People finally 'opening their eyes' on new Vols QB commit Brian Maurer
Almost three weeks to the day after being named an Elite 11 finalist, fast-rising quarterback Brian Maurer committed to Tennessee over Ohio State, West Virginia and UCF on Wednesday.
Maurer’s world “got really hectic” after earning an invite to The Opening Finals, picking up offers from the Vols and Buckeyes and getting texts and phone calls from Chip Kelly, James Franklin and Jimbo Fisher.
But in a recruiting landscape where quarterbacks are coming off the board earlier and earlier each year, many folks are wondering why it took so long for schools to finally see Maurer’s talent?
“I think people are just opening their eyes,” West Port High coach Matthew Franklin told VolQuest.
“He got his first Power 5 offer his sophomore year. But a lot of people assumed he was going to commit to West Virginia. A lot of coaches reached out to me and said they didn’t think he’d be available because he was a lock to go there.”
Those assumptions nearly handed WVU one of the most high-upside quarterbacks in the 2019 class.
Maurer had strong reasons to consider the Mountaineers. They believed in him first. He was close with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and he knew a lot about the program because Franklin was on staff as a student assistant and GA years ago.
Maurer nearly committed to WVU last summer, but he held off and that decision ultimately helped the Vols find a late-bloomer for the 2019 class. It turns out, Franklin knew a lot about Tennessee, too, and he’s ecstatic that his quarterback ended up in East Tennessee.
“I don’t ever push a kid. It’s his life,” Franklin said.
“Hell, I lived in Sevierville (Tenn.) for a long time. I worked at Dollywood in the summers when I was in high school. So was really excited when he chose Tennessee because for awhile that was home for me.”
While Maurer was a revelation at the Elite 11 camp, Franklin wasn’t surprised by the 3-star quarterback’s performance. He called Maurer “completely underrated” and said the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Ocala, Fla., native has displayed the same attributes — accuracy, passion, athleticism — the last two years for West Port.
“He has a great arm. Can make all the throws. He’s really good in the short to intermediate passing game. He’s really accurate. He can put a ball in a bucket,” Franklin said.
“He could improve on his downfield accuracy but the kid can put a ball anywhere you need it. That with his ability to extend plays with his feet and improvise. That was one of the big things Ohio State said about him, ‘He has an uncanny ability to get out of trouble and keep his eyes downfield.’”
Maurer clocked a pair of 4.5s at camps this summer, so his mobility is an element that really excites Tennessee offensive coordinator Tyson Helton, per Franklin. The rising senior needs to add weight, but that shouldn’t be an issue with his frame, especially since he just started weightlifting after normally playing basketball every spring.
“He’s probably 20 pounds heavier now than he was this time last year,” Franklin said.
“He needs to fine-tune his mechanics, but also put the muscle on him when he gets in the S&C program. I can see them getting him up to 210, and he’ll still be just as fast because it will be muscle weight. But he’ll be stronger and put the ball downfield a little bit more.”
One of the principal reasons Maurer chose Tennessee was because of his interest in playing in a pro-style system. West Port runs a pistol offense, but will implement more pro-style concepts this fall. Maurer believes Helton and Tennessee can prepare him best to reach his dreams of playing in the NFL. His mechanics and footwork need improvement, but the raw tools are there.
“Tyson's offense definitely fits his skill-set,” Franklin said.
“I am just really proud of him. He’s been working to be a quarterback since he was in elementary school. This is what he’s wanted to be. Tennessee got a good one."