Alabama Prep QB Cory Gill Raising His Stock with College Scouts

While Cory Gill would not say specifically if his stock had risen at the Southern Elite Top 150 Combine last week at Ole Miss, it sure seemed that way.

Gill, the starting quarterback for Cottonwood (Alabama) High, was nothing short of impressive while showcasing his skills amongst the finest prep football players in the country.

After a year in which he drew rave reviews from scouts when by leading the Bears from their midseason funk to clinch a postseason berth, the 6'2", 195-pound Gill showed last week that there is more to his offensive repertoire.

For starters, Gill performed superbly in an assortment of drills at a combine that hosted as many as 190 athletes from across the country. To his credit, he was especially impressive during the seven-on-seven drills, which ultimately resulted in him being the only quarterback to finish among the top 30 athletes at the combine.

A multi-sport athlete who is also a pitching standout for Cottonwood’s baseball team, Gill, placed 11th overall at last week’s combine, a feat that will almost certainly raise his football stock as his senior campaign looms.

“I think I performed well,” Gill told Bleacher Report when asked to assess his overall display. “It was really important to me because it's always good to go different places and show different scouts what you are made of, and I really enjoy doing that.”

No one seemed more intrigued by Gill’s performance at a major combine than his mother, Jennifer Gill, who made the trip to Oxford, Mississippi to witness her son demonstrate why scouts are inquiring about his services.

“I was enjoying watching all of the talent from the stands,” Jennifer Gill said. “It seemed like all the quarterbacks there were very talented. I would hear the other parents and spectators talking about how that tall dark-headed quarterback had a great arm and how accurate he was. Then I realized they were talking about Cory.  It's a feeling I can't express…definitely makes a mama proud.  He did have a great combine. I never saw him throw a bad pass.”

Still, despite having a favorable showing at the Southern Elite Combine, Gill hinted that it is essential for him to continue with a business-like approach. In other words, he emphasized that his primary focus is to continue to upgrade his mechanics, worthy advice he acknowledged was given to him by scouts and recruiting analysts.

“The coaches told me about the stuff I needed to work on,” Gill said. “The mechanics I must work on is following through on my throw and my footwork.”

After an impressive showing at his latest combine, Gill said he’s confident he will fine-tune the necessary skills in time for what figures to be a remarkable senior season, one in which he is expected to pick up where he left off last year.

In his second full season as a starter, Gill was the catalyst of coach Toby Greene’s Cottonwood team, which recovered from a midseason three-game winless streak and clinched a trip to the Alabama Class 2A playoffs. In engineering the Bears to a 6-5 finish, Gill demonstrated why college scouts have taken notice of his keen ability to manage a spread offense.

Gill amassed a career-best 2,574 passing yards, completing 183 of 325 attempts while throwing 27 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, numbers which were best among Alabama quarterbacks.

To his credit, he has garnered interest from an array of colleges, most notably Tennessee, Auburn, Southern Miss, Samford, South Alabama, Alabama State, West Alabama, Florida, Florida International, Troy, Mercer, Western Kentucky, Appalachian State, Jacksonville State and Furman, among others.

The list is expected to increase as early as before Gill's next season, according to his mother, who spoke with a number of analysts during last week’s combine.

“(Several 247Sports representatives) stopped me to tell me how great he was doing,” Jennifer said. “They said he could really sling that football. Cory is a very hard worker and is very competitive. He doesn't like to not be the best at what he does, so he works twice as hard when the competition is there.”

That was evident at his latest combine appearance, a trend that continues to impress scouts.

Andre Johnson is a regular contributor for Bleacher Report. To reach Johnson, email him at [e-mail]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.