The 20 most underrated high school quarterbacks in the East

These signal-callers put up big stats last season but thus far don’t have a bunch of stars next to their names in the recruiting world

High school football has been up and running throughout most of the East for several weeks, with Connecticut and Massachusetts being the last two U.S. states to start their seasons this week.

SBLive Sports will spend the week leading up to Friday's games featuring high school football players from the Eastern United States who might not be big names in the recruiting world — but could be soon if they keep showing out on the football field.

As the hype around top prospects grows, high school football players who don't get flooded with D1 offers keep grinding away.

Here are 20 quarterbacks from the East who are poised to boost their recruiting stock this season.

Kael Alexander, sr., Miramar (Florida)

Alexander’s junior 2022 season rivaled just about anyone’s down in South Florida. The quarterback threw for 2,272 yards and 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. 

Brick Balcita, jr., Beachside (Florida)

Balcita had quite the debut for Beachside in the school's inaugural season, throwing for 2,135 yards and 30 touchdowns in just nine games. Look for him and the Barracudas to build on a solid first season.

Will Currid, sr., Archbishop Stepinac (New York)

Currid threw for 3,294 yards and 28 touchdowns along with just seven interceptions as a junior last year.  A number of career passing records at Stepinac are within his grasp.

Danny Darno, sr., Notre Dame-Green Pond (Pennsylvania)

Darno became the first player in school history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season last fall. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 2,669 yards and 33 touchdowns while running for 1,180 and 18 TDs en route to Class 3A all-state honors.

Bryson Drummond, jr., Greenville (South Carolina)

Drummond was a big-time threat as a sophomore, especially with the deep ball. The 6-foot, 188-pounder threw for 2,498 yards and 36 touchdowns with only four interceptions while completing 70% of his passes.

Jalen Harris, so., Chester (Pennsylvania)

Harris burst onto the scene as a freshman and passed for 2,260 yards with a school-record 35 touchdowns to just six interceptions last season. For his efforts, Harris was voted Class 5A all-state and won the SBLive Sports fan vote as Breakout Freshman of the Year.

Ny’Tavious Huskey, sr., Crest (North Carolina)

Huskey did damage with his arm and his legs as a junior, throwing for 3,226 yards and 42 touchdowns and rushing for 747 yards and eight more scores. He led Crest to the third round of the 3-A playoffs.

Hayden Johnson, sr., Manheim Township (Pennsylvania)

In his two years starting at quarterback, Johnson has passed for 4,640 yards and 51 touchdowns while completing nearly 73% of his passes. Johnson, who also has 12 career rushing TDs, was voted Class 6A all-state as a junior.

Logan Josti, sr., Prouty (Massachusetts)

Standing 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Josti is a three-year starter at linebacker who took off in his first season as a starting quarterback. He finished his junior year with 2,628 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, plus 454 yards on the ground and another seven TDs.

Jay Kanazawa, sr., Schley County (Georgia)

Kanazawa led Schley County to the state championship game last season, finishing with 3,266 passing yards and 36 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Early in the 2023 season he eclipsed 6,000 career passing yards.

Javion Martin, sr., Crestwood (South Carolina)

Martin threw for 2,845 yards and 34 touchdowns with just seven interceptions as a junior. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder also showed lots of ability with his legs, running for 479 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 7 yards per carry.

Austin Mawyer, jr., Liberty (Virginia)

Mawyer set the school record for touchdown passes last season with 32, and he did that in just 10 games. The dual-threat QB finished with 2,575 yards through the air and 630 yards with five touchdowns on the ground.

Jayce Nixon, jr., Gaither (Florida)

Nixon had a breakout sophomore year, dicing up defenses for 3,066 yards and 35 scores. The left-handed gunslinger also rushed for another 252 yards and a touchdown.

Javier Rice, sr., Asheville Christian (North Carolina)

Rice is coming off a junior season where he threw for more than 3,200 yards and completed 63% of his passes for 37 touchdowns. He's already earned national recognition this year by completing 45 of 63 passes for 593 yards with seven touchdowns in one game.

Armoud Seals, sr., Taft (Ohio)

Seals earned first-team all-district and third-team All-Ohio honors playing for Woodward last year after throwing for 3,095 yards and 25 touchdowns. The dual-threat QB, who transferred to Taft in the offseason, also ran for 601 yards and eight touchdowns.

Robert Shockey, sr., Cabell Midland (West Virginia)

Shockey completed 215 of 316 passes for 3,056 yards and 35 touchdowns with just eight interceptions last year in leading Parkersburg South to the state championship game. He transferred to run-heavy Cabell Midland in the offseason, so look for him to grow his rushing numbers from the 1,205 yards and 16 touchdowns he had as a junior.

Caleb Smith, sr., Staples (Connecticut)

Smith is coming off a junior campaign where he piled up 3,025 passing yards with 27 touchdowns, plus 797 rushing yards with another 18 scores. The three-sport star is coming off a state championship with the lacrosse team and a state final appearance with the basketball team.

KJ Smith, sr., Roswell (Georgia)

Smith is off to a hot start as a senior after throwing for 34 touchdowns and 2,758 yards last season. He set a new school record for touchdown passes in a game with seven, surpassing the late, great Robbie Roper.

Rodge Waldrop, sr., Brookwood School (Georgia)

Waldrop heads into his senior year with consecutive 3,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons under his belt. He earned all-region and all-state honors in leading the Brookwood Warriors to a region championship last year.

Jacob Zamot, sr., Millville (New Jersey)

Zamot was the top passer in the state as a junior, leading Millville to a state championship. He finished with 3,158 yards and 27 touchdown passes to go with just five interceptions.

(KJ Smith photo by Colin Hubbard)

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive | @sblivesports