Spotlight stays on QBs

Henne heads to Michigan; Reid commits to Oklahoma State

Over the past two weeks, a few more big-name quarterbacks have pulled the trigger, including two signal callers among the top seven in the country -- Chad Henne and Bobby Reid.

Henne, the No. 4 QB in the nation, from West Lawn (Wilson), Pa., committed to the Wolverines last month. He will fit right in at Michigan. At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he is a strong-armed quarterback with great accuracy.

Henne said Michigan assistant Scott Loeffler was a "big reason why" he committed.

"Coach Loeffler was a big-time quarterback recruit when he came out of high school, and we kind of walked in the same shoes and he related a lot to my situation," he said. "When I told him, he said he was doing the moonwalk down the hallways.

"Plus, Michigan has such a great quarterback tradition, especially the run they had in the '90s."

Henne’s choices came down to Michigan and Penn State. One would assume that would have been a very difficult decision, but not for Henne.

"It was actually pretty easy," Henne said. "I really enjoyed the recruiting process, and it’s something you can never expect. I just tried to remain calm throughout the whole process. I am glad to get it done before the craziness really starts."

Reid, the nation's No. 7-ranked QB, from Galena Park (Texas) North Shore, committed to Oklahoma State last week. He is an electrifying quarterback who is big (6-3, 216 pounds), strong and has the ability to create when things fall apart in the pocket.

"[Oklahoma State] made me feel like I was their No. 1 choice at quarterback all along," Reid said. "At first, I planned on taking an official to Ohio State before making any decision, but I spoke with their coaches and they're looking at five or six different QB's. So, I wasn't sure how interested they really were or if they'd wait on me.

"I just felt really comfortable [with the Cowboys'] coaching staff, school, facilities, their football team... everything," he said. "It felt like home.

"Plus, the Big 12 provides you all the competition you could want and more. And look at all of the big-time quarterbacks I get to compete with. Texas will play Vince Young in another couple of years. A&M's already playing Reggie McNeal. And Oklahoma signed my buddy, Rhett [Bomar].

"Committing to Oklahoma State gives me a unique opportunity to compete against the best."

Those were the two big verbal commitments from quarterbacks over the past two weeks. More could be on the way.

The top-rated uncommitted quarterback is Anthony Morelli (No. 3 in the nation) from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Penn Hills. Morelli, who may have the strongest arm in the nation, favors two schools.

Right now, he’s away at football camp, but here is what his father, Greg, had to say about where they stand right now with the recruiting process:

"Anthony really likes Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.... He really wants to make a decision before the season starts [August 29] but I would rather him wait.

"He loves Pitt and coach [Walt] Harris. We are trying to get to Notre Dame for an unofficial visit, and we may take one [a] week from Saturday. It will likely come down to those two schools. Tennessee, Iowa and Ohio State are kind of hanging in there, too."

Two highly ranked quarterbacks who likely will wait and go through the recruiting process are Xavier Lee (No. 8) and Cornelius Ingram (No. 10). Both quarterbacks are from Florida. Lee, from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Seabreeze, and Ingram, from Hawthorne, Fla., are two great athletes. In fact, Ingram also is a basketball recruit.

"I plan on playing the season and then making my official visits," Lee said. "Right now, I am pretty open and I like Florida State, Auburn, Tennessee, Ohio State, Syracuse and Florida."

Ingram plans on waiting as well.

"Most definitely," he said. "I will take my visits after the season. I also have to think about basketball because I will play both sports in college. So I kind of have to make two decisions. Right now, I like Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Tennessee."

Brian Brohm (No. 13) is a highly sought-after quarterback from Louisville (Ky.) Trinity. Rumor had it that he was getting ready to make a decision. Not so, Brohm says.

"Right now, the plan is to make a decision towards the end of the season or after the season," he said. "I will take some official visits during the year. Louisville, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Tennessee look real strong right now. I also like Illinois and Alabama."

Brohm recently took two unofficial visits to Tennessee and Kentucky. Later this week, he will visit local Louisville. His older brother is a coach for the Cardinals.

Matt Tuiasosopo (No. 5) and Chase Patton (No. 12) are two other highly rated quarterbacks to watch. Both have it pretty much down to three teams.

Tuiasosopo, from Woodinville, Wa., favors Washington, USC and UCLA. He has strong ties to both Washington and UCLA. His brothers played for the Huskies, and his father played for the Bruins. He also would love the opportunity to play for offensive coordinator Norm Chow at USC. That will be a tough decision for him.

Patton, from Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge High School, favors Missouri, UCLA and Tennessee. This one could come down to the Tigers and Vols. Patton could make a decision relatively soon.

So, as active as football’s glamour position has been in the recruiting scene this summer, it will continue to dominate the spotlight for some time to come.

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