Buckskin86
Moderator
http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=29315
Pro-style quarterback
Exton (PA)
Downington East
Height: 6-foot-3 (Nike)
Weight: 194 pounds (Nike)
40-yard dash: 4.78 seconds (Nike)
Bench reps: 4 (Nike)
Vertical leap: 29 inches (Nike)
Shuttle time: 4.56 seconds (Nike)
2003 stats: 2,913 yards, 27 TD's
2004 stats: 2,237 yards, 21 TD's, 63.6 completion percentage
Considered one of the top Jr. QB's in the country- Rivals has tOSU in his top 5
The Sporting News has him as the No. 4 overall prospect in the country for '06.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/high_school/9557129.htm
Pro-style quarterback
Exton (PA)
Downington East
Height: 6-foot-3 (Nike)
Weight: 194 pounds (Nike)
40-yard dash: 4.78 seconds (Nike)
Bench reps: 4 (Nike)
Vertical leap: 29 inches (Nike)
Shuttle time: 4.56 seconds (Nike)
2003 stats: 2,913 yards, 27 TD's
2004 stats: 2,237 yards, 21 TD's, 63.6 completion percentage
Considered one of the top Jr. QB's in the country- Rivals has tOSU in his top 5
The Sporting News has him as the No. 4 overall prospect in the country for '06.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/high_school/9557129.htm
Posted on Thu, Sep. 02, 2004
Devlin and his arm are back to power Downingtown East
By Don Beideman
Inquirer Suburban Staff
It was Mid-August, the hottest day of the first week of practice for the Downingtown East football team. The temperature was in the 90s and quarterback Pat Devlin was thankful there was just one session scheduled instead of the Cougars' normal two.
"We have a scrimmage tomorrow, so they gave us a break," Devlin said.
Opposing defenses will get no breaks this season when lining up against the strong-armed Devlin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder set to open his junior season.
As a sophomore last year, Devlin passed for more than 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns as East finished 5-7 in its inaugural campaign; Downingtown High split into East and West after the 2002-03 school year.
Devlin established himself as an up-and-coming player, not only in the Ches-Mont League, but also around the state.
In a wild 53-34 loss to Ches-Mont League rival West Chester East, Devlin set what is believed to be a state single-game passing record for yardage with 511. He completed 31 of 46 pass attempts in that game and threw for five TDs.
Devlin showed in that game he can find multiple targets, hooking up with wide receivers Eric Edginton (13 catches for 237 yards) and Justin Blye (seven for 97), both of whom are back this year, for 20 catches totaling 334 yards. Tight end Evan Byrd, also back this season, caught five balls for 81 yards in Devlin's record-setting game.
This season, Devlin is expected to be a key factor in the Cougars' bid to finish the season with a better-than-.500 record. With Devlin directing the offense, the Cougars are expected to contend for the title in the expanded league. The Ches-Mont has added Bishop Shanahan.
"He had some great God-given talents," East coach Mike Matta said of Devlin. "He's a student of the game, a leader on and off the field."
While Coatesville is most often mentioned as the team to beat by league coaches - including Downingtown East's Matta - Devlin says no one should overlook the Cougars.
"I think we're capable of having a very good season," Devlin said. "I think we're going to surprise some people with our defense."
Although 22 Cougars from last year's team graduated, Devlin said a solid corps of experienced returning players has him confident.
Edgington had 97 receptions last season and Byrd caught 14 passes for touchdowns.
"We have a few guys who can catch the ball," he said. "I try to spread things around."
Since last season, Devlin has been working closely with former Downingtown standout Dan Ellis, the Cougars' quarterback coach, to improve his own game.
A quarterback throughout his career - except for a one-year stint as a receiver when he played weight-limit football - Devlin remembers watching Ellis when Ellis played at Downingtown. He considers Ellis his role model.
"He was a man among boys," Devlin said of his mentor, who set a number of passing records at Virginia after leading Downingtown to the 1996 PIAA Class AAAA championship.
"Coach Ellis is helping [identifying] defenses," Devlin said. "[He] calls the plays but I have to be able to recognize defenses that could stop the play we've called."
Ellis said he sees multiple similarities between himself and Devlin. Both place a premium on accuracy and although neither is a speedster, both can run with the ball.
"And we're both intelligent quarterbacks," Ellis said.
Ellis is concentrating on fine-tuning Devlin's game and working on his footwork.
"It's obvious he's a good quarterback," Ellis said. "Pat has a great sense of the game."
Player and coach have something else in common - both love history. Ellis teaches 11th-grade history at East, and like Devlin, Ellis loved the History Channel.
"I'm doing what I always dreamed of doing - coming back here, teaching history and coaching football," Ellis said.
Devlin, who carries a 3.8 GPA, has been concentrating on improving his arm strength and his field vision in the off-season. He says everything "comes from the abs" when it comes to throwing.
He believes maturity and experience will make the big difference between this year and last year.
"We are probably a little faster. I'm trying to work on my own footspeed," he said. "I'm not slow, but footwork for a quarterback is important.
A power forward on the Cougars basketball team, Devlin is keeping his college options open.
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