The son of a former NFL All-Pro, Randall Cunningham Jr. is a standout quarterback and high jumper for Bishop Gorman. He will take the reins full time this fall and hopes to lead the Gaels to another state title.
Photo by Jann Hendry
To say
Randall Cunnigham Jr. has a tremendous upside is a tremendous understatement.
The incoming 6-foot-5, 180-pound quarterback from
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) is the nation’s top high jumper, a 2016 Olympic hopeful in fact, who cleared a rather remarkable 7 feet, 3.25 inches to win the Nevada state championship in the spring.
He’ll now take over the starting signal-calling position for one of the nation’s top football programs, replacing four-year starter
Anu Solomon who threw for 10,112 yards, 138 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions while leading the Gaels to a 57-3 record and four state titles.
As a backup quarterback last season, Cunningham Jr.
threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 483
yards rushing and seven scores.
Photo by Jann Hendry
Cunningham is used to filling big shoes. His dad by the same name threw for almost 30,000 yards and more than 200 touchdowns in a 16-year NFL career.
See the entire Randall Cunningham Jr. photo gallery"I used to feel pressure about being as good as my dad, but not any more," Randall Jr. said.
He got in 150 snaps last season as Solomon’s backup and, by all indications, is the perfect replacement for the current University of Arizona quarterback.
With 4.6-speed in the 40-yard dash, a big arm and calm presence, Cunningham might be the only player in the country who could replace such a talent as Solomon and lead coach Tony Sanchez to think, "no big."
In fact, Cunningham will no doubt give the Gaels a few new wrinkles even Solomon couldn’t match.
Talk about going vertical.
"There’s not many people on the planet — let alone in high school — who are that fast and that explosive," Sanchez said of Cunningham Jr. "Run a 4.6 40 and high jump 7-3. On top of all that he’s such a smart kid and hard worker. He’ll be a great football player and he’s a great kid.”
As far as what sport Cunningham prefers, the quiet and polite standout says: "I like them both and in different ways. It’s just really exciting to be able to compete at a high level in both."
See all the Reebok Dynamic Athletes
