SI All-American Watch List: Quarterbacks 21-25

Quarterback week kicks off with the first batch of SI All-American candidates at the game's most important position

As the 2021 football season draws near, SI All-American continues to evaluate the nation's top prospects at every position in the class of 2022. The first wave of the evaluations are the 'Watch List' selections, also known as SI All-American candidates, to be released throughout the month of July. 

It precedes the SI99 rankings, our preseason mark of America's top college football prospects regardless of position, to be released in August. 

Naturally, the quarterback watch list is up first and it will be released in more detail than the rest. The 25 SI All-American candidates will be broken down in groups of five, with the top five revealed on Friday before other positions begin to roll out. 

21. Holden Geriner

Vitals: 6'3", 215 pounds

School: Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military

Committed To: Auburn

2020 Stats: 2,770 pass yards, 67.8%, 25 TD, 3 INT - 116 rush yards, 5 TD

Landing Geriner in his first full class was a good way for Bryan Harsin to start his career in The Plains. Geriner is a big bodied quarterback that can get the ball over the top of the defense. His release is on the long side, but Geriner makes up for that by working quickly through the throwing zone with a whip-like motion coming from his core. 

That long release can lead to some inconsistency from a release point, which could lead to some struggles at times with ball placement. Geriner had an impressive completion percentage in high school (67.8%), but if that is going to translate to the next level he’ll need to clean up his release point to a degree.

Geriner works quickly through progressions and throws with impressive timing and anticipation, as well as when on the move. Geriner’s size and above-average athleticism allows him to project at least as a quality chain mover in the run game and allow him to stay up in the pocket when the pressure comes.

22. Brady Allen

Vitals: 6'5", 200 pounds

School: Fort Branch (Ind.) Gibson Southern

Committed To: Purdue

2020 Stats: 2,556 pass yards, 55.1%, 31 TD, 7 INT

Allen impressed on film during his junior season and the things to like most about him also showed up in the Under Armour combine in Columbus this spring. Allen is a tall, skinny quarterback that should see a jump in velocity and power as he starts to fill out his frame in college, which is a reason he is slotted strongly in a deep class at the position. 

Right now, however, Allen doesn’t have the big arm that other quarterbacks on this list possess, and he’s an average athlete. What makes Allen so impressive is his accuracy and football IQ. Allen throws with incredible timing and his ability to work through progressions is advanced for his age. This is important for him because his ability to quickly get the ball out and his top-notch ball placement helps overcome his lack of power.

Allen isn’t an over athletic player and he won’t scare teams with his legs, but he stays light on his feet in the pocket, he is willing to stand tall in the pocket as pressure mounts and he can quickly get the ball out to open receivers.

23. Tayven Jackson

Vitals: 6'4", 195 pounds

School: Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove

Committed To: Tennessee

2020 Stats: 1,756 pass yards, 62.1%, 17 TD, 5 INT - 191 rush yards, 6 TD

Strong third level game for @Vol_Football pledge Tayven Jackson tonight at the @Elite11 pic.twitter.com/kAeqDjMyaD

— John Garcia, Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) July 2, 2021

There are certainly things to like about Jackson, but he’s very much a work in progress as a passer. How well he can develop those aspects of his game will determine if he can turn his potential into production and allow the Indiana signal caller to outplay his ranking.

Jackson is a long quarterback with an impressive frame, one that should allow him to get over 210 pounds, which will help him be even more firm in the pocket. Jackson is a quality athlete that shows good balance and quickness in the pocket, but he must clean up his footwork.

At times Jackson shows zip and power that makes one think he should be much higher on this list, but its sporadic, and there are other times when he lacks the necessary zip to be an SEC caliber quarterback. His biggest issue is a lack of ideal accuracy. Without focusing on advanced things like ball placement, but simply being able to complete passes at a higher rate should be easier for a quarterback with his arm strength to complete.

No. 24 - NC State commitment MJ Morris has been a known name in the industry since his early days in Georgia, but after a transfer and injury issue, he hasn't showcased the floor once considered can't miss. The ceiling, with his two-sport background, improving mechanics and overall athleticism, remains.

No. 25 - Uncommitted Tennessee passer Luther Richesson just made a name for himself at the Elite 11 Finals, finishing No. 11 in the SIAA composite metric for the week. He is big, athletic and proved accurate in the intermediate space well more than not out in Los Angeles. A strong senior campaign would complete one of the more feel-good stories of the cycle.

Others to Watch 

*** Michigan commit Jayden Denegal is all about projection right now. He’s got great size and arm potential, but he’s very raw mechanically. He needs to clean up his mechanics and get more experience, and if that happens he’ll jump up.

*** Boston College commit Peter Delaportas is an interesting prospect to break down. He has great size, he’s athletic and he has a very powerful arm. The issue, however, is that he’s incredibly raw, inaccurate and needs a ton of mechanical work, but the raw tools are impressive.

*** I’m really interested to see Jacob Knuth progress as a senior. The South Dakota native and Minnesota commit has size, arm talent and a lot of guts. If he cleans some technical parts of his game up I could see him making a big leap up the rankings.

*** South Carolina commit Braden Davis needs more seasoning, but he has some tools to work with. He’s athletic, mobile and shows flashes of a big arm, but his game is very erratic and he needs considerable coaching.