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Top Programs Courting Committed QB Recruits Austin Novosad, Chris Parson and Jaxon Smolik

Big quarterback commitments have all but reset the national recruiting dominoes at the sport's most important position.

John Garcia Jr.

Nick Saban and his former assistant coach, Mario Cristobal, are on a similar plane as far as the class of 2023 recruiting goes.

Each coach is on a torrid run of football commitments on the trail and as of Monday, each stands as the only coaches of Power Five programs with multiple quarterbacks verbally committed in the same class. 

Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes accomplished the feat in late June, when Jaden Rashada joined Emory Williams on the UM commitment list at the position. On Monday, two-sport star Dylan Lonergan announced his commitment to Alabama over South Carolina and Stanford, giving Saban a second passer to pair with Eli Holstein. It means both programs are likely to stay put at the position while the rest of the national dominoes continue to fall. 

"Playing on the biggest stage in two sports," Lonergan, who will also play baseball in Tuscaloosa, told Sports Illustrated when asked about the main reason he selected Alabama. 

While other programs could potentially look to bring in a two-quarterback haul, like Florida State and Virginia Tech, notable initial pledges at the sport's most important position have been frequent since the conclusion of the Elite 11 Finals. 

Just in the last week, Kansas State landed Avery Johnson, Florida flipped Marcus Stokes from Penn State, and Oregon won out for SI's Elite 11 MVP Dante Moore. 

Just one of the 20 Elite 11 competitors remains on the market as of Tuesday morning in Brock Glenn. The Memphis native is still considering Ohio State, Florida State, Auburn, LSU and TCU. He recently said he would like to end the process as soon as possible, though he wants to give the newest program in the mix (LSU) time to build a relationship with him before a decision. Glenn has already utilized all five official visits and recruiting remains in a dead period, where no trips can take place, through July 24. 

"If I can hold off (on committing) until visit time, I will try to take a visit to LSU," Glenn said at the event. 

Additional talent from the prestigious quarterback event remains coveted despite current verbal commitments to one program. Austin Novosad came in as the hottest flip candidate in the class, having added offers from Ohio State and Texas A&M in June despite a longstanding Baylor commitment. The Dripping Springs (Texas) High School star took official visits to all three programs and has been looking at finalizing a decision as early as this month. 

On Monday, though, Notre Dame entered the conversation with a scholarship offer from head coach Marcus Freeman. It could push Novosad deeper into the decision-making process before one of the four schools gets its final answer. Georgia and others had been in contact with one of Texas' top prospects of late, too.

The Irish had been quiet on the national quarterback front given its longstanding recruitment of Moore, the Detroit native, before he picked Dan Lanning and Oregon. Now it appears the program will push to land a passer in the 2023 cycle, where additional targets could continue to emerge, despite having elite 2024 quarterback C.J. Carr already in the fold for next year. 

Chris Parson picked Florida State last fall and says he's solid to the Seminoles despite increased interest from other programs. Mississippi State and SMU got him on campus for visits before the dead period kicked in and on Monday, Virginia Tech became the Tennessee native's latest scholarship offer. Per a source, this offer has been long expected by the Parson camp, and more could be coming relatively soon as Novosad and Glenn wind down their own decision-making process. 

"It still feels like home," Parson said of Florida State after a late June official visit. "I was glad I got the chance to get back to Tallahassee. Me and the staff have been fully transparent throughout the process, and they understand I'm a 17-year-old kid and I want to enjoy the process. 

"It's a blessing to have schools still recruiting me, they understand that."

Jaxon Smolik, who was a late addition to the field after Nico Iamaleava elected not to compete in favor of a volleyball event, committed to Tulane just four days before arriving to compete in L.A. Nearly winning the "rail shot" competition on the event's first night, he continued to turn heads throughout the week and plenty of Power Five programs have been in communication since. Cal offered Smolik a scholarship while programs like LSU, Auburn, Penn State and Virginia Tech are among those establishing rapport with him. 

"I’ve always felt that I could compete at that level but really nobody knew who I was until after the Elite 11," Smolik told SI. "It was super fun being out there and being able to compete with the nation's best. There was a lot of pressure on every quarterback's shoulders there and they wanted you to be able to shine while under pressure. 

"I feel blessed to be able to compete there, it’s been a dream of mine since I was little."

As of late Monday night, Smolik remains committed to Tulane without any visits scheduled for the last week of July, when the dead period is lifted. He remains in consistent communication with Willie Fritz and the Tulane staff, who the rising-senior quarterback says each coach congratulated him on the Elite 11 run. Smolik finished eighth out of 20 competitors in SI's composite rankings of the entire event. The West Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling Catholic quarterback will be among the bigger names to know at the position moving forward. 

From flip watch candidates, as more programs will continue to target passers already committed to a college program, to emergent 2022 talent like Smolik — the national quarterback dominoes still have room for movement deeper into the summer months. College programs could push even more for class of 2023 recruits once the season kicks off, given potential attrition in current quarterback rooms after fall camp battles are settled. 

Throw in potential coaching changes, where more than 20 Power Five jobs changed hands and resulted in plenty of quarterbacks changing college plans, and the state of quarterback recruiting could conceptually be far from over. 

The first day any prospect can actually lock in a final decision, on paper with a National Letter of Intent, of course stands as Early National Signing Day on Dec. 14.  

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John Garcia Jr.
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