(Photo via AZ Desert Swarm)
Overview
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 190-pounds
School/Hometown: Mount Si High School (Snoqualmie, WA) Class: 2021 Offers: Arizona, Colorado, Florida Atlantic, Indiana, Oregon, Oregon State, UNLV 2019 Stats: 256-for-360, 3,145 yds, 34 TD, 1 INT; 132 car, 273 yds, 5 TD Career Stats: 259-for-365, 3,176 yds, 34 TD, 1 INT; 137 car, 292 yds, 7 TD 247Sports Composite Ranking: 3-star (420th nationally, 19th Pro-QB, 11th in Washington 247Sports Ranking: 4-star (198th nationally, 10th Pro-QB, 6th in Washington) Analysis
Brandon Combs: This one’s got me juiced. Gabe and I talked about Millen for about 3 months or so, wondering if and when he’d commit.
Millen has all the tools needed to be a successful QB in the Pac-12. His arm talent is undeniable, able the make any and all throws. You name it: threading the needle, deep fades, in traffic, etc. But his arm talent is the only attribute that allows him to make those throws. His accuracy and intelligence play huge factors as well. Millen completed over 71% of his throws on 360 attempts during his first year as a starter, in a competitive and talent saturated class of high school football in Washington. Just for good measure, we’ll throw in his 34 touchdowns to only one, ONE, interception in 360 pass attempts. His arm isn’t his only weapon, his legs are dangerous as well. Millen can run and he doesn’t seem afraid to do so. He is deceptively quick and can gain chunks of yards at a time. To me though, it’s his ability to create time in the pocket with his legs and avoid pressure that is more impressive. One mark that goes against Millen is lack of experience. He has only one year of starting varsity football under his belt after he sat behind his brother Cale. Millen will also need to add some more muscle to his frame, but I don’t foresee that as a problem once he gets to Tucson. Overall, Millen is a phenomenal pick up for Arizona and continues to add to a strong quarterback room. Grant Gunnell, Will Plummer, and Clay Millen make for a formidable, three-headed monster. Gabe Encinas: This recruitment process an absolute roller coaster to follow despite only holding four Power Five offers throughout the majority of his commitment. Slowly those Power Five schools started filling up their spots at quarterback, but LSU was lingering and Colorado suddenly jumped into the offer pool. Arizona ends up getting a big time win at quarterback, a position that is pretty much barren in terms of uncommitted prospects. While he’s a high-end three-star prospect in the composite rankings, 247 is even more bullish on him, ranked No. 198 overall regardless of position, making him a four-star. As a quarterback he is a special talent. His numbers are through the rough in terms of completion percentage, passer rating, touchdown to interception ratio, total yards. He is one of the best passers in the country. He looks great in the pocket, has great feet and can gently place a ball where he wants or rip it in a tight window. His eyes stay downfield while under pressure and he is able to fight off defenders to get the ball downfield. There are some balls that sail beautifully and you just have to do that little laugh when something is so impressive. His mobility allows him to create some Patrick Mahomes types plays where he makes some incredible throws. You can’t even say it’s reckless as he only threw one interception the entire year. You can tell he is incredibly smart. He understands the passing concepts and he knows what the defense is trying to do and how to manipulate them. He has several audibles on film which is something I really only saw when I watched Rhett Rodriguez. Overall it’s hard to tell what else he could really do to increase his rankings. I think this is a complete quarterback prospect and one of the top in the nation. Maybe it’s a bit of his throwing motion, perhaps his unconventional scrambling that needs to be tightened up, maybe he benefits from having elite receivers because some of those grabs are unreal as well. He’s the perfect mix of Grant Gunnell and Will Plummer it’s unreal. To me this is Grant Gunnell heir apparent. Gunnell will be entering his junior year by the time Millen arrives on campus which would give him a year or two to sit and learn. Hopefully that is the understanding and he takes advantage of that time. Junior Highlights
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(Photo via AZ Desert Swarm)
The Arizona Wildcats received a big commitment from dynamic New Orleans-based wide receiver Tyrese Johnson to start the week.
Johnson became the third player from Louisiana to commit to the ‘Cats this cycle, as they continue to pick up steam in The Boot. The 6-foot-1 receiver is a playmaker on the outside and is great with reeling in contested catches and high-pointing the ball. It’s not hard to see him making an impact early in his career in Tucson. I caught up with Arizona’s newest commit to discuss his decision and more.
Brandon Combs: How does it feel to get your commitment off your chest and know what school you’ll be attending in the future?
Tyrese Johnson: “It feels good to make one of the biggest decisions of my life and feel good about it. I’m very excited to attend Arizona and I’m really looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life.” Brandon: What about Arizona attracted you and made you think this is the place for me? Johnson: “What attracted me about Arizona is the family culture they have. That was really pulling me towards them. Also, Arizona is very pretty.” Brandon: Who was your lead recruiter on staff? Johnson: “Coach (Theron) Aych.” Brandon: How is your relationship with him? Did he make your decision any easier? Johnson: “My relationship with him is very good. We talk everyday. He didn’t necessarily make the decision easier nor harder for me. I took it upon myself and asked a couple of close friends to do some research on Arizona with me. We all came together with what we had and I made the decision from there.” Brandon: Being from New Orleans, how does it feel to know you’ll have two other players (Kolbe Cage and Montrell Johnson) from your hometown, as well as Jabar Triplett from Baton Rouge, with you in Tucson? Johnson: “It will be great to play with a childhood friend such as Kolbe. Montrell and Jabar are dawgs as well. I’ve watched their film before committing to see who I’ll be playing with. I couldn’t be more excited to be on the team with them. We are Boot Boys!” Brandon: Are there any other players in Louisiana, or players in general, that you are recruiting to come with you to Arizona? Johnson: “No player in general, but if there are some that I see, I’m on the hunt.” Brandon: Are you looking to enroll early? Johnson: “No, I believe I should graduate on time.” Brandon: Moving to the offseason, what is one aspect of your game you are looking to improve? Johnson: “I’m looking to improve everything. But if I have to choose it would be speed and explosion out of my route.” Brandon: What are your goals for this upcoming season? Johnson: “My goals are to win state championships in football and basketball. I want to leave my school with my legacy and make sure I have fun my senior year.” Junior Highlights
(Photo via @ShieldTaylor1 on Twitter)
The Arizona Wildcats are red hot on the recruiting trail and have added 10 commitments in the past month.
The most recent addition was 3-star running back Montrell Johnson Jr. from New Orleans. However, he isn't the only offensive target for Arizona in Louisiana. Shield Taylor, a 6-foot-4, 235 pound tight end from Alexandria High School in Louisiana, is another such player for the 'Cats. Taylor's recruitment has taken off this offseason. As of now, he has 20 offers with just under half of those coming from Power 5 programs. I caught up with the athletic tight end to discuss his recruitment, Arizona, and more.
Brandon Combs: How many offers do you have so far?
Shield Taylor: "I believe I have around 20." Brandon: Out of those numerous offers, who is standing out to you the most? What makes those schools stand out? Taylor: Mainly the Power 5 programs (Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Northwestern, Stanford, UCLA, Washington). Mainly their competitive football and good education (make them stand out). Brandon: Before the pandemic, were you able to take any visits? Where would you like to visit in the future? Taylor: "I wasn't able to take any visits. I would like to visit the schools I mentioned above." Brandon: Moving on to Arizona, how long have they been recruiting you for? Taylor: "They've been recruiting me for about two or three months." Brandon: Who is your lead recruiter on the staff? Taylor: "I speak to (inside receivers) coach (Theron) Aych the most." Brandon: What does he like about your game and what you could bring to Tucson should you choose Arizona? Taylor: "He likes my versatility. I would be able to bring physicality, versatility, and a mettle mindset to Arizona." Brandon: How would you say your relationship is with Coach Aych? Taylor: "It's pretty good. We talk about once a week." Brandon: Arizona has made it clear that recruiting Louisiana is a priority. What are your thoughts on a West Coast school like them spending a lot of time building relationships in and recruiting Louisiana? Taylor: "I think Louisiana is a great football state. I'm very open to going wherever the best opportunities are." Brandon: Do you have a time frame for when you'd like to make a decision and commit to a school? What are you looking for in a school? Taylor: "I'm thinking sometime before my senior season. I'm looking for a good education and competitive football. I'm also looking for a program that I fit into and a coaching staff that I like." Brandon: Moving to your senior season, what are some of your goals for this upcoming season? Taylor: "Definitely speed improvement, be a better vocal leader, motivate my team to achieve our goals, and be feared by every team in the state. We want to get to the Dome." Brandon: Besides your speed, what aspect of your game are you looking to improve this offseason? Taylor: "Definitely my change of direction." Film Study
Taylor is a do-it-all type of tight end. He is extremely effective in the passing game. He shows off strong hands and some pretty good route execution. He is able to get open surprisingly easy, and even when he isn't, he is still able to reign in contested passes with his long arms and strong hands.
Taylor is very impressive in the run game as well. He is an aggressive blocker and it is something you can tell he likes doing. He does a great job of setting his edge or being a lead blocker opening up big holes for his running back. He has a very good frame and has room to add some more muscle. It is worth noting that he moves very well for someone of his size and can prove to be a bit elusive, especially in his route running. Like he mentioned in the interview, he can improve his speed a little. The fact that he is able to notice his shortfalls says a lot about his character and his mindset. 2019 Stats
Unable to find stats.
School Info
Name: Alexandria Trojans
League: Class 5A District 2 National Rank: 1,092 State Rank: 23 out of 421 schools Class 5A Rank: 10 out of 71 schools Junior Highlights |