2011 College Football Recruiting Rankings: The Top 25 Quarterbacks

As we begin the 2010 high school football season it's time to re-evaluate the talent of the 2011 recruiting class and hand out some new positional rankings. 

Based on performances throughout the summer in various camps around the country, there's been some noticeable shifts in opinion from every recruiting outlet you'll come across. 

That's the nature of the business; sports are a show me now game and when it comes to recruiting, there's no difference. 

We'll take a look at the top 25 of every position and keep you up to date with the biggest names to watch out for this year.

Here's the updated rankings for the top 25 quarterbacks of the 2011 class.  

25. Brandon Allen

Commitment: Arkansas

Brandon Allen is no Kiehl Frazier, but fans of Arkansas can still be excited about their consolation prize after missing out on the prized Arkansas native.

Allen has prototypical size and has good, but not great arm strength.

He makes up for that with an elite football IQ, solid accuracy, and good decision making.

His offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach say he's right up there with other great Arkansas quarterbacks like Frazier and Mitch Mustain. That may be a stretch, but Allen has talent.

24. Chad Jeffries

Commitment: San Diego St.

The experts greatly differ about the value of Jeffries.

He's Rivals' No. 7 pro-style quarterback, but only gets a two-star grade from Scout's and goes unranked by their account.

Jeffries is rail thin and needs to bulk up, but he's a good prospect who can do some damage with his legs when he needs to as well as by standing in the pocket and laying it on the line.

He's an under the radar guy that's staying in-state to go to a smaller school, and that's probably why you won't hear too much about him.

23. Stephen Rivers

Commitment: LSU

An athletic talent, Rivers was a star basketball and football player up until his junior year when he switched his focus full-time to the football field and the weight room.

He is the younger brother of Philip Rivers and plays a lot like him.

He should be in line for a huge senior season and be one of the big ranking climbers throughout the year. It looks like the Tigers have a steal with this one. 

22. Kevin Hogan

Commitment: Stanford

Hogan is one of a couple solid pro-style quarterbacks on Stanford's commitment list at this point.

He's Rivals' No. 12 pro-style passer and Scout's No. 28 overall quarterback, but that's underrating him a bit.

Hogan can make all the throws you want to see from a college quarterback, but struggles with his accuracy.

That's because his throwing motion needs to be scrapped and rebuilt.

The potential is there for this kid to be something special.

21. Corbin Berkstresser

Commitment: Missouri

The top prospect from the state of Missouri will be staying at home and playing for the Tigers in 2011.

The 3-star quarterback ranked as the No. 13 pro-style QB by Rivals and the No. 35 QB by Scout has the potential to climb the rankings a lot between now and the end of his senior year.

He's got a strong arm and is a good decision-maker with a pretty high ceiling. His game has developed a lot over the last couple of seasons and should only get better as he continues to figure out his strengths and weaknesses.

20. Michael Brewer

Commitment: Texas Tech

Brewer was a relatively unknown name until his junior season, when Garrett Gilbert left Lake Travis for the Texas Longhorns. 

It was then that Brewer accounted for over 5,000 total yards and 64 touchdowns while leading his team to an undefeated record. 

Brewer has emerged as one of the top dual-threat passers, but he's a pass-first quarterback and saves his legs for when the defense opens up space for him. 

With a strong summer and what should be a good senior season, Brewer has the potential to emerge as a top 10 to 15 quarterback from the 2011 class. 

19. Jacoby Brissett

Commitment: Uncommitted

One of the top dual-threat passers in the 2011 class, Brissett is ranked as the No. 22 quarterback on Scout and the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback on Rivals. 

At 6'5" and 225 lbs, he's got elite size and is one of the most athletic prospects in the country. Brissett runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and has incredible arm strength to add. 

He's raw, but the potential is there. Once he figures out how to read defenses better, be a more consistent and accurate passer, and play more disciplined, the sky is limit. 

He's in no hurry to trim his list of over a dozen suitors. 

18. Kendal Thompson

Commitment: Oklahoma

The left-handed gunslinger from Oklahoma is really athletic and can by a ton of time to throw either dancing in the pocket, breaking for the sideline, or heading up field. 

He's got tremendous field vision and seems to always know where his receivers are down field. Thompson is also a very accurate short-range and mid-range passer standing still, but he tends to lose control of the ball a bit while on the run. 

Right now he plays mostly off his athleticism, but his technique passing the ball needs work, especially when it comes to his throwing motion and release.  

17. David Ash

Commitment: Texas

Another one of Texas' seemingly endless recruiting class, Ash is Scout's No. 12 quarterback overall and Rivals No. 11 pro-style QB.

He's one of the few prospects of the 2011 class who really could step on the field tomorrow and compete.

He's a very polished passer, a smart player, and a confident leader.

He'll put the ball where only his receiver can make a play for it, but it's his downfield accuracy that really impresses.

The knock on his game is that his ceiling might not be very high.

16. Everett Golson

Commitment: North Carolina

Golson is undersized for a quarterback at 5'11", but when you see him pass the ball you tend to forget. This 4-star QB has one of the quickest releases in the country and a superbly tight spiral.

He can lock onto his target nearly anywhere on the field and nail them in the chest. The problem is he tends to hone in on his receivers and it'll be very easy for defenders at the college level to read his passes and quickly react.

There are questions about Golson's field vision because of his height, but he wouldn't be the first sub-six foot passer to overcome that limitation. 

15. Marquise Williams

Commitment: North Carolina

The second of the Tar Heels quarterbacks from the 2011 recruiting class is Marquise Williams, another dual-threat passer with a ton of upside. 

Williams is ranked as the No. 13 quarterback on Scout and the No. 12 dual-threat passer on Rivals. He compares himself to Vince Young, and while he's a long way from reaching Young's level the comparison seems warranted. 

Williams is a strong rusher, but a pass-first quarterback with a very tight spiral and solid deep ball. He really does remind of Young at his age, but it remains to be seen if Williams will ever live up to the comparison. 

14. Jerrard Randall

Commitment: Oregon

The 4-star quarterback with a great set of legs has an arm to match them. Randall is ranked as the No. 11 quarterback on Scout and the No. 10 dual-threat quarterback on Rivals.

He is one of the most athletic prospects at his position and is about as mobile a passer as they come. That allows him to buy time under pressure, extend plays, and make things happen.

He needs to work on his release and accuracy, but there's no denying the power of this kid's arm. Now if he can just be a more consistent passer and make better decisions we'd really be talking. 

13. Evan Crower

Commitment: Stanford

There's some disagreement among the experts about Crower's value. Scout lists him as their No. 6 quarterback, but he's Rivals' No. 21 pro-style passer.

Crower has arguably the best throwing motion of anyone in the class, though, and can get a lot of zing on his passes in a hurry when he needs to.

He's an accurate thrower who knows when to put some touch on the ball and when to rocket it.  He lacks mobility though, which makes him a pure pocket passer.

12. Max Wittek

Commitment: USC

Wittek is a gunslinger who will take risks to make the big plays and more times than not makes something happen on the field.

He's Rivals' No. 4 pro-style quarterback and Scout's No. 14 quarterback overall.

Not the most accurate passer, but he throws a very nice deep ball and has elite field vision.  He's a gutsy player who'll stand in the pocket under pressure to the last second to make a play.  His style could get him into trouble at the next level though.

11. Jamaal Turner

Commitment: Nebraska

Turner isn't the only star quarterback who's committed to Nebraska, but he might be the one starting down the line depending on Bubba Starling's future. 

At 6'1" and 170 lbs, he's undersized, but that doesn't stop him from dominating his opposition.

He's got a lightning fast release and throws a very tight spiral, but it's his ability to throw on the run and his mobility in the pocket that impresses most. 

If Starling ends up playing professional baseball, the Cornhuskers will do just fine with Turner. 

10. Cody Kessler

Commitment: USC

Kessler is Rival's No. 2 pro-style quarterback and is the second of USC's great haul at the position.

He's got prototypical size and a high football IQ.  On the field, he makes good decisions and doesn't force passes.  However, he's also hesitant to go for the big play and often times manages the offense rather than leads it.

Scout lists him as the No. 13 quarterback, which may be undervaluing him a bit.

9. Kyle Boehm

Commitment: California

Boehm is still raw and could take some time to develop, but he's got prototypical size for the position.

While he doesn't have a lot of speed, he's a physical player that can make things happen with his legs when he needs to.

He's Rivals No. 6 pro-style quarterback and Scout's 18th overall QB.

Boehm has incredible arm strength, but needs to work on his technique and pocket awareness.

8. Bubba Starling

Commitment: Nebraska

Bubba Starling, a top 10 QB, is considering bypassing college football for major league baseball and might head to the pros if he's picked in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft.

Seems the baseball scouts are as excited about this kid's pitching arm as football scouts are; that's because it's one of the best in the country.

He's one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation, ranked as a top 10 prospect at his position. As of now, he's the headliner of Nebraska's recruiting class and if he sticks around will likely be the starting quarterback in a couple of years.

7. J.W. Walsh

Commitment: Oklahoma State

Walsh is about as close to a 5-star quarterback as you can get without actually getting that fifth star. He has one of the strongest arms in the country and the beauty is it's only getting stronger as he grows older.

By the time Walsh fills out his frame and gets into a college workout program he could have a very rare arm attached to his shoulder.

He's got a great spiral on his ball and can lay it out softly or power it into his target depending on the situation. Not many passers at the high school level have such a great touch on the ball and an understanding of how to throw it depending on positioning. 

6. Brent Hundley

Commitment: Uncommitted

Hundley is a very physical quarterback with the best footwork of any elite QB prospect. He loves to run the bootleg, and at 6'4'' 220 lbs, when he gets going in space he's difficult to bring down.

He's got a bad habit of winding up and there's a lot of work that needs to be done on his throwing motion, but that's about all there is too worry about.

He's got great instincts, can read a defense in a heartbeat, and can make all the throws you want to see from a college quarterback. 

His top two schools are UCLA and Washington, with neither team holding the edge at the moment. 

5. Teddy Bridgewater

Commitment: Miami

Teddy Bridgewater is the next great quarterback from Miami Northwestern High School, and if you had to compare him to anyone it would be UM quarterback Jacory Harris; who was the starter at Northwestern before Bridgewater.

They both throw an accurate ball, have great pocket presence, will stand in the face of pressure till the last second, are mobile, and can throw on the run when the pocket collapses.

However, Bridgewater lacks elite arm strength and, like Harris when he was coming out of high school, is rail thin and needs to add a lot of weight to his frame.

4. Keihl Frazier

Commitment: Auburn

Kiehl Frazier is a dangerous dual-threat quarterback who could run a spread, an option, a pro-style, or pretty much any offense you could dream up.

He throws the deep ball with excellent power and accuracy, and he can really do some damage when he gets loose in open space.

He's a pass-first guy that will beat you with his arm first and mostly takes off when the defense allows him to, much like a Braxton Miller. He's not as big or as strong as Miller, though, and there are some technical issues with his throwing motion.

Frazier is a just a straight gamer though and will lift his team onto his back and carry them to victory if he has too. That's something that can't be quantified with stats.

3. Christian LeMay

Commitment: Georgia

LeMay is one of the top quarterback prospects in the country, rated top three at his position by both Rivals and Scout. It doesn't take long for you to realize this kid is the real deal.

He's a natural winner and leader, the type of quarterback who stays calm under pressure and makes plays when it really counts. There aren't many quarterbacks with as much athleticism and throwing ability on the run.

If there's a knock on his game, it's that he tends to not feel pressure coming at times and holds the ball too casually. That usually equals turnovers, but what's great to see is that it doesn't frazzle him; he just plays through it.

2. Jeff Driskell

Commitment: Florida

Driskel is Rivals' and ESPN's No. 1 quarterback in 2011, but neither lists him at five stars, and it's very difficult to believe that there's not a single quarterback in the class worthy of the rating.

He's described as a pure pocket passer, but has the athleticism and speed to make plays happen with his legs when he needs to. He's got a very strong arm and is an accurate passer who can make all the throws a college quarterback needs to make.

Statistically he won't wow you though, and that's the main reason he tends to be left behind in the quarterback discussion when in reality he's not far off the pace of other five-star prospects.

1. Braxton Miller

Commitment: Ohio State

Miller is an idea dual-threat quarterback who possesses great quickness, elusive ability, and a powerful arm that really puts a lot of pressure on defenses. He runs a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and can change direction on a dime.

There are very few prospects capable of dominating a defense the way he does. Miller doesn't force plays, but rather lets his opponent choose how they're going to play him and then take advantage of whatever they offer.

If you crowd the line of scrimmage, he'll throw over you all night. If you give him space to run, he'll burn you for a quick fifteen without any hesitation.