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| Photo courtesy of the Santa Maria Times |
Five signal-callers could emerge as hot commodities on the recruiting trail. One down in the Thousand Oaks area already is creating buzz, while another could be next in line at a Santa Maria school that once produced an NFL All-Pro.
Here's a look at the early 2014 forecast for the Central Coast at quarterback:
CURRY PARHAM, QB, ST. JOSEPH-SANTA MARIA
Parham (photo) comes from the same school that produced former NFL pro bowl quarterback Mark Brunell. The 6-foot-3, 225 pound Parham could just be as heavily hyped in the Santa Maria Valley.
Parham has a cannon and athleticism for the Knights. He does most of his damage in the option keeper runs and when he rolls out. He's also unafraid of contact and won't hesitate to bury his shoulder into a defender trying to bring him down.
He'll need to polish his footwork and ability to stay comfortable in the pocket during the off-season. However, in this day in age of football where dual-threat quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and NFC champion quarterback Colin Kaepernick created a buzz, Parham is in good shape to become the latest dual-threat passer that could generate heavy interest.
More on Parham can be found here:
ROBERT BERWICK, QB, ATASCADERO
Much like Parham, Berwick is another freakish dual-threat for the Greyhounds, except he's much taller at 6-foot-4 and 189 pounds.
Berwick comes with athleticism and a gun. He's also a basketball star for Atascadero, which likely explains his athleticism.
Bulk will be needed, so will his improvement at decision-making. It'll also be interesting to see if he chooses basketball over football. He's another dual-threat quarterback in the 805 who could breakout.
More on Berwick can be found here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhG_Jsl9Nm8
LESHON BELL, DOS PUEBLOS-GOLETA
Bell is another running/throwing threat, except he could be considered a wide receiver at the next level, at least according to his 24/7 Sports profile.
Looking at his quarterback film, though, he does have some traits that could make a collegiate team try him at quarterback. For one, like the other guys on this list, he's an athletic running/throwing threat. However, when he runs, he can break tackles and is hard to bring down.
Bell (6-foot-1, 195-pounds) does show a quick release. He also showed an ability to thrive in the play action roll-out passes. He'll need two things: Polishing up his drop step and being in a situation where his team allows him to throw the football more, which can convince schools that he can be considered as a quarterback. Bell could be one of the more athletically gifted quarterbacks to ever come out of Dos Pueblos.
More on Bell can be found here.
TANNER WORKMAN, NORDHOFF-OJAI
Down in the usually talent-heavy Ventura County, Workman could work his way up as a potential sleeper prospect in the 805 recruiting scene.
He's another athletic roll-out type who can damage a defense with his arm and legs. He has a cannon and is strong at selling his fakes in the play action, then finding the open man. His arm and field vision are pluses for him.
His zip on his throws will need tweaking during the off-season. He also needs to improve his quick release. I did catch him holding on to the football around five seconds. Although, he's athletic enough to escape pressure. His size at 6-feet, 180-pounds may also turn some schools away.
At the end of the day, Workman had a breakout junior year that saw 28 touchdown passes, 2,193 yards and a completion percentage of 62 percent. He's become one of the best kept secrets in Ventura County and an emerging prospect in the 805.
More on Workman can be found here.
BRANDON DAWKINS, OAKS CHRISTIAN-THOUSAND OAKS
This next and last dual threat quarterback, who comes from Jimmy Clausen's alma mater, is already getting the hype for his monster play in 2014.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Dawkins looks faster than the rest of this list. When he runs, he won't go down on first contact. He'll break tackles and even try to run defenders over. His cannon/zip also gives him few peers on the football field. His composure also scored major points, since he showed an ability to stay in the pocket against three rushers and still deliver a long completion. He and Dinuba High's Marcus McMaryion of the Central Section were the only quarterbacks in the California high school scene that I saw accomplish that.
Dawkins has heard from the Southeastern Conference, PAC-12 and currently holds offers from Utah and national championship game runner-up Norte Dame. With continued improvement in his abilities, Dawkins could become one of the more highly-recruited players in the 805 region.
More on Dawkins can be found here.
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