Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has taken college football by storm over the past three years as the dynamic leader of the Gators, just as much of a threat to run with the ball as he is to throw it.
While Penn coach Al Bagnoli isn’t expecting national titles or hundreds of rushing yards from his quarterbacks (a la Tebow), he does understand that athleticism and mobility are becoming of increased importance under center. The Quakers’ Class of 2013 quarterback recruits certainly fit the trendy profile.
“We went into [recruitment] kind of changing the philosophical approach of recruiting quarterbacks,” Bagnoli said. “We made running, … being elusive [and] being active in the pocket a little bit more of a priority than it has been in the past.”
“I think [athleticism is] going to have to be part of what we look for,” the coach added, explaining that the offense is much more effective when the defense has to respect the quarterback “as a potential ball carrier.”
Billy Ragone is perhaps the face of the movement for a new breed of Penn signal callers. The 6’1, 190-pound Cheshire, Conn., native had a successful high school career in both basketball and baseball in addition to his illustrious football career. Winner of the 2008 Walter Camp Foundation Connecticut State Player of the Year award, Ragone elected to play quarterback at Penn despite drawing interest from major programs in Boston College and Connecticut — possibly as a defensive back — as well as local competitors in Army, Delaware, and Temple.
Bagnoli acknowledged that Ragone has potential as a defensive back, wide receiver, or even tailback, but the coach liked what he saw in Ragone as a quarterback.
“I think his forte is he’s got tremendous athleticism, can really throw the ball on the run, and really has great versatility,” the Quakers’ coach said.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Andrew Holland arrives to Penn next season after winning the Ohio Division I state championship last year. Like Ragone, Holland was a multi-sport athlete in high school as a member of St. Ignatius’ football and track teams. The Willoughby, Ohio, native is more of a traditional quarterback than Ragone, possessing a refined passing ability that appealed to programs that included Boston College, Northwestern, and Pittsburgh.
“Andrew is another kid that has above-average athleticism,” Bagnoli said. “He’s really a good drop-back passer [and] a good play-action quarterback.”
In Ragone and Holland, Penn appears to have landed two steals at the quarterback position. ESPN.com scouts graded both players in the 70s on a 100-point scale, indicating that the recruit “could become a good starter at the Division I level,” according to the site.
“Those are the two kids we identified really early in the [recruiting] process,” Bagnoli said.
Entering his 18th season as coach of the Quakers, Bagnoli named junior Keiffer Garton the frontrunner for the starting quarterback job this fall based on his strong play down the stretch last season. Garton — who has his fair share of athleticism — finished second on the team in rushing yards with 344 despite starting the season as the third-string quarterback.
Bagnoli also mentioned senior Kyle Olson — coming off major knee surgery — and sophomores Ryan Brog, John Hurley, and Chad Miller as competing to be under center come September.
With Ragone and Holland also in the fold, “I think we have a nice combination of young kids and experienced kids,” Bagnoli said.
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