Jackson Arnold headlines Top 10 returning quarterbacks in North Texas high school football

SBLive is taking a closer look at the best returning high school football players in Texas, region by region

By Chuck Cox 

With the Texas high school football season fast approaching, we are taking a look at some of the top returning players at each position in the greater North Texas area.

Narrowing down the best of so much talent across the region is no easy task, but this group of field generals should be among the upper echelon in the state when the dust clears at the end of the 2022 season.

See if you agree with our best-of-the-best QB1 selections as we gear up for another great fall under the Friday night lights.

TOP 10 QBS IN NORTH TEXAS

Jackson Arnold, 6-1, 200, Sr., Denton Guyer

Photo by Heston Quan

Rated as the top quarterback in Texas by 247sports.com and Rivals.com, the Oklahoma commit is coming off of a monster season that saw him throw for 3,931 yards and 34 touchdowns and rush for 659 yards and 12 more scores. Arnold pushed his stock even higher over the summer when he was named MVP at the Elite 11 Finals.

As a first-year starter, he led the Wildcats to the Class 6A Division II state title game. Austin Westlake knocked off Guyer, 40-21, to claim the championship. How's that for extra motivation for Arnold heading into the 2022 season?

Ryder Lambert, 6-1, 185, Sr., Stephenville

ryder lambert stephenville / Photo by Tommy Hays

Hard to believe that Stephenville has a quarterback putting up jaw-dropping numbers? Yeah, right. The tradition-heavy Yellow Jackets have another prolific signal-caller etching his name into the record books.

All Lambert did last season was lead the state in passing yards (4,275), along with throwing for 52 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, while rushing for 831 yards and 11 touchdowns to lead Stephenville to a 16-0 record and its sixth state championship with a 38-21 win against Austin LBJ in the Class 4A Division I title game.

Lambert has not yet committed to a college.

Keldric Luster, 5-10, 227, Sr., McKinney

Keldric Luster

Luster came into his own in his first full season as the starter for Frisco Liberty in 2021. He threw for 3,351 yards and 30 touchdowns, but was also a huge threat running the ball with 1,434 yards and 22 touchdowns. Luster transferred to McKinney in the offseason. The Lions finished 4-6 (1-5) in District 5-6A, which includes state runner-up Denton Guyer and regional finalist Allen.

Luster is staying close to home at the next level after pledging to play for SMU after one more season in high school.

Jake Strong, 6-2, 200, Sr., Justin Northwest

Another stellar dual-threat quarterback, Strong racked up 3,252 yards of total offense (2,334 passing, 918 rushing) and 37 total touchdowns in his second season as the starter for the Texans.

The Texas Tech commit helped Northwest to a 7-4 overall record and a district title in 2021. The season culminated with a 28-21 upset loss to Burleson Centennial at home in the opening round of the playoffs. Strong's experience should be big for Northwest this season.

Braden Bennett, 5-10, 165, Sr., Mount Vernon

Bennett stormed onto the scene in #bEASTTexas by throwing for 3,798 yards and 41 touchdowns, while adding 638 rushing yards and five more scores in his first season as a starter in 2021. The Texas Sports Writers Association Class 3A Offensive Player of the Year led the Purple Tigers to a 14-1 record and a trip to the state semifinals.

As a bonus to Bennett returning for his senior season, he will have running back Mackenzie McGill (2,082 yards, 37 TDs) joining him once again in the backfield, giving Mount Vernon a strong one-two punch.

Jacobe Robinson, 6-3, 220, Sr., Henderson

Robison was a bright spot for a Lions team that struggled to a 4-6 (1-5) record last season. As a junior, the pro-style quarterback threw for 2,123 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 280 yards and a pair of scores.

Robinson, who is also a basketball standout at Henderson, drew the attention of Boston College. He has already committed to play for the Eagles, but first he hopes to lead a Henderson revival this fall in East Texas.

Brennan Storer, 5-11, 190, Sr., Highland Park

Speaking of tradition decked in blue and gold, the school that produced Matthew Stafford has another standout quarterback in Storer. As a junior, he put up solid numbers to lead the Scots to a 10-2 record and District 7-6A title with a perfect 6-0 record.

The Western Michigan commit threw for 2,514 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed for 344 yards and six touchdowns. Storer will look to take Highland Park deeper into the playoffs in 2022.

Alexander "Hondo" Franklin, 5-11, 170, Jr., Lucas Lovejoy

Franklin had quite a sophomore season in 2021 with 3,366 yards and 50 TDs through the air to lead the Leopards to a 12-2 record and a trip to the regional finals after moving up to Class 5A. And that might have been the opening act for what's to come this year.

Lovejoy also returns wide receivers Jaxson Lavender (81 receptions, 1,217 yards, 15 TDs), Kyle Parker (48 receptions, 822 yards, 11 TDs) and Parker Livingstone (45 receptions, 1,045 yards, 16 TDs). That's the stuff of defensive coordinators' nightmares.

Kaden Anderson, 6-4, 205, Sr., Southlake Carroll

Anderson led his squad to a 14-1 record in 2021. However, the Dragons' season ended with a 35-9 loss to Duncanville in the Class 6A state semifinals.

Anderson had a solid year, throwing for 3,036 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also rushed for 140 yards and seven more touchdowns in his first season as a starter. The Wyoming commit looks to lead Carroll to another deep playoff run before he heads to Laramie.

Tyler Moody, 5-10, 165, Sr., Brock

Save for a 35-18 loss to Lorena in the Class 3A Division I state championship game, Moody and the Eagles had a dream season in 2021. As a junior, he threw for 3,096 yards and 45 TDs, while tacking on 540 yards and 10 TDs on the ground to lead his team to a 14-1 season.

Moody also earned a second-team spot on the Texas Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State Team. Although he has not committed to play at the next level, those numbers are hard to ignore.