Video: Top QBs who could lead the nation in passing
See highlights of some of the most prolific gunslingers in the country this season.Jake Browning of Folsom (Calif.) has graduated, and with him go a number of national passing records. But one thing Browning never did was lead the nation in passing yardage. Last year, that honor went to sophomore Myles Brennan of St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.).
Brennan returns for his junior season and he is the favorite to lead the nation in passing yardage this year, but there are plenty of other candidates to give him some competition.
Top 10 quarterbacks who could lead the nation in passing
Photos by MaxPreps photographers / Graphic by Ryan Escobar
Eppler climbed up the passing leader rankings during Navasota's run through the Class 4A state playoffs. In leading Navasota to the state championship, Eppler threw for over 400 yards four times, including a season-best 477 yards in a 42-35 championship win over Argyle. He never threw for over 400 yards during Navasota's 10 regular season games. He also had 29 of his Texas state-record 71 touchdown passes during the postseason.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Tren'davian Dickson. Simple as that. Last year Dickson caught passes for 2,139 yards and a national-record 39 touchdowns. Having Dickson as a target gives Eppler one of the best receivers in the nation.
Why he won't: Teams will likely do their best to put triple coverage on Dickson, which means the rest of the Navasota receiving corps will have to pick up the slack.
Sammy Blair, with 43 catches last year, is the only other returning Navasota receiver with more than 10 catches.
2. Mason Fine, Locust Grove (Okla.)
5,006 yards in 2014Fine didn't just break the Oklahoma single-season passing yardage record. He crushed it. Fine became the first Oklahoma quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season and 5,000 yards in a season, as he finished with 5,006 and a state-record 71 touchdown passes.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Like Eppler, Fine returns his top receiver from last year in
Jason Pirtle, who had 2,096 yards receiving and 29 touchdowns. Locust Grove also figures to be in the running for the Class 3A state title, which means a deep run in the playoffs.
Why he won't: Like Dickson, Pirtle is one of the few returning receivers with experience for Locust Grove. So some newcomers will have to take some of the heat off Pirtle in order to give Fine more targets to throw to.
3. Ryan Cash, Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas)
4,845 yards in 2014Cash got off to a hot start last season, as he threw for 616 yards in the second game of the year. His 4,845 yards passing were nearly 3,000 more than his total from the previous year.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Prestonwood Christian showed a change in game plan last year. After running the ball half the time and throwing it the other half in 2013, Prestonwood Christian threw the ball on nearly 66 percent of its plays last year. Most of the receiving corps also returns from last year.
Why he won't: One receiver who won't return is Michael Irvin Jr., the son of NFL Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin who has transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). With him went nearly 1,200 yards in receiving from last year.
4. Myles Brennan, St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.)5,797 yards in 2014Brennan was amazingly consistent in leading the nation with 5,797 yards passing as a sophomore last year. His lowest outing was a 295-yard performance in the state final against Noxubee County, while his highest total was 494 yards in the semifinals against Purvis. That means he went over 300 yards passing in 14 games last year – something no other quarterback in the country accomplished.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: He led the country in passing yardage last year and St. Stanislaus is a good bet to go deep in the playoffs again. The Rock-A-Chaws have also previously led the country in passing in 2009 with Dylan Favre.
Why he won't: Brennan is the best bet to lead the nation as he returns three of his top four receivers from last year. Barring injury, only an early exit from the playoffs will prevent Brennan from being No. 1 again.
5. Austin Kendall, Cuthbertson (Waxhaw, N.C.)
4,461 yards in 2014Kendall had a huge season, leading Cuthbertson to the state championship game before falling to Weddington. During the postseason, Kendall threw for nearly 1,500 yards. He's in his fourth year as the varsity quarterback with 7,734 career yards and 89 touchdown passes.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Kendall ran or threw the ball on nearly 650 plays last year, nearly triple the number of times he did as a sophomore. Kendall blossomed into the role as quarterback last season and nearly took Cuthbertson to a championship.
Why he won't: If games get out of hand early, Kendall might not get much of an opportunity to throw the ball. That happened in the season opener last week, a 56-0 win over Victory Christian Center. Kendall threw just 10 passes and had 105 yards through the air.
6. Austin Scott, Spartanburg (S.C.)
4,401 yards in 2014After finishing in the middle of the pack for most of the past decade, Spartanburg returned to former glory with a 12-3 record and a state championship last year. Scott was the main reason why, as he threw for 1,500 yards in the postseason. Very consistent, Scott never threw for over 400 yards, but he went over 300 yards eight times.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Spartanburg figures to contend for another state title and Scott has his top two receivers back from last year, including one of the state's top recruits in
Tavien Feaster.
Why he won't: Spartanburg will be way out in front in a lot of its games this year, which could mean fewer passing attempts for Scott over the course of the season.
7. Jake Jeffrey, Folsom (Calif.)
53 yards passing, 65 catches for 859 yards receiving in 2014Jake Browning has graduated, but that doesn't mean that the Folsom passing game will slow down. Senior Jake Jeffrey, who played quarterback on Folsom's 10-0 junior varsity team two years ago but played receiver last season, takes over as the signal caller for the Bulldogs. More athletic than Browning, Jeffrey may be more in the mold of former Folsom quarterbacks Tanner Trosin and Dano Graves, both of whom rushed in the neighborhood of 1,000 yards.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Folsom has had a quarterback throw for over 5,000 yards each of the past four seasons. While Browning was more of a pocket passer, Jeffrey may be more of a Trosin-type, who threw for 5,100 yards but also ran for 1,100. Like Jeffrey, Trosin played wide receiver as a junior.
Why he won't: Jeffrey's athleticism might keep him from becoming the national leader. If he runs the ball a lot, that means fewer passes and thus fewer passing yards.
8. Trent Hites, Kenton (Ohio)
4,175 yards in 2014Could Hites become the sixth Kenton quarterback to lead the nation in passing? It's possible. Despite the absence of coach Mike Mauk, who moved to coach at Glendale (Springfield, Mo.), Kenton kept up its high-powered passing attack under Brent Fackler. Hites came on strong the second half of the season, including a 525-yard effort.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Kenton continues to throw the ball as much as any team in the nation. Hites' 582 attempts were tied for the fourth-most in the country last year.
Why he won't: Kenton's top four receivers from last year all graduated. Only 184 receiving yards from last year return in 2015.
9. Alex Huston, Glendale (Springfield, Mo.)
35 yards in 2014Coach Mike Mauk made a huge impression in his first year at Glendale. While the team went just 2-8, the offense, under quarterback Alex Austin, proved to be fun to watch. Austin led the country in passing yardage for most of the season and easily led the nation in passing attempts. Huston has not played varsity football before, but after his first game last week, he leads the nation with 534 yards on a whopping 67 attempts. He added 555 yards and 64 attempts in the second game, a 62-38 win over Hillcrest, and has 1,079 in just two games. Huston was actually the backup quarterback to Trent Hites at Kenton last year as a freshman. He transferred to Glendale in the offseason.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Glendale averaged nearly 63 passing attempts per game last year, which easily led the nation. With 67 attempts in the first game and 64 in the second, it doesn't look like Mauk's high-powered offense has slowed down one bit.
Why he won't: Glendale won only two games last year and did not advance far in the playoffs, losing in the first round. In Huston's first game, Glendale fell to 56-48 despite Huston's huge outing. The tide could be turning, however, since Glendale was able to defeat Hillcrest in its second outing.
10. Layne Hatcher, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)
381 yards in 2014Pulaski Academy has a long history of quarterbacks throwing for ridiculous amounts of yardage and Hatcher could be the next record-setter. Only a sophomore, Hatcher threw five touchdown passes over the summer during a passing league to lead Pulaski Academy to a win over DeSoto Central, so it appears that he is ready for full-time duties on the varsity.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: No Pulaski Academy quarterback has thrown for less than 4,000 yards in the past decade. The lowest total during that run was a 4,152 yard effort by Will Hefley in 2013. He threw for 4,897 yards last year, good for No. 7 in the country.
Why he won't: Hatcher is only a sophomore and may go through some growing pains as the starting quarterback. Pulaski Academy hasn't started a sophomore at quarterback since Stefan Loucks in 2004.
