http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/May/20070520Spor006.aspMU coaches turn attention to other QBs
By DAVE MATTER of the Tribune’s staff
Published Sunday, May 20, 2007
Now that Blaine Gabbert, the top target in Missouri’s search for a quarterback, has promised to sign with Nebraska, the Tigers have turned their attention to Plan B.
Make that Plan B.H.
Braden Hanson, a precocious, 6-foot-6 left-hander from Charlotte, N.C., has drawn significant attention from recruiters recently. Missouri quarterbacks coach David Yost visited Charlotte Latin High School on Thursday, Latin Coach Larry McNulty said.
"Things have really moved forward for him lately," McNulty said Friday. "He’ll be out throwing in front of some coaches, and they’ll make him an offer on the spot."
McNulty said eight schools visited his campus this week, including Missouri, Colorado, Michigan State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano offered Hanson a scholarship after watching one throwing session, McNulty said.
"More teams have been here than haven’t," McNulty said. "He’s not a finished product at this point, and most schools look at him as a guy that needs to add 15 to 20 pounds. But he can throw it short and long, and he’s extremely accurate and unflappable."
North Carolina is not a state Missouri has recruited much recently, but with a drastic need to sign a quarterback in 2008, the Tigers’ search has gone nationwide. According to Rivals.com, Missouri has offered a scholarship to three quarterbacks who will be prep seniors this fall: Parkway West’s Gabbert, Hanson and Darron Thomas of Aldine, Texas. Several others have Missouri’s attention, including Tommy Reamon Jr. of Newport News, Va., and James Brady of Long Island, N.Y.
Reamon’s name might sound familiar. His father, Tommy Reamon, played running back at Missouri in the early 1970s and later coached Michael and Marcus Vick at Warwick, Va., High School. Reamon Jr. has also drawn interest from several Atlantic Coast Conference schools, including Boston College, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Georgia Tech.
Within the state border, several Big 12 and Big Ten teams are recruiting Webster Groves’ Mike Whittier, and Rock Bridge will likely produce its third consecutive Division I-A quarterback in Jake Morse, a transfer from Kansas who will replace Logan Gray under center this fall. Also, Blue Springs South quarterback Blaine Dalton is already drawing interest, but he’ll only be a junior this fall.
Hanson might be the most intriguing prospect of the bunch. In his first year as Latin’s starter last year, Hanson completed 70 percent of his passes, threw for more than 2,600 yards and 39 touchdowns and guided McNulty’s team to the private school state title.
McNulty said his team runs a sophisticated, shotgun spread offense that’s similar to Missouri’s. That could be a factor in Hansen’s decision, the coach said.
"Does Missouri have a shot? Yes, sure they do," he said.
Another factor that might help the Tigers’ chances: Hanson grew up in Kansas City before moving to North Carolina and still has grandparents in the area. McNulty said Hanson’s father is a Kansas State graduate.
"Braden’s always wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt or hat, and when Coach Yost told him Missouri’s going to be playing" Kansas "at Arrowhead" Stadium "the next few years, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas," McNulty said.
● GETTING AWAY: Back to Gabbert. Rivals.com will no doubt position the Parkway West quarterback as the No. 1 player for its 2008 in-state rankings. If so, it will mark the fourth consecutive year the Tigers have missed out on Rivals’ top player from Missouri. In 2005, it was Rockhurst wide receiver D.J. Hord, who signed with Notre Dame. In 2006, Grandview quarterback Josh Freeman went to Kansas State. This year, Rock Bridge tight end Aron White is heading to Georgia.
Missouri fared much better in 2004 when it signed four of Rivals’ top five Missouri players: Rock Bridge quarterback Chase Patton (No. 1), Rockhurst running back Tony Temple (No. 2), Festus lineman Kyle Riggs (No. 3) and Highland receiver Jerrill Humphrey (No. 5).
In 2003, Missouri also nabbed Rivals’ top in-state player, Eureka cornerback Darnell Terrell, who first needed a stop at junior college.
● COUNTDOWN COMING: Next week, we’ll debut the 2007 edition of the Big 12 Conference Countdown. Every Sunday the next two months we’ll preview the upcoming season by counting down the league’s top 12 newcomers, receivers, linemen, offensive backs, storylines, schedules and other factors that will shape another football season in the Big 12.
