1. Jarrett Stidham, Stephenville, Committed to Texas Tech
2. Kyler Murray, Allen, Committed to Texas A&M
3. Tristen Wallace, DeSoto (2016)
4. Shawn Robinson, Denton Guyer (2017)
5. Brennen Wooten, Marble Falls, Committed to TCU (2016)
6. Jalen Hurts, Channelview (2016)
7. Shane Buechele, Arlington Lamar (2016)
8. Chad President, Temple, Committed to Baylor
9. Quinten Dormady, Boerne, Committed to Tennessee
10. Chason Virgil, West Mesquite, Committed to Mississippi State
As we cross the midway mark of the 2014 high school football season, we take a look at the Top 10 field generals in the state of Texas, a list that sees 6 seniors, 4 juniors and a sophomore -- a combined six already verbally committed to college programs: three to in-state Big 12 programs and the other half to the SEC.
The most impressive note might be DeSoto junior Tristen Wallace, all 6-foot-3, 225 pounds of him, rounding out the Top 3 with Stephenville's Jarrett Stidham and two-time defending 5A-I state champion Kyler Murray, ranked two of the Top 50 seniors in the country, top five nationally at the quarterback position.
All three dual threats.
Stidham follows a long line of quarterback standouts at Stephenville, most recently Texas State's Tyler Jones who in his 2012 senior season accounted for more than a mere 5,000 yards of total offense and 68 touchdowns -- Stidham, a sophomore receiver at the time, on the other end of 11 of those scores on the Yellowjackets' way to their fifth straight title.
Stidham now looks to close in on those numbers in his senior campaign, having already accounted for 1,929 yards of total offense and 24 touchdowns (with one interception) through the first five games of the season. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has committed to continue his career under Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech.
Murray will also keep his services in state, but will be, as he said, getting the "best of both worlds" staying home while competing in the SEC at Texas A&M. Murray also values carrying on the family name in College Station, following father Kevin Murray who starred in the pocket for the Aggies from 1983-86.
And while smaller in size in comparison to dad, the shifty 5-foot-10, 178-pounder has produced equally as impressive- if not better- numbers the last two seasons for the state champion Allen Eagles. In fact, kid's been a walking video game, starring as both the play-caller and leading rusher, accounting for 3,374 yards of offense and 42 touchdowns (with only 5 interceptions) as a sophomore, only to add about 1,500 more yards and 23 more touchdowns the next season, cruising Allen to back-to-back titles.
Also worth noting Murray has never lost as a starter, a perfect 33-0 to this point, and with 1,741 yards and 18 touchdowns to one interception through the air in his senior season, averaging 13 yards a keep for 14 scores.
Both the Red Raiders and the Aggies are closely evaluating Wallace, who remains on the market and whose early skillset has already been compared to that of former Houston Madison star Vince Young -- a combination of size, strength and maneuverability that's attracted a handful of offers from the likes of Nebraska and Ohio State.
And a form that Wallace looks to regain as quickly as possible.
It was just two weeks into the 2014 season -- two weeks that saw Wallace take strong hold of the reigns from now-TCU athlete Desmon White who led DeSoto to back-to-back state semifinals (falling both years to eventual champion Allen) -- that the ride came to a halting stop.
Breaking his ankle in a matchup with out-of-state opponent Maryland Eastern Christian Academy, Wallace underwent surgery the following week. With rigorous rehab and proper healing, the best-case scenario has the dual threat returning to the field in six to eight weeks, in time for the remainder of district play and/or postseason.
Wallace is one of four uncommitted quarterbacks on the list, along fellow juniors Jalen Hurts of Channelview and Shane Buechele of Arlington Lamar, as well as Denton Guyer sophomore Shawn Robinson -- a 6-foot-2, 190-pound dual threat who, like Wallace, has seamlessly filled the role of his predecessor, and is in fact showing early and eerie similarities to Guyer's back-to-back state champion quarterback (now at the University of Texas) Jerrod Heard.
Robinson hadn't yet played a down for the Wildcats before landing an offer from the Longhorns, joining Nebraska, followed by Ole Miss. He sits a Top 10 player nationally in the Class of 2017.
Buechele, son of former major league baseball player and current Rangers Triple-A manager Steve Buechele, boasts offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, TCU, Ole Miss and Kentucky.
Hurts, son of Channelview head coach Averion Hurts, holds a pair of offers from Mississippi State and Houston and continues to accrue interest from the likes of Texas and Arkansas. And rightly so, as Hurts has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 9 yards a keep for a whopping 16 scores through the first half of the season.
The fourth junior in the mix and the state's fourth-ranked passer Brennen Wooten of Marble Falls is classified as a pro-style quarterback, bursting onto the scene as a sophomore throwing for 3,100 yards and 30 touchdowns with accuracy, consistency and keen pocket awareness -- a style he felt best fit in the Big 12 and with the Frogs when he pledged his commitment to TCU head coach Gary Patterson and quarterbacks coach Sonny Cumbie following an unofficial visit to campus in July.
At No. 8 sits Temple senior quarterback Chad President, who has been committed to Baylor since April of his sophomore year, choosing the Bears over Texas and securing the first spot in Baylor's 2015 recruiting class -- the play and success of Robert Griffin III certainly playing a factor.
And while President has starred in the pocket for the majority of his young football life, and is being recruited at quarterback for the Bears, he could very easily transition out wide at the next level. Atleast his sophomore campaign proves so, President making the move to receiver with senior Zach Allen at quarterback, taking 36 catches for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing several games with a collarbone injury.
Boerne's 6-foot-4, 210-pound pro-style playcaller Quinten Dormady made an instant impact as a sophomore for the Greyhounds, throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. And while his recruitment began slowly due to a right shoulder injury sustained the following baseball season, schools began flocking once recovered -- Tennessee landing the big arm over Alabama.
Chason Virgil was another prospect who surged onto the scene as a sophomore, filling the shoes of TCU-bound Trevone Boykin, and filling admirably, tallying more than 3,000 total offensive yards and 24 touchdowns with both the arm and the legs, landing his first offer from Clemson that January. Compiling double digit offers since, Virgil eventually pulled the trigger with Mississippi State -- over Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Arizona State -- in May. The Bulldogs commitment continues to show great accuracy and reliability in the pocket through five games this season, throwing for 1,234 yards and 20 touchdowns without an interception.
(Rankings via Scout.com)
