QB commits falling like dominos

Here come the quarterback commitments! It never fails, at the end of each summer and going into fall practice, it always seems there’s a lot of quarterback commitments. It’s almost like a game of dominos. As soon as one commits the rest follow.

This summer has been no different, as there has been a rash of QB commitments over the past few weeks.

Let's start at the top, where two of the nation’s best signal callers committed over the weekend at the prestigious EA Sports Elite 11 quarterback camp in Southern California. Here, Student Sports invites the nation’s top quarterback prospects (12 in all). Some past participants will be college starters this season -- Brock Berlin (Miami), Jeff Smoker (Michigan State), Casey Clausen (Tennessee), Chance Mock (Texas) and Chris Rix (Florida State).

In the final night of the EA Sports camp, two of the quarterbacks decided to make their college choice. The players were taken to the Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, Calif., where they walked in to a Champs Sporting Goods store. Miami-bound Kirby Freeman was behind the camera and told several of the quarterbacks he was with to go grab the hat of their future college choice so he could videotape them. Not only did the two signal callers follow through and grab their college hat, but both also decided to end the process right there and called the coaches to make their commitments.

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"I’m going to Florida State," Drew Weatherford (Land O’Lakes, Fla.) said. “I’m so pumped up right now. I really wasn’t even thinking about committing but when we all went into Champs and started talking about it, I just decided to get it over with. I’ve always wanted to go to Florida State but it just never felt like the right time. It felt right tonight and I’m very excited about it.”

The other player to commit was a total shocker. Rhett Bomar (Grand Prairie, Texas) committed to the Oklahoma Sooners. “It was where my heart was at and where I’ve wanted to go for awhile now,” Bomar said. “They have a strong program every year and since I knew without a doubt that was where I wanted to go, I just decided there was no reason to put it off.”

Freeman (Brownwood, Texas), the future Hurricane turned videographer at the EA Sports Elite 11, decided on Miami a few weeks ago. He camped with the 'Canes and was hoping to do well and receive a scholarship offer. His plan worked. Upon returning home from Coral Gables, Freeman decided to give the UM coaches a call.

"I called them when I got home and they said they were offering me a scholarship," Freeman said. "I was so happy because that's the offer I always wanted. I took a day to talk it over with my folks and my girlfriend and I came to a decision. I called them back and made a commitment."

One of the most underrated quarterbacks in the land is Brian Hoyer (Cleveland, Ohio) and he committed last week to the Michigan State Spartans. Hoyer is ranked relatively high (No. 15 overall) but is talked about very little in the recruiting circles and that’s a mistake. This kid can play. Here’s what Hoyer’s father said about the decision:

“There’s a familiarity there with John L. Smith obviously. Coach Smith had an Ignatius quarterback [Dave Ragone] at Louisville and other football players from Ignatius have played for Coach Smith as well. It came down to Michigan State and South Carolina. It would have been great to play for Coach [Lou] Holtz at South Carolina, but Brian felt most comfortable with Michigan State. Michigan State is going to throw the football and that also played a part in Brian’s decision.”

Nebraska got its guy this week in D.T. McDowell (Tucker, Ga.). McDowell is going to be your typical Nebraska signal caller who can really run, but he also has a very strong and accurate arm. This kid has a chance to be very special. But he is also a top-notch baseball player that could be drafted very high in next June’s Major League Baseball draft. He throws a 94 mph fastball. Right now though, his mind is on the “Big Red Machine.”

“I love that coaching staff and I like the town of Lincoln,” McDowell said. “They want to start throwing the ball a little more and I can pass and run. I want to start a new quarterback tradition there. I know it all depends on how hard I work and how badly I want it. And I want it badly.”

The SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs are off to a great start in the recruiting wars and two of their four commitments are from quarterbacks -- A.J. Bryant (Fort Valley, Ga.) and Blake Barnes (Baldwyn, Miss.). Bryant committed to the Dawgs back on Signing Day, a year ahead of his scheduled signing.

"Georgia recruited me so hard and it’s close to home," Bryant said. "I love that staff and their environment."

The beauty of what Mark Richt and his staff did with this duo is get two kids with contrasting styles, similar to current Bulldog starter David Greene and backup D.J. Shockley. Bryant is a super athlete with a quick release while Barnes is more of your prototype. Barnes just pulled the trigger this past week.

"I had been up there [to Athens, Ga.] several times during the summer," Barnes said. "I had felt like that was where I wanted to go all along. I just wanted to sit down with the coaches and get a better feel for them, and on the way home I decided I wanted to go to Georgia."

Another athletic quarterback that committed early in the process is Ryan Walters (Aurora, Colo.). He committed to Gary Barnett and Colorado back in March, and like Bryant and McDowell is a super athlete.

"It's where I've always wanted to go," Walters said. "I grew up going to practices there and we basically live just across the street from the campus. My dad [Gary] went there, so I was a fan at a real early age. They actually offered me my sophomore year and I just decided that now was the best time for me to make my decision. I like the coaching staff a lot and I wanted to get the recruiting process over with. The coaches told me they would only take one quarterback so I wanted to make sure it was me."

QB Bryan Savage (Haverford, Penn.) committed to Wisconsin last month. He, like so many other prospects, took advantage of taking unofficial visits and attending camps.

"I've been to a lot of colleges for those camps and I went up there [to Wisconsin] for an unofficial visit,” Savage said. “My parents loved it, I loved it and the coaches were friendly. I just felt real comfortable there."

As we enter the month of August, with the football season so close, more quarterback commitments will happen between now and kickoff. Stay on your toes so you don’t miss the game of dominos with the future QB commits.

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