigger games this coming Friday. Third-ranked Broken Arrow will visit football powerhouse, #1 Jenks High School to determine the division leader in the Tulsa area. 8-0 Gardner-Edgerton is set to face 8-0 Blue Valley to not only claim a district championship, but also to determine the champion of the Eastern Kansas League.

I may not be in a position to effectively evaluate prospective football talent, but you can tell just by looking at the numbers that the two bring completely different skills to the gridiron. Both are big, tall and strong, with athletic frames that should allow them to pack on more strength as they continue to mature (and hit the weight room). Bradley is more of a true drop-back passer with a strong arm, while Starling, who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, is absolutely explosive running with the ball in his hands. If you follow college football, both are prototypical fits for the quarterback position for the respective programs they have committed to (Oklahoma and Nebraska).

Starling is universally considered a ‘four-star’ prospect at the quarterback position from three prominent football recruiting sites. Bradley has the same ranking at two of those sites, and a three-star ranking from another. Starling is generally considered a top 5-10 quarterback in the nation overall, while Bradley is in the 30-40 range at his position. Overall, ESPNU has Starling rated as the 112th best football recruit in the nation, but I couldn’t find a national ranking (most go up to 250) for Bradley.

Big decisions loom

Prying either of them away from that other sport will be no easy task.

You can point to plenty of players that baseball has plucked away from football (particularly quarterbacks) in recent years, including Joe Mauer, Joe Borchard, Grady Sizemore, Matt Tuiasosopo, and most recently from last year’s draft, Zach Lee.

Drew Henson and Chad Hutchinson both played in the NFL and MLB, while others have picked up college and even professional football later in their careers after their professional baseball careers stalled (Chris Weinke, Kelley Washington, Josh Booty, Javon Walker, Brent Brewer).

In the case of both Jake Locker (currently at the University of Washington) and Hall of Famer John Elway, the idea of becoming an NFL quarterback was too great not to pursue.

(While not necessarily similar situations, it is necessary to mentioned the careers of extraordinary athletes such as Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and even Brian Jordan.)

What do the former quarterbacks all have in common? Big money, one advantage baseball has over football in an effort to put more money up front for potential young stars.

Mauer, Brochard and Lee received bonuses in excess of five million dollars as first-round picks. Hutchinson, Henson and Sizemore received two million or more as second and third rounders. Even Locker took out what is effectively a $200,000 insurance policy with the Angels as a 10th round pick from the 2009 draft should his football career fizzle out in the next three to five years.

Why baseball?

I already mentioned the big money up front that baseball players can receive, particularly out of high school. The other obvious advantage of choosing baseball over football would be avoiding the big hits players, especially quarterbacks, sustain in football.

In the aforementioned televised game featuring Starling, in the third quarter when the two teams were starting to get chippy with one another, there was some obvious cheap shots being delivered to Starling at the bottom of a pile. After Starling jawed off to the opposing defenders as he picked himself off the turf, he was thrown to the ground rather forcefully on the next play, clearly after he had handed off the ball. It took him several moments after that blatant, late hit to catch his breath and return to his feet.

And that’s at the high school level. The hits are only going to get bigger and fiercer the more they climb.

Both Bradley and Starling are into baseball enough to participate at notable showcase and tournament events across the country even if football prevented them from attending Jupiter.

Bradley was an Aflac All-American, tossing two incredibly impressive innings while cementing his status as one of the top prep pitchers available for next June’s baseball draft.

Starling was a member of the Team USA 18U National team and also participated at the Area Code Games, impressing scouts with his tools and skills as both a hitter and as a pitcher.

Not knowing how football recruiting works as well as I understand the dynamics of the baseball draft, I’m not sure how much the incumbent starters for both Oklahoma and Nebraska would have to do with their decisions. Both programs are enjoying incredibly good years, largely due to the success of two very talented underclassmen quarterbacks.

Oklahoma sophomore Landry Jones has enjoyed a very good year after being handed the torch from his predecessor, Sam Bradford, the first overall pick in last year’s NFL draft. Jones led the Sooners to a #1 national ranking heading into last weekend before losing to Missouri.

Redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez is doing his best Tommie Frazier and Scott Frost impersonations for the Cornhuskers, a mold that Starling would also fit perfectly, as Nebraska continues to try and retain their perennial dominance.

Both Bradley and Starling could redshirt their freshman years, at least for football, which may allow them to focus on baseball their first year in college. However, it doesn’t seem as though any of the baseball success stories include players that continued to play multiple sports in college (outside of the super-freak athletic talent, Dave Winfield).

My (biased) advice to these young men: Play baseball. The money is there for you to build a significant financial foundation at an incredibly young age, and there are a lot more success stories of players returning to football in their early 20s should baseball not pan out than the other way around. You probably can’t fathom this now, but the hits you take during your young adult life will catch up to you in your 30s, 40s and 50s.

Whatever their decisions, it will provide an interesting storyline to follow next spring and on draft day itself.

Update: Jenks ended up beating Broken Arrow, 23-7, while Gardner Edgerton knocked off Blue Valley 42-21.

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Dandy Dozen

SP	Andrew Gagnon	Well rounded RHP w/ good size, repertoire
SP	Erik Johnson	Big bodied RHP with good FB/CB combo
SP	Deshorn Lake	Live-armed RHP with sharp breaking ball
CL	Nick Maronde	Lived-armed LHP tough to catch up to
C	Nick Delmonico	May not be C long-term, big body, LH bat
1B	Zach Wilson	Aggressive hitter can put sting in ball
IF	Sean Trent	Well built hitter with pop, speed, arm
3B	Dante Bichette, Jr.	Clone of father with big build, power
SS	Austin Nola	Steady D' at shortstop, improving strength
OF	Nick Martini	Good all around player with patient eye
OF	Shon Carson	Shorter, well built 2-sport speedster
OF	Granden Goetzman	Fast riser w/ exciting power/speed combo

more

Analyzing Amateur Baseball Talent as it pertains to the MLB Draft