College Football Recruiting: Gunner Kiel or Jameis Winston, Who's the No. 1 QB?

The debate has gone in this cycle about who's the top QB prospect in the land: Jameis Winston or Gunner Kiel? Some prefer Kiel's overall skill set to Winston's dynamic playmaking ability.

Well, I'm here to be settle the debate once and for all. I'm going to break down both QBs' games, and then compare and contrast them to one another.

Then, I will give you the final verdict of who's the best field general in the country for 2012. Let's do this.

Who Is Gunner Kiel?

Gunner Kiel is a QB prospect from Columbus, Indiana, who has been on the radar of many evaluators in the Midwest for some time now. Kiel has a ton going for himself and has had the entire nation of college coaches come banging down his door.

He's the nephew of former Notre Dame QB Blair Kiel, and yes, the Irish are recruiting him very heavily, says the South Bend Tribune. Kiel initially committed to Indiana, according to Sports Illustrated, where his brother Dusty is on the team.

However, he has decommitted, CBS Sports says, and also likes Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Michigan among a couple of other schools.

Who Is Jameis Winston?

Jameis Winston is a product of Hueytown, Alabama, who is also one of the nation's best baseball prospects. Winston is said to be a fantastic leader and mature player that does what he has to do to win.

On the recruiting front, Winston came down to Alabama, Florida State and LSU, according to the Birmingham News. Stanford, UCLA and Ohio State were also mentioned.

He committed to FSU in the summer, ESPN says, but Winston has been seen at Alabama games and could take trips to Tuscaloosa along with seeing LSU one more time before NSD. 

Gunner Kiel Scouting Report

At 6'4" and over 200 pounds, Kiel is a big bodied QB with a complete skill set. He plays in a spread offense, and via film study, it's clearly evident Kiel has total command of his offense.

He has a great arm, mobility, accuracy and solid vision. Kiel also flashes some athletic ability inside the pocket and is probably the best decision maker in the country at the QB position.

People will nitpick and say Kiel doesn't have a cannon, but his arm is strong enough to make all the throws on the level of a Matt Barkley or Eli Manning type of arm.

Jameis Winston Scouting Report

Winston is a 6'4", 190-pound dual-threat type with an elite skill set.

But don't let the dual-threat label walk you into the thought that Winston is a running QB. It just means he can take off if he doesn't feel like picking you apart from the pocket.

Winston has good arm strength, solid accuracy, scans the field well and plays with good pocket presence. He's instinctive with the football, creative and makes plays. He can also get upfield, shake and bake, and make dazzling runs with his legs. 

With some hard coaching on his climbs and footwork, Winston's accuracy will increase, and he should be outstanding in college.

Differences and Similarities

As for how the two compare, for starters, each stands around or close to the 6'4" range. They have the size and height to easily see over and dictate their own throwing lanes from the pocket. Also, each QB is a fierce competitor.

Although Kiel flashes good athleticism and escapability, Winston is the better athlete. He has quick feet, great speed in the open field, and the athleticism and movement skills to attack the edges on sprints and rollouts more often than Kiel can at this point.

That's the main difference between them: Winston is a little more athletic.

Who's Better?

Oh, right, I was supposed to answer the question. Almost forgot, because I really don't want to. Both of these guys are studs, and so it's really splitting hairs and going with who fits your system better.

But, for me, I rank Winston as the No.1 QB prospect in the country, and I stand by that. His combination of athleticism and high ceiling project him to be a star.

Don't be shocked to see both of these guys mentioned in Heisman races a couple years down the road. But Winston's athleticism, playmaking ability with the ball and huge potential as a passer are really impressive.