7 Most Underrated 2015 QB Recruits

Three years ago, Marcus Mariota entered his senior season at St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii with little fanfare in recruiting circles. 

Of course, the current Oregon Ducks star quarterback is the current poster boy of college football. However, he was a 3-star recruit rated as the 19th-best dual-threat quarterback in the country in 2011, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 2015 class is top heavy, with names such as Josh Rosen, Blake Barnett and Kyler Murray representing prospects who have captured the attention of analysts and fans alike.

However, a deeper look into this class shows a handful of talented passers who are being overlooked.

Which recruits represent the nation’s most underrated crop of passers for 2015?

*Players listed in alphabetical order.

Ross Bowers

At The Opening in July, Cal picked up a commitment from 3-star Washington passer Ross Bowers. 

Bowers lacked the fanfare of some of the notable passers in attendance, as he picked the Bears over offers from Colorado State, Colorado, Wake Forest and James Madison—none of which are national powerhouses.

However, as B/R’s Tyler Donohue noted, the 6’2”, 185-pound Bowers was impressive and proved his mettle at the nation’s premier camp loaded with the top prep talent in the country. That nugget was confirmed by the coaches in attendance, as noted by Paul Myerberg of USA Today. 

While Bowers' rating and offer list may not reflect it, Cal is getting the type of passer that could end up being one of the steals of the 2015 class.

Joe Burrow

While most Ohio State fans are waiting on 5-star Torrance Gibson to make his commitment, Urban Meyer already has a talented dual-threat passer committed in homegrown standout Joe Burrow. 

The 6’4”, 205-pounder is a 3-star quarterback who committed to the Buckeyes in May over offers from Boston College, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Maryland, among others.

Over the last two seasons, Burrow threw for 6,971 yards and 94 touchdowns while also rushing for another 1,425 yards and 22 scores.

As Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts noted (subscription required), Burrow is a player who was thoroughly evaluated by Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman. Even if Gibson chooses to head elsewhere, Burrow is a vastly underrated passer who is capable of becoming the Buckeyes’ quarterback of the future.

Quinten Dormady

Quinten Dormady missed his junior season due to a shoulder injury, but that didn’t stop a number of schools from offering the 6’4”, 210-pound Texas native.

However, he threw for 3,010 yards and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore playing for his father, Mike Dormady, at Boerne High School.

Dormady committed to Tennessee in June over offers from Alabama, Oklahoma State and Kentucky, among others. 

As Ryan Callahan of GoVols247 reported (subscription required), Dormady went off in his return, throwing for 404 yards and five touchdowns.

Dormday is rated as the No. 13 pro-style quarterback in the country, and with his size and skill set, he’s got a chance to blossom under Butch Jones at Tennessee.

As Barton Simmons of 247Sports noted (via Callahan), the Vols may have found a diamond in the rough: “He can make every throw on the field, and if he had played his junior year, I have no doubt that he would have been one of the real big names in this recruiting cycle from the start."

Tyler Hilinski

If there’s one state that schools searching for quarterbacks in the 2015 cycle have gravitated toward, it’s California.

The Golden State is simply loaded with prospects who possess golden arms. In turn, there are more than a few California quarterbacks in this class who are flying under the radar.

Perhaps atop that list is Washington State commit Tyler Hilinski, who pledged to Mike Leach’s Cougars over offers from Cal, Utah State and Pennsylvania. Hilinski is the No. 23 pro-style passer in the country, and there are nine quarterbacks rated higher than him in his home state. 

The 6’3”, 190-pounder threw for 3,062 yards and 32 touchdowns as a sophomore. Leach, who has a history of finding and developing underrated passers, appears to have found another gem in Hilinski.

Tucker Israel

At the time he committed to Clemson back in February, the only other offer 3-star Florida native Tucker Israel had was from the homestanding Gators, according to Cory Fravel of Clemson247.

Since that time, schools such as LSU, Louisville, Ole Miss and Kentucky have offered the 6’0”, 200-pounder. 

Heading into his senior season, Israel, who is ranked as the No. 23 dual-threat quarterback in the 2015 class, has thrown for 10,588 yards and 107 touchdowns in his prep career, according to freelance writer Will Weathers.

With that type of production and offer list, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which there are 22 other quarterbacks who are better than him.

Dwayne Lawson

At 6’5”, 210 pounds, Miami quarterback commit Dwayne Lawson is blessed with size that NFL general managers covet in their signal-callers. 

The 4-star Tampa native is categorized as a pro-style passer, but he’s also rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Those numbers supplement his strong production through the air, as he’s passed for 3,579 yards and 34 touchdowns in the same period.

Lawson is ranked as the No. 12 pro-style passer in the country, and he chose the Hurricanes over offers from Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee and Mississippi State, among others. 

His production to this point and his immense ceiling at the next level are primary reasons Lawson should be mentioned in the same breath with the nation’s premier signal-callers.

Bryce Perkins

Three years ago, Chandler (Arizona) High School was led by a talented rising senior named Brett Hundley.

Now, it’s Arizona State commit Bryce Perkins who is in charge of the Wolves program. The 3-star, dual-threat passer doesn’t have the hype of fellow 4-star Sun Devils quarterback pledge Brady White, but the 6’2”, 200-pounder has a skill set that projects favorably to the next level.

As a junior last season, Perkins racked up 3,058 yards of total offense while completing more than 72 percent of his passes. He also accounted for 25 touchdown passes and added another 18 scores on the ground.

If he continues to progress as a passer, his upside compares favorably to where Hundley was as a senior at the prep level.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani