QB Blaine Gabbert
- Thread starter Eric the Red
- Start date
Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Blaine was considering enrolling at NU early, but he can't because he has to take some home economics classes...per Blaine himself
Husker_Power
New member
Kugler made the joke, "So the reason you can't enroll early is because you will be baking a cake?"
Blaine laughed and said, "Yeah, pretty much."
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Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Just plain Blaine
By Brian Sumers
POST-DISPATCH
08/23/2007
Parkway West quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
(Chris Lee/P-D)
Nick McGavic slipped through the door to his coach's office last season to find Missouri's Gary Pinkel staring at him. The undersized offensive lineman didn't say a word.
"I don't like to be nosy like that," McGavic said. "I feel like if he needed to talk to me, he'd come find me."
Pinkel came to Parkway West to recruit Blaine Gabbert, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback and one of the nation's top prospects. Gabbert chose Nebraska, but national attention has remained on Parkway West: Gabbert is the player most responsible for securing the Longhorns' national television appearance in October, when they will play Parkway North on ESPNU.
A starter since his sophomore year, Gabbert threw for 1,523 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 458 yards and eight touchdowns last season. But his teammates say he's just Blaine, the guy who shows off his formidable muscles at team pool parties and participates in locker room practical jokes.
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"He does things from time to time when you're like, 'You idiot,' " said J.C. Kime, Parkway West's defensive coordinator. "But it's just dumb stuff — not anything that is punishable."
After Gabbert taped shut Colton Long's locker recently, several teammates returned the favor, keeping the prized prospect from opening his locker.
"I was in a hurry," said Gabbert, "so it wasn't really funny."
Another time, his teammates switched Gabbert's lock with Sam Wenthe's, and Gabbert could not open his locker. His teammates laughed as Gabbert bristled.
"He was looking around, saying, 'How do I get this off?'" said Wenthe, a senior center. "He wanted to use the bolt cutters. He wanted to know who did it."
Many teammates hoped Gabbert would attend Missouri, but when he chose Nebraska, he started earning ribbing for the stereotypes of his new state. Some teammates tease Gabbert that Nebraska is best known for its corn.
Said McGavic: "We bring him down to earth."
McGavic and others hollered loudly at a recent practice, when Gabbert, not the team's regular kicker, lined up to attempt a 45-yard field goal. If he made it, Kime, the Longhorns' lumbering 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive coordinator, would run four 100-yard sprints. If he missed, every player would run the sprints.
"With Blaine, it's all or nothing," Kime said. "It's like Sammy Sosa."
The kick sailed less than a foot from the upright, and the players — with a slight groan — lined up in the end zone to start running. For one morning, at least, Gabbert was not perfect.
"Aw," said Shane Kirkpatrick, the holder. "That stunk."
Missed field goals aside, teammates admit there are perks to playing with a future Division I quarterback. His teammates sit for interviews, sometimes on television, and occasionally some get Nebraska gear. Junior running back Josh Nunn said he plans to ask Gabbert to autograph a football.
Occasionally, Wenthe checks up on Gabbert on recruiting websites such as rivals.com (on which he is ranked the No. 18 college prospect in the country) or scout.com (on which he is the No. 46 prospect).
Wenthe considers the future, when he'll watch his former teammate compete on television.
"It's like, yeah, I played with that guy," Wenthe said. "He ran past me many times."
bsumers@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8194
By Brian Sumers
POST-DISPATCH
08/23/2007
Parkway West quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
(Chris Lee/P-D)
Nick McGavic slipped through the door to his coach's office last season to find Missouri's Gary Pinkel staring at him. The undersized offensive lineman didn't say a word.
"I don't like to be nosy like that," McGavic said. "I feel like if he needed to talk to me, he'd come find me."
Pinkel came to Parkway West to recruit Blaine Gabbert, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback and one of the nation's top prospects. Gabbert chose Nebraska, but national attention has remained on Parkway West: Gabbert is the player most responsible for securing the Longhorns' national television appearance in October, when they will play Parkway North on ESPNU.
A starter since his sophomore year, Gabbert threw for 1,523 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 458 yards and eight touchdowns last season. But his teammates say he's just Blaine, the guy who shows off his formidable muscles at team pool parties and participates in locker room practical jokes.
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"He does things from time to time when you're like, 'You idiot,' " said J.C. Kime, Parkway West's defensive coordinator. "But it's just dumb stuff — not anything that is punishable."
After Gabbert taped shut Colton Long's locker recently, several teammates returned the favor, keeping the prized prospect from opening his locker.
"I was in a hurry," said Gabbert, "so it wasn't really funny."
Another time, his teammates switched Gabbert's lock with Sam Wenthe's, and Gabbert could not open his locker. His teammates laughed as Gabbert bristled.
"He was looking around, saying, 'How do I get this off?'" said Wenthe, a senior center. "He wanted to use the bolt cutters. He wanted to know who did it."
Many teammates hoped Gabbert would attend Missouri, but when he chose Nebraska, he started earning ribbing for the stereotypes of his new state. Some teammates tease Gabbert that Nebraska is best known for its corn.
Said McGavic: "We bring him down to earth."
McGavic and others hollered loudly at a recent practice, when Gabbert, not the team's regular kicker, lined up to attempt a 45-yard field goal. If he made it, Kime, the Longhorns' lumbering 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive coordinator, would run four 100-yard sprints. If he missed, every player would run the sprints.
"With Blaine, it's all or nothing," Kime said. "It's like Sammy Sosa."
The kick sailed less than a foot from the upright, and the players — with a slight groan — lined up in the end zone to start running. For one morning, at least, Gabbert was not perfect.
"Aw," said Shane Kirkpatrick, the holder. "That stunk."
Missed field goals aside, teammates admit there are perks to playing with a future Division I quarterback. His teammates sit for interviews, sometimes on television, and occasionally some get Nebraska gear. Junior running back Josh Nunn said he plans to ask Gabbert to autograph a football.
Occasionally, Wenthe checks up on Gabbert on recruiting websites such as rivals.com (on which he is ranked the No. 18 college prospect in the country) or scout.com (on which he is the No. 46 prospect).
Wenthe considers the future, when he'll watch his former teammate compete on television.
"It's like, yeah, I played with that guy," Wenthe said. "He ran past me many times."
bsumers@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8194
BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA
New member
NU Football: Missouri QB may arrive early
BY LEE BARFKNECHT
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
BALLWIN, Mo. — Nebraska quarterback recruit Blaine Gabbert says he's considering graduating from high school early and enrolling at NU in January.
"It's about 50-50 right now," Gabbert said after leading Parkway West High to a 31-14 win in Friday's season opener over Poplar Bluff, Mo. "There's still some things I've got to figure out. But I'm interested."
The Husker quarterback job is expected to be wide-open again in 2008 after the departure of senior Sam Keller. Arriving in time for spring practice could help Gabbert get even deeper into the mix.
What things need to happen for the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder to get to Lincoln early?
"I don't know," Parkway West coach Mike Roth said. "That's the best answer I can give you. I haven't looked into it yet."
Pardon Roth and Gabbert for not knowing all the details. Both said their heads are still swirling from the gusher of attention that Gabbert has attracted the past six months.
Rivals.com, which ranks prospects from one to five stars, gave Gabbert a fifth star this summer and lists him as the nation's No. 2 pro-style quarterback and the No. 14 player overall.
Not even committing to Nebraska over schools such as Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon and Iowa has calmed things.
"It's still really hectic," Gabbert said wearily, shaking his head. "It's mainly from all the phone calls and interviews."
Gabbert said other schools — he declined to name them — remain interested, but quickly added: "I'm still committed."
For now, he would like to get healthy and focus on his game after missing some preseason practice with injuries, including a sore right foot.
Gabbert looked hobbled at times against Poplar Bluff, finishing 8 of 21 passing for 112 yards with an interception. He also rushed 12 times for 82 yards but lost a fumble at his own 4-yard line.
Asked if there is pressure on him because of the recruiting hype, Gabbert said:
"A little. But you can't worry about that. You've got to get the win. That's all that matters."
Parkway West is a 40-year-old suburban St. Louis school with an enrollment of about 1,400. The Longhorns — yes, their uniforms are a replica of Texas', only in powder blue instead of burnt orange — went 8-3 last season and enter this season unranked in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Large School" Top 10.
Friday's opponent, Poplar Bluff, is a city of 17,000 about 2½ hours away. The Mules were 3-7 last year. For a Nebraska prep comparison, think of a game between Omaha Burke and Columbus.
Poplar Bluff looked ready to pull an upset. Down 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, the Mules drove to the Parkway West 9. But a disputed fumble and a penalty against Poplar Bluff for arguing the call got Parkway West the ball at its own 25.
Gabbert promptly led a 10-play, 75-yard drive for the clinching touchdown with 1:53 to play to make it 24-14.
He ran four times for 29 yards and completed a 16-yard pass on the drive. A late interception return for a touchdown by Parkway West produced the 17-point victory margin.
"I was proud of Blaine," coach Roth said. "When it got close late, we threw ourselves on his back. I don't know if it was a victory as much as just persevering."
Gabbert is easy to spot on the Parkway West sideline. The second-tallest and fourth-heaviest player on the roster, he towers over the 5-7 and 5-9 running backs who share the backfield with him in their shotgun-spread offense.
Against a Poplar Bluff defense that regularly dropped seven or eight players into pass coverage and used a "spy" to shadow Gabbert, he threw some bullets and some wobblers.
The right-hander's interception came on a rollout to the left when he threw into a crowd. His fumble came when he was stripped during a second-effort lunge on a quarterback sneak trying to get away from his own 1-yard line.
"Sometimes Blaine wants to win so bad that he tries to do too much," Roth said. "He needs to let the game come to him. That will come with more experience.
"He needs to improve in all areas. He led us to victory, but it wasn't pretty. We aren't very happy right now."
link
BY LEE BARFKNECHT
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
BALLWIN, Mo. — Nebraska quarterback recruit Blaine Gabbert says he's considering graduating from high school early and enrolling at NU in January.
"It's about 50-50 right now," Gabbert said after leading Parkway West High to a 31-14 win in Friday's season opener over Poplar Bluff, Mo. "There's still some things I've got to figure out. But I'm interested."
The Husker quarterback job is expected to be wide-open again in 2008 after the departure of senior Sam Keller. Arriving in time for spring practice could help Gabbert get even deeper into the mix.
What things need to happen for the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder to get to Lincoln early?
"I don't know," Parkway West coach Mike Roth said. "That's the best answer I can give you. I haven't looked into it yet."
Pardon Roth and Gabbert for not knowing all the details. Both said their heads are still swirling from the gusher of attention that Gabbert has attracted the past six months.
Rivals.com, which ranks prospects from one to five stars, gave Gabbert a fifth star this summer and lists him as the nation's No. 2 pro-style quarterback and the No. 14 player overall.
Not even committing to Nebraska over schools such as Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon and Iowa has calmed things.
"It's still really hectic," Gabbert said wearily, shaking his head. "It's mainly from all the phone calls and interviews."
Gabbert said other schools — he declined to name them — remain interested, but quickly added: "I'm still committed."
For now, he would like to get healthy and focus on his game after missing some preseason practice with injuries, including a sore right foot.
Gabbert looked hobbled at times against Poplar Bluff, finishing 8 of 21 passing for 112 yards with an interception. He also rushed 12 times for 82 yards but lost a fumble at his own 4-yard line.
Asked if there is pressure on him because of the recruiting hype, Gabbert said:
"A little. But you can't worry about that. You've got to get the win. That's all that matters."
Parkway West is a 40-year-old suburban St. Louis school with an enrollment of about 1,400. The Longhorns — yes, their uniforms are a replica of Texas', only in powder blue instead of burnt orange — went 8-3 last season and enter this season unranked in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Large School" Top 10.
Friday's opponent, Poplar Bluff, is a city of 17,000 about 2½ hours away. The Mules were 3-7 last year. For a Nebraska prep comparison, think of a game between Omaha Burke and Columbus.
Poplar Bluff looked ready to pull an upset. Down 17-14 midway through the fourth quarter, the Mules drove to the Parkway West 9. But a disputed fumble and a penalty against Poplar Bluff for arguing the call got Parkway West the ball at its own 25.
Gabbert promptly led a 10-play, 75-yard drive for the clinching touchdown with 1:53 to play to make it 24-14.
He ran four times for 29 yards and completed a 16-yard pass on the drive. A late interception return for a touchdown by Parkway West produced the 17-point victory margin.
"I was proud of Blaine," coach Roth said. "When it got close late, we threw ourselves on his back. I don't know if it was a victory as much as just persevering."
Gabbert is easy to spot on the Parkway West sideline. The second-tallest and fourth-heaviest player on the roster, he towers over the 5-7 and 5-9 running backs who share the backfield with him in their shotgun-spread offense.
Against a Poplar Bluff defense that regularly dropped seven or eight players into pass coverage and used a "spy" to shadow Gabbert, he threw some bullets and some wobblers.
The right-hander's interception came on a rollout to the left when he threw into a crowd. His fumble came when he was stripped during a second-effort lunge on a quarterback sneak trying to get away from his own 1-yard line.
"Sometimes Blaine wants to win so bad that he tries to do too much," Roth said. "He needs to let the game come to him. That will come with more experience.
"He needs to improve in all areas. He led us to victory, but it wasn't pretty. We aren't very happy right now."
link
AR Husker Fan
Team HuskerBoard
I hope he doesn't do that. With the depth we have at quarterback, his best course is to redshirt anyway. No need to arrive a semester early for that. Enjoy life, Blaine. Take your time - you'll be a great one anyway...
REDSTEEL
New member
The last few QB's that came in early also left the program within a year of not getting the starting job IE Harrison Beck and Curt Dukes so it doesn't bode well to have them come in early.
huskerfan500
New member
he can't come early, he said it himself on tuesday on big red wrap up, that article made me mad because it is wrong
OmahaPlaya
New member
I think Blaine should just enjoy high school and not skip his prom or graduation.
husker rob
New member
adc7236
New member
I wonder if him wanting to arrive early has anything to do with wanting the phone calls to stop and take some of the pressure off.
AR Husker Fan
Team HuskerBoard
Doubtful. He wouldn't be enrolling until January - that leaves only a month until signing day, anyway.
HSKRNOKC
New member
I totally agree. Be a senior and enjoy it Blaine. You will be a star either way.
I Bleed RED
New member
Harrison Beck led a 2nd half rally for NC St. and will now start against BC. Beck is only a sophmore! Beck completed 17 of 28 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns on Saturday.
Everyone on the board told me he was a great recruiter. They were right, although I think I was told that Beck wasn't any good anyway.
Everyone on the board told me he was a great recruiter. They were right, although I think I was told that Beck wasn't any good anyway.