Jump to content


QB Blaine Gabbert

Eric the Red

By Eric the Red,
in 2008 Profiles

Recommended Posts




Hawkeyehusker Scout Team

Hawkeyehusker

Posted
Posted

http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/06/03...b5447597804.txt

 

Recruit Gabbert hopes to prove doubters wrong

BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 - 12:18:33 am CDT

 

Blaine Gabbert

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. — He’s over-hyped and overrated.

 

He’s a Grade-A schmuck for turning down home-state school Missouri and picking Nebraska as his place to play college football.

 

Blaine Gabbert, a precocious high school quarterback from suburban St. Louis, reads and hears the caustic discourse oozing from his doubters and haters. He reads the nastiness on Internet message boards, especially the pro-Missouri ones, and it doesn’t anger or discourage Gabbert nearly as much as it drives him to succeed. In fact, he thrives on anybody who dares to doubt him.

 

“I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll prove you wrong right here, right now,’” Gabbert said Friday after he was named MVP among quarterbacks at the Columbia (Mo.) NIKE camp for top prep prospects.

 

“It gets me going,” Gabbert said of his detractors’ vitriol. “It’s one of my pet peeves. It’s good, though. You need that drive to stay hungry.”

 

Overrated? Well, Gabbert certainly isn’t underrated. A senior-to-be at Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Mo., he’s listed as the nation’s top high school quarterback by ESPN, and Rivals.com rates him No. 3.

 

Gabbert’s stock may be rising at Rivals.com, because the popular recruiting Web site’s leading analysts raved about Gabbert’s performance in Columbia.

 

For example, “He gets great velocity on the ball,” Rivals.com guru Jeremy Crabtree said. “He has great fundamentals on his drops. He’s just as complete a package as I’ve seen so far among quarterbacks.”

 

As for Gabbert’s doubters, Crabtree said, “When you’re at the top of the food chain, everybody wants to think you’re not the best thing out there. But, gosh, he’s the best in the state of Missouri, without a doubt.”

 

Nebraska fans have heard this level of quarterback hype in the recent past. To be sure, recruiting analysts placed Harrison Beck on a pedestal in 2005, and he stagnated at NU and eventually left town. Perhaps a similar fate awaits Gabbert. Or maybe he will renege on his pledge to NU, a la Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman.

 

This much is certain: Gabbert turned heads Friday as he strolled confidently toward the camp’s check-in tent. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he glides with the athletic grace of a major-league shortstop, yet possesses the size of a major-college tight end. Grown men gawked as if he were a Kentucky Derby-winning thoroughbred strutting through the paddock before a race.

 

Of the 200 participants, Gabbert was easily in the top 10 in terms of overall athleticism. He possesses an unmistakable air of confidence. He is at once laid-back and ultracompetitive.

 

“Another football field, another day,” he said quietly before drills began. “Just throwing it around today and hanging out.”

 

Another side of Gabbert reveals itself when he’s asked about the possibility of playing right away at Nebraska in 2008.

 

“I’m going to come in and compete for the starting job,” he said. “That’s my goal, and I want to achieve that goal. I’m going to come in and work out as hard as I can, learn the offense as fast as I can, and hopefully beat the other guys out.”

 

Gabbert verbally committed to Nebraska on May 15, saying it’s a program that gives him a chance to win a national championship. He spurned Alabama, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas State and Kansas, among others. He offers glowing praise of Husker head coach Bill Callahan, who calls the plays on offense.

 

“Whenever I go up there (to Lincoln), we hang out in his office and talk life,” Gabbert said. “Coolest guy. And on a football level, he’s a genius. Just awesome.”

 

Gabbert said he’s relieved to have his college decision behind him. Calls from coaches other than Nebraska’s basically have stopped. Oh, a few scholarship offers came after his commitment to NU — from Tennessee, for example.

 

However, “I’m committed to Nebraska,” he said. “And it’s going to stay that way.”

 

Not if the “haters” can help it. On his personal Facebook site, Gabbert receives nasty messages, even profanity-laced threats written by jilted fans from other schools.

 

“I’m like, ‘OK, that’s cool,’” Gabbert said. “You have to do what’s best for yourself.”

 

Gabbert will try to excel in Nebraska’s West Coast offense. It’s a thinking man’s system and puts a premium on strong and decisive quarterback play — a bigger premium than most offenses.

 

“It’s a pro-style offense,” said Gabbert, who carries a 3.65 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. “If you want to go to the pros, that’s the best way to get there, with coach Callahan and his NFL experience.”

 

Bob Johnson believes Gabbert will fit well in Nebraska’s system. Johnson is the longtime head coach at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School and regarded as perhaps the nation’s foremost quarterback instructor.

 

The father of former NFL quarterback Rob Johnson, Bob Johnson runs the annual Elite Eleven Quarterback Camp — regarded as the most prestigious such camp in the nation.

 

“Blaine’s got a big arm, a very strong arm,” Johnson said after coaching Gabbert in Columbia. “He can make all of the throws that need to be made.”

 

In addition, Gabbert consistently runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.

 

“You look at him physically and think he might be just a drop-back guy,” Johnson said. “But he can tuck it and go and hurt you on the run, too.

 

“He just has to stay humble and keep working,” Johnson said. “Keep working on the little things. Everybody needs to do that. Remember, Blaine hasn’t beaten anybody yet in college. It’ll be a process for him.”

 

Gabbert evidently is serious about learning his craft, having twice traveled to California to work with Johnson. What’s more, Gabbert has hung up his baseball spikes for good (he hit nearly .400 this spring as Parkway West’s starting right fielder) to concentrate on football. He now talks of refining his throwing accuracy and footwork in the pocket, and all of “the little intangibles that make you good.”

 

Of course, “good” may not cut it for this particular player. Gabbert needs to be great, lest his doubters have their day.

 

Watching Gabbert go through drills in Columbia, and listening to those who have played with him and against him and coached him, it’s hard to believe the kid has many doubters.

 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” he said. “But I like it.”

Link to comment
Eric the Red Defensive Coordinator

Eric the Red

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Recruit Gabbert hopes to prove doubters wrong

 

BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 - 12:18:33 am CDT

Blaine Gabbert

COLUMBIA, Mo. — He’s over-hyped and overrated.

 

He’s a Grade-A schmuck for turning down home-state school Missouri and picking Nebraska as his place to play college football.

 

Blaine Gabbert, a precocious high school quarterback from suburban St. Louis, reads and hears the caustic discourse oozing from his doubters and haters. He reads the nastiness on Internet message boards, especially the pro-Missouri ones, and it doesn’t anger or discourage Gabbert nearly as much as it drives him to succeed. In fact, he thrives on anybody who dares to doubt him.

 

“I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll prove you wrong right here, right now,’” Gabbert said Friday after he was named MVP among quarterbacks at the Columbia (Mo.) NIKE camp for top prep prospects.

 

Advertisement

 

“It gets me going,” Gabbert said of his detractors’ vitriol. “It’s one of my pet peeves. It’s good, though. You need that drive to stay hungry.”

 

Overrated? Well, Gabbert certainly isn’t underrated. A senior-to-be at Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Mo., he’s listed as the nation’s top high school quarterback by ESPN, and Rivals.com rates him No. 3.

 

Gabbert’s stock may be rising at Rivals.com, because the popular recruiting Web site’s leading analysts raved about Gabbert’s performance in Columbia.

 

For example, “He gets great velocity on the ball,” Rivals.com guru Jeremy Crabtree said. “He has great fundamentals on his drops. He’s just as complete a package as I’ve seen so far among quarterbacks.”

 

As for Gabbert’s doubters, Crabtree said, “When you’re at the top of the food chain, everybody wants to think you’re not the best thing out there. But, gosh, he’s the best in the state of Missouri, without a doubt.”

 

Nebraska fans have heard this level of quarterback hype in the recent past. To be sure, recruiting analysts placed Harrison Beck on a pedestal in 2005, and he stagnated at NU and eventually left town. Perhaps a similar fate awaits Gabbert. Or maybe he will renege on his pledge to NU, a la Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman.

 

This much is certain: Gabbert turned heads Friday as he strolled confidently toward the camp’s check-in tent. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he glides with the athletic grace of a major-league shortstop, yet possesses the size of a major-college tight end. Grown men gawked as if he were a Kentucky Derby-winning thoroughbred strutting through the paddock before a race.

 

Of the 200 participants, Gabbert was easily in the top 10 in terms of overall athleticism. He possesses an unmistakable air of confidence. He is at once laid-back and ultracompetitive.

 

“Another football field, another day,” he said quietly before drills began. “Just throwing it around today and hanging out.”

 

Another side of Gabbert reveals itself when he’s asked about the possibility of playing right away at Nebraska in 2008.

 

“I’m going to come in and compete for the starting job,” he said. “That’s my goal, and I want to achieve that goal. I’m going to come in and work out as hard as I can, learn the offense as fast as I can, and hopefully beat the other guys out.”

 

Gabbert verbally committed to Nebraska on May 15, saying it’s a program that gives him a chance to win a national championship. He spurned Alabama, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas State and Kansas, among others. He offers glowing praise of Husker head coach Bill Callahan, who calls the plays on offense.

 

“Whenever I go up there (to Lincoln), we hang out in his office and talk life,” Gabbert said. “Coolest guy. And on a football level, he’s a genius. Just awesome.”

 

Gabbert said he’s relieved to have his college decision behind him. Calls from coaches other than Nebraska’s basically have stopped. Oh, a few scholarship offers came after his commitment to NU — from Tennessee, for example.

 

However, “I’m committed to Nebraska,” he said. “And it’s going to stay that way.”

 

Not if the “haters” can help it. On his personal Facebook site, Gabbert receives nasty messages, even profanity-laced threats written by jilted fans from other schools.

 

“I’m like, ‘OK, that’s cool,’” Gabbert said. “You have to do what’s best for yourself.”

 

Gabbert will try to excel in Nebraska’s West Coast offense. It’s a thinking man’s system and puts a premium on strong and decisive quarterback play — a bigger premium than most offenses.

 

“It’s a pro-style offense,” said Gabbert, who carries a 3.65 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. “If you want to go to the pros, that’s the best way to get there, with coach Callahan and his NFL experience.”

 

Bob Johnson believes Gabbert will fit well in Nebraska’s system. Johnson is the longtime head coach at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School and regarded as perhaps the nation’s foremost quarterback instructor.

 

The father of former NFL quarterback Rob Johnson, Bob Johnson runs the annual Elite Eleven Quarterback Camp — regarded as the most prestigious such camp in the nation.

 

“Blaine’s got a big arm, a very strong arm,” Johnson said after coaching Gabbert in Columbia. “He can make all of the throws that need to be made.”

 

In addition, Gabbert consistently runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.

 

“You look at him physically and think he might be just a drop-back guy,” Johnson said. “But he can tuck it and go and hurt you on the run, too.

 

“He just has to stay humble and keep working,” Johnson said. “Keep working on the little things. Everybody needs to do that. Remember, Blaine hasn’t beaten anybody yet in college. It’ll be a process for him.”

 

Gabbert evidently is serious about learning his craft, having twice traveled to California to work with Johnson. What’s more, Gabbert has hung up his baseball spikes for good (he hit nearly .400 this spring as Parkway West’s starting right fielder) to concentrate on football. He now talks of refining his throwing accuracy and footwork in the pocket, and all of “the little intangibles that make you good.”

 

Of course, “good” may not cut it for this particular player. Gabbert needs to be great, lest his doubters have their day.

 

Watching Gabbert go through drills in Columbia, and listening to those who have played with him and against him and coached him, it’s hard to believe the kid has many doubters.

 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” he said. “But I like it.”

 

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.

Link to comment
Eric the Red Defensive Coordinator

Eric the Red

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Recruit Gabbert hopes to prove doubters wrong

 

BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Sunday, Jun 03, 2007 - 12:18:33 am CDT

Blaine Gabbert

COLUMBIA, Mo. — He’s over-hyped and overrated.

 

He’s a Grade-A schmuck for turning down home-state school Missouri and picking Nebraska as his place to play college football.

 

Blaine Gabbert, a precocious high school quarterback from suburban St. Louis, reads and hears the caustic discourse oozing from his doubters and haters. He reads the nastiness on Internet message boards, especially the pro-Missouri ones, and it doesn’t anger or discourage Gabbert nearly as much as it drives him to succeed. In fact, he thrives on anybody who dares to doubt him.

 

“I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll prove you wrong right here, right now,’” Gabbert said Friday after he was named MVP among quarterbacks at the Columbia (Mo.) NIKE camp for top prep prospects.

 

Advertisement

 

“It gets me going,” Gabbert said of his detractors’ vitriol. “It’s one of my pet peeves. It’s good, though. You need that drive to stay hungry.”

 

Overrated? Well, Gabbert certainly isn’t underrated. A senior-to-be at Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Mo., he’s listed as the nation’s top high school quarterback by ESPN, and Rivals.com rates him No. 3.

 

Gabbert’s stock may be rising at Rivals.com, because the popular recruiting Web site’s leading analysts raved about Gabbert’s performance in Columbia.

 

For example, “He gets great velocity on the ball,” Rivals.com guru Jeremy Crabtree said. “He has great fundamentals on his drops. He’s just as complete a package as I’ve seen so far among quarterbacks.”

 

As for Gabbert’s doubters, Crabtree said, “When you’re at the top of the food chain, everybody wants to think you’re not the best thing out there. But, gosh, he’s the best in the state of Missouri, without a doubt.”

 

Nebraska fans have heard this level of quarterback hype in the recent past. To be sure, recruiting analysts placed Harrison Beck on a pedestal in 2005, and he stagnated at NU and eventually left town. Perhaps a similar fate awaits Gabbert. Or maybe he will renege on his pledge to NU, a la Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman.

 

This much is certain: Gabbert turned heads Friday as he strolled confidently toward the camp’s check-in tent. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he glides with the athletic grace of a major-league shortstop, yet possesses the size of a major-college tight end. Grown men gawked as if he were a Kentucky Derby-winning thoroughbred strutting through the paddock before a race.

 

Of the 200 participants, Gabbert was easily in the top 10 in terms of overall athleticism. He possesses an unmistakable air of confidence. He is at once laid-back and ultracompetitive.

 

“Another football field, another day,” he said quietly before drills began. “Just throwing it around today and hanging out.”

 

Another side of Gabbert reveals itself when he’s asked about the possibility of playing right away at Nebraska in 2008.

 

“I’m going to come in and compete for the starting job,” he said. “That’s my goal, and I want to achieve that goal. I’m going to come in and work out as hard as I can, learn the offense as fast as I can, and hopefully beat the other guys out.”

 

Gabbert verbally committed to Nebraska on May 15, saying it’s a program that gives him a chance to win a national championship. He spurned Alabama, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas State and Kansas, among others. He offers glowing praise of Husker head coach Bill Callahan, who calls the plays on offense.

 

“Whenever I go up there (to Lincoln), we hang out in his office and talk life,” Gabbert said. “Coolest guy. And on a football level, he’s a genius. Just awesome.”

 

Gabbert said he’s relieved to have his college decision behind him. Calls from coaches other than Nebraska’s basically have stopped. Oh, a few scholarship offers came after his commitment to NU — from Tennessee, for example.

 

However, “I’m committed to Nebraska,” he said. “And it’s going to stay that way.”

 

Not if the “haters” can help it. On his personal Facebook site, Gabbert receives nasty messages, even profanity-laced threats written by jilted fans from other schools.

 

“I’m like, ‘OK, that’s cool,’” Gabbert said. “You have to do what’s best for yourself.”

 

Gabbert will try to excel in Nebraska’s West Coast offense. It’s a thinking man’s system and puts a premium on strong and decisive quarterback play — a bigger premium than most offenses.

 

“It’s a pro-style offense,” said Gabbert, who carries a 3.65 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. “If you want to go to the pros, that’s the best way to get there, with coach Callahan and his NFL experience.”

 

Bob Johnson believes Gabbert will fit well in Nebraska’s system. Johnson is the longtime head coach at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School and regarded as perhaps the nation’s foremost quarterback instructor.

 

The father of former NFL quarterback Rob Johnson, Bob Johnson runs the annual Elite Eleven Quarterback Camp — regarded as the most prestigious such camp in the nation.

 

“Blaine’s got a big arm, a very strong arm,” Johnson said after coaching Gabbert in Columbia. “He can make all of the throws that need to be made.”

 

In addition, Gabbert consistently runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds.

 

“You look at him physically and think he might be just a drop-back guy,” Johnson said. “But he can tuck it and go and hurt you on the run, too.

 

“He just has to stay humble and keep working,” Johnson said. “Keep working on the little things. Everybody needs to do that. Remember, Blaine hasn’t beaten anybody yet in college. It’ll be a process for him.”

 

Gabbert evidently is serious about learning his craft, having twice traveled to California to work with Johnson. What’s more, Gabbert has hung up his baseball spikes for good (he hit nearly .400 this spring as Parkway West’s starting right fielder) to concentrate on football. He now talks of refining his throwing accuracy and footwork in the pocket, and all of “the little intangibles that make you good.”

 

Of course, “good” may not cut it for this particular player. Gabbert needs to be great, lest his doubters have their day.

 

Watching Gabbert go through drills in Columbia, and listening to those who have played with him and against him and coached him, it’s hard to believe the kid has many doubters.

 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” he said. “But I like it.”

 

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Visit the Sports Illustrated Husker site



×
×
  • Create New...