Three kids from sunny California and one speedster from foggy Bellvue will creep into town on little cat feet this weekend, and making a great impression on them will go a long way toward making Eugene a city of big shoulders in the football future.
Wise men say: only a fool would not rush in to sign Budda Baker, one of the most game-changing talents in prep football in the 2014 class (Jeff Napier, MaxPreps photo).
Oregon hosts quarterback Morgan Mahalak, scintillating athlete Adoree’ Jackson, lineman Chris Brown and football Swiss Army Knife Budda Baker this weekend. Landing all four in the 2014 signing class would be the recruiting equivalent of winning a BCS bowl.
Mahalak’s been talked about at length, here and elsewhere. He’s a 6-3, 190-lb. passer from Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California, the #16-rated quarterback in the country.
As a senior he’s led the Wildcats to a 10-0 record, throwing 28 touchdowns with just three interceptions, despite rarely playing in the second half for a squad that routinely dominates inferior teams. He runs well, good vision and athletic ability, while not as deer-like as Marcus Mariota. But what he does beautifully is throw the football, consistent lasers to the most open receiver at all levels of the field.
Mahalak committed to the Ducks the weekend of the Spring Game, and since then he’s already established himself as the leader of his class, keeping in contact with other prospects through social media. On the field, what stands out about him are superb passing mechanics. He’s received some of the best, most thorough quarterback coaching in the country from Will Hewlett. He sets up with the ball in perfect ready position, the ball held secure and ready to fire. Every throw is right from the ear. He uses his legs and spins it beautifully. The results are textbook and fluid, the footwork so solid and consistent that young quarterbacks could use his highlight tape as a teaching video.
The training for elite quarterbacks has improved dramatically in the last 20 years, and many come to college ready to compete for playing time as freshman. There are 7-on-7 leagues and the Elite 11 competitions and private coaching, and these guys get the opportunity to absorb more of the fine points of the position than ever before, not having to rely on an ex-lineman or linebacker for vague advice, but getting detailed instruction on the fundamentals.
Mahalak is intelligent, a quick study mentally who drew praise from Trent Dilfer at The Opening for his ability to absorb new concepts, even a thick playbook with NFL complexity. He processes information the way the gifted ones do, able to run the package plays and scan a defense under pressure. When Marcus Mariota leaves, this MM will compete hard to replace him, and what he demands of himself will make the entire quarterback unit better prepared for the transition.
Adoree’ Jackson, meanwhile, is one of the most electrifying playmakers in the country, rated the number one athlete available. He’s fast. He’s sudden and elusive. He makes people miss in a way that invites comparisons to great players. At 5-10, 180-lb. speedster from legendary Junipero Serra High in Gardena, California is a royal flush of football talent, returning kicks, anchoring the secondary, or at running back or receiver, a touchdown maker, a ballhawk, instant momentum.
Jackson has over three dozen offers, scholarship plees from every top school in the country including LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame and USC. With a 4.44 40 and Xbox moves, landing him would be recruiting Christmas. Here’s an up-close, field-level view from one game this September:
Budda Baker has never lost a game in his four-year high school career. His Bellvue High School squad, 10-0 this season, has won the last five Washington state championships under Butch Goncharoff. Last year they sent linebacker Miles Jack to UCLA, and Baker is the captain and leader of this year’s team, rated 19th in the country by MaxPreps.
Baker plays safety, receiver, running back and returns kicks. At The Opening this summer he measured 5-9, 174 and ran the 40 in 4.51. He’s a gifted football player, another of those speed-in-space guys that have made Oregon football so much fun to watch in the last five years.
Wheres the Beef? Chris Brown of Loyola High School in Los Angeles is a mobile, fast-rising lineman who’s had a superb final year that’s skyrocketed interest in him. He has over 18 offers, including Nebraska, Texas A&M and USC. He plays to the whistle and hustles to the second level, a 6-6, 285 tackle who is light on his feet and strong enough to drive his man into the turf, with a very athletic frame and nimble feet.
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