Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 215 pounds
Hometown/High School: Aliquippa, PA (Hopewell H.S.)
Ranking: ★★★★ (90 Rivals — No. 101 overall, No. 9 QB)
Notable Offers: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Pitt, West Virginia
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It’s not often Pennsylvania produces a Top 100 caliber prospect at quarterback, but when it has in recent times (Kyle McCord, Matt Zollers) they ended up elsewhere (Ohio State, Missouri). Fortunately, that’s not the case here as Penn State was able to secure an early-ish commitment from James Armstrong. I say “early-ish” because it is before his junior season, but quarterback recruiting has been sped up in recent times as quarterbacks want to lock in their place in a class. Schools like Texas, Georgia, and Notre Dame all have a 2028 quarterback committed, and now Penn State joins the list.
Armstrong is a dual-threat, lefty quarterback who is coming off a prolific sophomore season at Hopewell (alma mater of Tony Dorsett and Paul Posluszny) where he threw for 2,232 yards and had 21 passing TDs to just 3 interceptions, all the while running for 799 yards and adding in 16 touchdowns on the ground. That — on top of being a standout basketball and baseball player — earned him the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Athlete of the Year Award, being the first sophomore to ever win it.
Beyond my affinity for lefties, what makes Armstrong particularly intriguing his is dual-threat capabilities. Penn State hasn’t had statues at quarterback — Sean Clifford was a solid runner before he would have to stop running because he’d be hurt, and Drew Allar was a better runner than given credit for — but it hasn’t been since Trace McSorley that they had someone truly dangerous with their legs. Now, I am not saying Armstrong is Michael Vick 2.0 and is going to break the sport with tantalizing runs. But his athleticism and size is going to be an ******* et, both when a play breaks down and on designed-QB runs.
Hometown/High School: Aliquippa, PA (Hopewell H.S.)
Ranking: ★★★★ (90 Rivals — No. 101 overall, No. 9 QB)
Notable Offers: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Pitt, West Virginia
View Link
It’s not often Pennsylvania produces a Top 100 caliber prospect at quarterback, but when it has in recent times (Kyle McCord, Matt Zollers) they ended up elsewhere (Ohio State, Missouri). Fortunately, that’s not the case here as Penn State was able to secure an early-ish commitment from James Armstrong. I say “early-ish” because it is before his junior season, but quarterback recruiting has been sped up in recent times as quarterbacks want to lock in their place in a class. Schools like Texas, Georgia, and Notre Dame all have a 2028 quarterback committed, and now Penn State joins the list.
Armstrong is a dual-threat, lefty quarterback who is coming off a prolific sophomore season at Hopewell (alma mater of Tony Dorsett and Paul Posluszny) where he threw for 2,232 yards and had 21 passing TDs to just 3 interceptions, all the while running for 799 yards and adding in 16 touchdowns on the ground. That — on top of being a standout basketball and baseball player — earned him the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Athlete of the Year Award, being the first sophomore to ever win it.
Beyond my affinity for lefties, what makes Armstrong particularly intriguing his is dual-threat capabilities. Penn State hasn’t had statues at quarterback — Sean Clifford was a solid runner before he would have to stop running because he’d be hurt, and Drew Allar was a better runner than given credit for — but it hasn’t been since Trace McSorley that they had someone truly dangerous with their legs. Now, I am not saying Armstrong is Michael Vick 2.0 and is going to break the sport with tantalizing runs. But his athleticism and size is going to be an ******* et, both when a play breaks down and on designed-QB runs.
2 months ago
