Aggies land 2024 QB
This commitment report and analysis is brought to you by Branch & Dhillon, P.C.!
After struggling to land skill position players in the 2023 class, the Aggies are off to a much quicker start for 2024. That effort received a boost Monday with the commitment of Hattiesburg (Miss.) Oak Grove QB Anthony Maddox Jr.
The Aggies have had an interest in Maddox for some time, and the young quarterback visited A&M last November. Still, an offer didn't come until Jan. 30, but it didn't take long for Maddox to decide that was the one he was looking for.
"The relationship that I have built with coach Petrino and coach Fisher in such a short period of time just made it easy to make this decision," he said.
Petrino picked up the intensity of Maddox's recruitment once he arrived in College Station, which helped A&M win out over the likes of Alabama and Penn State.
"Coach Petrino is a really good guy, who knows exactly what he wants out of a QB," Maddox said. "He loves the fact that I can make things happen when there is nothing there, and my leadership qualities."
The idea of having a chance to compete early on and play in the SEC also held appeal for the 6-foot-2 signal caller.
"Anytime you get to play the best every week, it makes you better as a player," he said.
Even though Maddox has more than 10 months until signing day, he indicated that he will probably keep contact with other programs at a minimum. He also noted how the positive relationship with the Aggie coaching staff has affected the rest of his family, including his younger brother, 2025 4-star DT Andrew Maddox.
"This is the right fit for me and my family," Anthony Maddox said.
Maddox is A&M's fourth commit for the 2024 class, the second from out of state and the third on offense. Last season, he completed 183 of 295 passes (62%) for 2,198 yards, 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also carried the ball 57 times for 347 yards (6.1 YPC) and scored once.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
Maddox is an extremely fluid athlete with a good frame and a big arm. For a young quarterback with just a year of starting under his belt, he has surprisingly good touch on his throws.
First, I like his height at 6-foot-2. He can definitely bulk up, but the height is already there. He's got really good mobility and, while he can run, he'd rather make a play with his arm and keeps his eyes looking downfield when he's forced out of the pocket.
Maddox definitely has arm strength and likes to show it off. He's throwing passes across the field or 30 to 40 yards on a line. That will definitely not be a concern for him.
He's impressively fast once he gets out of the pocket and does a good job of avoiding tacklers. He's a straight-line runner, which is just fine when you have his speed.
One thing that he'll have to work on is being more consistent with his throwing motion. You can see his arm slot changes several times during his highlights, which led to some passes being high. But once that's settled, he's got the tools he needs to succeed.
Oak Grove runs a wide open offense and this is a quarterback that Petrino personally went after, so that may give you an idea of what the Aggies will want to do this season. If that's the case, the offense will be a lot more fun in 2023, and Maddox will have a jump on things when he arrives next year.