National Signing Day 2011: Where Are The Top 25 Quarterbacks Headed?

Signal-callers. Field generals. Golden armers. Whatever you call them, the one term that they all desire is "quarterback". In recruiting, the quarterback position can make or brake a class. Many schools aspire to sign at least one quarterback per recruiting class for depth and development purposes.

This year has many talented quarterbacks alike, from pro-style to dual threats. Whatever offensive scheme your favorite school runs, there is a quarterback in this year's class to fit the system.

Let's take a look at where the top 25 quarterbacks are headed.

25. Cardale Jones

Commit: Undecided

Jones is a big and athletic quarterback who stands 6'5" and 230 pounds. He's got a cannon arm, can beat you with his legs, and streaky with his accuracy. His mechanics are still a bit raw, and he's also being recruited as an ATH.

Michigan, LSU, Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Illinois are just a few schools Jones is interested in. 

24. Adam Pittser

Commit: Wyoming

Pittser is a 6'1", 190 pounder from Illinois. He's a gamer-type quarterback who does what he can to win. He's not the tallest signal caller in the world, but does a great job of moving within the pocket to find clear throwing lanes to get throws out.

He'll have his share of balls batted down in college, though he's athletic enough to be used on rollouts.

23. Evan Crower

Commit: Stanford

While he won't be playing for Jim Harbaugh on The Farm, Crower has remained solid in his pledge to Stanford. He's a 6'3", 180-pound prospect with solid smarts, vision and accuracy.

He's not overly mobile and could have problems escaping out of the pocket.

22. David Ash

Commit: Texas

Ash has great mechanics for a prep quarterback. As you watch him play, you can easily see he's been well-coached to this point. He has great arm strength, size and he's pretty mobile to escape the rush.

While he's solid athletically, Ash is not a speed demon and won't be a viable threat as a runner.

21. Johnny Manziel

Commit: Texas A&M

Manziel, 6'0" and 175 pounds, is extremely athletic and has a solid arm. He's garnered a reputation as a very good leader with great intangibles. He puts great touch on his throws and has mobility to get out on the edges and make throws on the run and gain yards with his legs.

His arm strength is good, not great. Manizel likely will be limited to only consistently attacking the second and underneath levels of a defense.

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. Kendall Thompson

Commitment: Oklahoma

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

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

18. 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 three-star quarterback, ranked as the No. 13 pro-style QB by Rivals and No. 35 by Scout, has the potential to climb the rankings 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.

17. Kevin Hogan

Commitment: Stanford

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

Hogan can make all the throws you want to see from a college quarterback, but he struggles with his accuracy, because his throwing motion needs to be scrapped and rebuilt.

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

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 four-star QB has one of the quickest releases in the country and a 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. Jerrard Randall

Commitment: Oregon

The four-star quarterback has a great set of legs and an arm to match. He verballed to the Ducks last June and has been solid in his pledge.

He is one of the most athletic prospects at his position and 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. 

14. 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 decided Chapel Hill was the place for him last July. 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 some of Young at his age, but it remains to be seen if Williams will ever live up to the comparison.

13. Jamal 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 pounds, 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, who verballed to Nebraska almost a full calendar year ago.

12. Ephen 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 told Les Miles he was all Bayou Tiger last August.

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 climbers throughout the year. It looks like the Tigers have a steal with this one. 

11. Kiehl 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's extremely pro-Auburn and along with Jonathan Rose, has been the main Tiger recruit urging others to come to Auburn with him.

He throws the deep ball with excellent power and accuracy and 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 and will lift his team onto his back and carry them to victory if he has to. That's something that can't be quantified with stats.

10. Jacoby Brisset

Commitment: Uncommitted

One of the top dual-threat passers in the 2011 class, Brissett is a marvel to go watch in person and on film.

At 6'5" and 225 pounds, he's got elite size and he 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 the limit. 

FSU has fallen behind Florida, Miami, Wisconsin and Washington.

9. 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 one of two quarterbacks USC will sign this year.

Not the most accurate passer at this point, 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. 

8. Bubba Starling

Commitment: Nebraska

Bubba Starling, a top 10 QB, is considering bypassing college football for baseball and might head to the pros if he's picked in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft. He committed to the Cornhuskers in June so he could end his recruitment, clear his head and have time to make his baseball or football choice.

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, he will likely be the starting quarterback in a couple of years.

7. Cody Kessler

Commitment: USC

Kessler is Rival's No. 2 pro-style quarterback and he 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. He was on the verge of calling and committing to Washington when the phone rang and USC offered him a scholarship.

6. Brett Hundley

Commitment: UCLA

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 pounds, 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 to 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. 

5. J.W. Walsh

Commitment: Oklahoma State

Walsh, who verballed to OSU last February, is about as close to a five-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. 

4. Teddy Bridgewater

Commitment: Louisville

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. Bridgewater was committed to The U, but switched up to Louisville—yet the Harris comparisons still persist.

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.

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 is part of the Georgia "Dream Team" Mark Richt came up with and was among the first to pledge last April.

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. Braxton Miller

Commitment: Ohio State

Miller is an ideal 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 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 he lets his opponent choose how they're going to play him and then takes advantage of whatever they offer.

Right now, he may be poised to have the most immediate impact as a true freshman than any recruit in the country if he can fill in admirably for Terrelle Pryor in the first five games for Ohio State next season.

1. Jeff Driskel

Commitment: Florida

Driskel never truly wavered in his commitment to Florida during their coaching change. Hiring Charlie Weis did help the Gators keep in secure though.

He's described as a pure pocket passer, but he 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.