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Three Elite 11 ball boys stand out
By Mike White
ESPN.com
Updated: August 8, 2008
Tom Hauck/Espn
Devin Gardner has Vince Young potential.
This year's Elite 11 featured a trio of diversely talented and hard-working QBs who surely will be heard from down the road out of the Class of 2010.
Devin Gardner (Inkster, Mich.) first impressed the coaches at the Columbus NIKE Camp in May. At nearly 6-4 and 195 pounds, Gardner stands out physically in a crowd, and when he throws it around, you definitely take notice. Gardner is fast becoming a top prospect for 2010 and already has offers from Michigan State, Bowling Green, Toledo and Cincinnati while many other schools are showing a lot of interest.
Right now, Gardner has much to work on to become a better quarterback, as all young players do. But he certainly is ahead of the curve athletically with his ability to pull it down as a dual-threat signal-caller. He looks forward to working on the mental aspects of quarterbacking.
"I found out at the Elite 11 that there are a lot of other players all over the country that can do the same things I do, and if I want to set myself apart I have to do all the other little things," Gardner said.
The Michigan native on tape resembles Vince Young, starting from the No. 10 jersey he wears and extending all the way through his three-quarters release and sneaky, elusive, long-striding ability to make big plays with the ball in his hands.
After watching him during the week, Gardner will have to learn to be tall in the pocket and take advantage of his height. He says his biggest weakness is his accuracy, which is a direct result of arm placement and how the ball is released. He has a real bad habit of dropping his release point when throwing as well as sinking his hips and knees when throwing. This happens more when throwing shorter routes as he tries to guide the ball in there.
This fall, expect to Gardner to be more comfortable under center as a result of his week in Southern California. Not only did he take full advantage of every rep on the field but it was on the chalk board where he made the most improvement. When asked if he left the camp a better player, Gardner's response was "absolutely and hands down, my ability to read and recognize coverages are much better now."
Along with the aforementioned early offers, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State have shown interest and will be following his progression on the field this fall.
ESPN - Three Elite 11 ball boys stand out - Football Recruiting
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