Breaking down early impressions from every signal caller at the 2024 All-American Bowl, including 4-star Auburn signee Walker White and others.
SAN ANTONIO – All-American Bowl workouts started with Wednesday’s Day 2 action as some of the nation’s greatest prospects attempt to put an exclamation point on their high school careers by turning heads in the Alamo City. Although Tuesday and Wednesday have seen plenty of activity throughout the positional range from the Alamo Bowl and Trinity University in the early part of this week, there’s always a special intrigue when it comes to the quarterbacks in a playoff good-on-good environment. 247Sports takes you inside some early observations on the weaponry present in San Antonio this week.
WALKER WHITE (Auburn)
Ranked the highest of the signal callers in attendance, White entered the All-American Bowl snuggled inside the Top 100 of the Top247 with no shortage of intrigue around his presence this week. Standing at 6-foot-3+ and 222 pounds, White sports a muscular presence that bears eerie resemblance to former Kentucky and Tennessee Titans starting quarterback Will Levis. Possessing an explosive arm capable of make every throw on the field, White has flashed NFL talents throughout his first two days of practice. Although team periods are normally a more regulated atmosphere during the week, White’s looked very comfortable in the pocket finding ways to distribute to every region of the field from the pocket. Coming off a senior season when he improved his completion rate (62.8 percent) by over nine points, the Auburn signee continues to show signs of his progress at the position as he’s been likely the most consistent quarterback in attendance throughout the early portion of the week. With no shortage of physical traits to bank on, White provides Auburn and Hugh Freeze an exciting component of their future to build around.
HAUSS HEJNY (TCU)
One of the more pleasant evaluations at the position, Hejny’s size was always going to be something to chew on when projecting him to Saturdays and beyond. The Top247 four-star QB checked in on Monday at a little over 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds. A quick-twitch passer with a strong athletic profile, Hejny carried for more than 1,000-plus yards in his previous two seasons as the starter at perennial TXHSFB 5A juggernaut Aledo. The TCU signee displayed his arm talent on Wednesday’s portion of the joint session, connecting on a 45-yard touchdown with Texas five-star receiver signee Ryan Wingo during the 7-on-7 period of practice. A quarterback who’s arguably best classified with the “gamer” description, Hejny should be a good fit in a Kendal Briles offense that loves to accentuate its quarterbacks mobility outside the pocket.
TREY OWENS (Texas)
Representing his native state of Texas in San Antonio this week, Longhorns four-star signee Trey Owens has showed enough in two days of practices at the All-American Bowl. Possessing a 6-foot-5+ physique approaching 240 pounds, Owens’ arm strength has been evident this week as he’s connected on a number of deep balls in both the 7-on-7 and team periods. A pure pocket passer with an NFL-type arm, Owens gives Steve Sarkisian with an intriguing in-state prospect with no lack of developmental upside as a passer. If you’re looking for a player comparable, go no further than former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy in terms to frame and arm talent. Similar to Murphy, Owens will join one of the most elite quarterback rooms in the country where he will battle against two former No. 1 overall prospects in Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. With a year or two of tutoring under Steve Sarkisian, don’t be surprised if Owens comes on the collegiate football scene as a name to know.
DEMOND WILLIAMS (Arizona)
A late addition to this year’s All-American Bowl, four-star Demond Williams has looked to make the most of his opportunity in San Antonio this week. Similar to TCU signee Hauss Hejny, Williams too will face his challenges when it comes to projecting to the next level because of his lack of height but with that being said there might not be a more friendly quarterback situation awaiting the 4-star as he’s set to enroll with the Arizona Wildcats next week. Measuring in at 5-foot-9 on Monday, Williams came alive in the team session during Wednesday’s joint connecting on a post to North Carolina WR commit Jordan Shipp for a touchdown. A fluid athlete in the pocket that has a natural ability to extend plays with his feet, Williams appears to be an excellent fit for a Jedd Fisch system that has burst under the leadership of another sub 6-foot signal caller in Noah Fifita.
MARCOS DAVILA (Purdue)
Capitalizing on some of the recent AAB opt-outs at the quarterback position, four-star Marcos Davila bounced back from an up-and-down practice on Tuesday and reacted with a head-turning performance during Wednesday joint workouts. The sturdy-framed passer checked into San Antonio on Monday at 6-foot-2+ while hovering around 240 pounds. Coming off a successful season at Midland (Texas) Legacy, the Purdue signee led his team to a 10-3 record as a senior while accounting for more than 3,300 passing yards in District 2-6A in Texas. Exhibiting a strong arm with some parallels to Texas signee Trey Owens, Davila lacks no shortage of arm strength as he’s proven an ability to make every throw on the field within the structure of the pocket. Although his decision-making at times can be unpredictable, Davila delivered on Wednesday with a handful of big-time throws as he connected with five-star tight end Luke Reynolds for a score during today’s team period. Joining a pass-happy offense under offensive coordinator Graham Harrell at West Lafayette, Davila’s is a natural fit for an offense that relies largely on their quarterback’s ability to distribute at a high clip.
JEREMY HECKLINSKI (Wake Forest)
One of the more productive arms entering this week in San Antonio, high three-star Jeremy Hecklinski has lived up to his reputation as one of the most high-floor prospects at his position in attendance. Measuring in at a shade under 5-foot-11 and 168-pounds, the Wake Forest signee has been in command in his first two days of workouts, displaying an ability to get the ball out swiftly and deliver on time and with anticipation. Throwing for more over 3,000 yards in each of his previous two seasons at Marietta (Ga.) Walton, Hecklinski presents the Demon Deacons with a proven winner who should compete for playing time after adding some significant weight to his frame in Year 1.
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