Texas A&M does not have a 2020 quarterback committed yet. But they do have one for 2021.
Denton Guyer's Eli Stowers became the first commit for the Aggies' class of 2021 Tuesday night, when he announced his verbal pledge. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound signal caller is a 4-star prospect according to Rivals.com and the third-ranked dual threat quarterback in the nation.
Stowers was the unanimous district 6-5A offensive newcomer of the year in 2018, as he completed 121 of 214 passes for 1,571 yards, 13 TDs and 13 INTs. He also rushed for 1,119 yards and 9 TD on 163 carries.
A&M was one of the first programs to seriously pursue Stowers, offering him in January and having him visit campus multiple times over the past several months. Jimbo Fisher has taken a personal role in his recruitment as well. But the Aggies were far from alone in their interest; defending national champion Clemson was also in pursuit and hosted Stowers on an unofficial visit two weeks ago. FSU, Georgia, LSU, Oregon and South Carolina are a few of the other schools that had offered the fast-rising 2021 prospect.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
Stowers is a remarkable athlete. He's not only well on his way to being a very good quarterback, but he's also a basketball standout and a sprinter at Guyer. The Aggies were looking for a guy who's a dual threat option and he is certainly that.
Like most sophomores (now rising juniors), Stowers is still growing into his body and developing his mechanics. But you don't have guys like Jimbo Fisher personally recruiting you if you don't have a huge upside. Watching a few clips of Stowers throw the football was enough for me to see that he has a huge arm, and when he repeats his delivery his accuracy is quite good.
But what got me was the speed. When he pulls the football and hits a hole, he's as fast as any elite running back. In spite of the fact that a quarterback is inevitably going to get caught in the backfield on occasion when he runs, Stowers still averaged 6.9 yards a carry in his first season of varsity football.
The upside here is tremendous. Stowers already has the size, the speed and the arm. He just needs some refinement and to fill out. With the depth A&M is likely to have at quarterback in a couple of years, he'll probably have time to do that. And then, watch out.
