Name: Jadyn Davis
High school: Charlotte (NC) Providence Day
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 192 lbs.
Position: Quarterback
Class: 2024
Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Kentucky
Commitment: Uncommitted
Notes: ESPN 4-star, #3 dual-threat QB, #35 overall...On3 4-star, #8 QB, #105 overall, #3 in NC...Rivals 4-star, #3 pro-style QB, #10 overall, #1 in NC...247 Sports 4-star, #2 QB, #15 overall, #1 in NC...Teammate of 2024 WR Channing Goodwin, 2024 WR Jordan Shipp, and 2025 OT David Sanders
Hit the jump for more.
Stats: As a junior in 2022, completed 221/305 passes (72.5%) for 3,425 yards and 43 touchdowns
Strengths: Very well coached quarterback . . . Able to command a varied offense from shotgun, pistol, and under center with motions . . . Shows ability to make adjustments to protections at the line of scrimmage . . . Very accurate thrower who completes over 72% of his passes . . . Shows excellent anticipation and accuracy . . . Recognizes coverages well and gets rid of ball quickly on free access throws . . . Does a good job of adjusting footwork and getting lined up to make his throws . . . Maintains good accuracy on the move . . . Ball placement is outstanding when throwing into traffic . . . Delivers the ball with great touch to fit the ball over and between defenders . . . Can put some zip on the ball over the middle and on out routes when he steps into his throws
Weaknesses: Lacks ideal stature in pocket at just 6'0" tall . . . Somewhat thin, which brings up durability concerns . . . Does not show elite arm strength to fit ball into tight spaces . . . Just a so-so athlete . . . Shows little speed or evasiveness to pull away from defenders or make plays on designed runs
Overall: Davis is an excellent quarterback prospect, and he grew on me while studying his junior film. For all the hype he's received, I expected him to have a little more juice as a thrower or as an athlete, which I didn't see on his sophomore film when first evaluating him, either. But where he makes hay is with his accuracy, touch, and anticipation. If he has a good offensive line in college and can sit in the pocket and pick apart a defense, he has the right tools to make that happen. I would put him in a shotgun/pistol-based offense where he has room to see and find throwing lanes, but he will be limited in his ability to add anything to the running game.
Projection: Power Five conference multi-year starter. His NFL upside may be limited by a lack of size/bulk, but he can be a very good college player.
Reminds me of: A right-handed Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa played at Alabama, and despite a height/size deficiency, he became a 1st round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins. I think Tagovailoa is a little faster, but they have similar size (Tagovailoa is currently listed at 6'1" and 217 lbs.) and Davis will likely add bulk in college.
Highlights:
You have to like this kid. Every time I think he's about to commit, I go and watch his film again.
ReplyDeleteHe makes just a gorgeous back shoulder throw pretty early in the vid which is football on Sunday stuff. Then there's just a slew of on the money tosses to a spot his guys can see and run to. In particular he makes a toss to a spot where a guy who has stopped running but has a Db pinned on his hip can just take off and get to for a score.
This is an impressive clip.
Then, he seems just completely untroubled by guys getting into his upper body and jostling him around. He makes several accurate throws while getting dragged around or bumped into and otherwise hassled. It isn't like Roethlisberger who was so big that guys bounced off of him, this kid kind of just rag dolls and gets his throw off anyway. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. Have to hope it lasts when the hasslers are bigger and stronger ... likely meaner.
Having read Thunder's observations on Bell, and then looking for it here, you can see Davis collecting easy completions off of reads. Makes you wonder what Bell could do with the coaching that Davis has been getting.
Roanman
Great post and I hope it's highly relevant to Michigan football. I always focus on the "weaknesses" sections of these kind of things because they are the most telling IMO. As far as evaluating a college QB, if it's physical stuff like:
Deletesize/stature
arm strength
speed/athleticism
Yes please! That is exactly what I want to hear (assuming "nothing" isn't an option). We're talking about a blue chip recruit? Despite that stuff!?! Bring it on. We heard some of these same doubts about Brian Griese, Denard Robinson, Mike Hart, Jeremy Gallon, Desmond Howard, Jaime Morris - the vast majority of elite performs at Michigan have come with some of these kinds of questions.
Lack of ideal physical traits just makes it more likely that a guy would stick around in college longer. The recruiting rankings tend to take into account NFL potential where the above stuff is a big deal. At the college level, the bar is way lower. So when I see a 6'3 WR who is ranked #54 and a 5'10 WR who is ranked #55 I generally assume the short guy is going to be a better college player. (Ditto for 40 time, weight, or whatever else). He's doing more with less and outperforming the guy who "projects" better at the NFL level.
Davis could step in for McCarthy and start right away. A lot can happen between now and August 2024 though. The incumbents will have something to say even if McCarthy does go pro, but this appears like it could be a great fit for player and program.
The quality of HS coaching is certainly a factor. It's a good thing for instant contributions for sure, but it may mean there's less distance between the floor and the ceiling at the college level, compared to other guys who need development time (used to be in the 90s that was pretty much everyone but the world has changed).
DeleteAgree with Lank on weakness. When I looked into the kid last summer, I thought done of the same: mostly the physical stuff that a talented offense & brutal run game can make irrelevant
DeleteI don't think he'll be a day one starter, but give this kid a humble year in the weight room, film room and leading the scout O, and he could be special
Completely agree, Lank - this scouting report reads like the opposite of someone like Shane Morris (or even someone like JJ). It would be incredibly interesting watching him develop at Michigan because he seems to thrive in areas that Michigan has traditionally avoided - throwing catchable 50/50 balls, back shoulder throws, screens that give receivers the ability to run after the catch, etc. Hoping for the best here.
ReplyDelete