South Florida Quarterbacks With The Most To Prove In 2021

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Historically, quarterback play in South Florida has not been among the nation’s elite.  In what’s considered the premier high school quarterback competition, “The Elite 11,” Florida has failed to have a participant in the finals of the competition for some time.  The sunshine state has produced its share of elite signal-callers that proved the state can shine on the college and NFL levels.

Long Term NFL Success 

Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater, Daunte Culpepper

Some NFL Success

Geno Smith, Tim Tebow, Jacoby Brissett

College Level Success

Denard Robinson, Rakeem Cato, Rohan Davey, Stephen Morris, Jacorey Harris, Jake Rudock, Quinn Gray, Danny Kannell, Danny McManus, John Congemi, Eric Kresser

The best South Florida quarterbacks are in unique positions year after year.  Oftentimes these quarterbacks command one of the best offenses in the area with low recognition from a recruiting perspective.  The SoFlo QB is generally an uber-athletic but undersized player that carries their team to wins and championships but lacks in the number of D-1 offers than most of their teammates.  

A player with the most to prove is not necessarily the best player, but given the previous seasons, the prospect is looking to prove doubters wrong and excel beyond expectations. 

So who are the South Florida quarterbacks with the most to prove in 2021?

Taron “Tyga” Dickens, Miami Northwestern

Class of 2023 (5-11, 175)

Notable Offers: Nebraska

Dickens led the Bulls to a state title as a freshman and most expected the budding star to continue to display his giftedness at throwing the football for his sophomore year.  His sophomore left much to be desired by most of the Northwestern faithful as the Bulls were shut down by eventual state champion American Heritage (Plantation) 12-3 in the regional quarterfinal.  

The offense as a whole seemed to regress from the year prior and at times Dickens could not help his team win more games and put up more points.  Tyga is a solid thrower of the football and has the ability to will his team to victories, but will the junior pounce on the opportunities presented to him or will the pressure to win overwhelm him?  

Blake Murphy, American Heritage (Plantation)

Class of 2023 (5-10, 175)

Notable Offers: UConn

Like Dickens, Murphy was also able to lead his team to a state championship in his first year under center.  Murphy battled through injury last season but was able to be effective in the playoffs.  This season, Murphy has more weapons than the previous year and many consider Heritage the best team in the state of Florida.  Five-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss and four-star receiver Santana Fleming should make an already explosive offense even more dangerous.  

The expectation at the bare minimum for Heritage is to at least be competitive against Miami Central in what would be considered a de facto state championship game should they meet in the playoffs. The player affectionately known as “Young Kyler Murray” will need to prove that he can not just ride the ship, but exceed expectations.

Brandon @brandon5star2 Inniss catches this one for big gainer at the @AH__Athletics Football Scimmage. @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/mvwcwzFTTX

— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminReport) May 27, 2021

Fernando Mendoza, Miami Columbus

Class of 2022 (6-4, 212)

Notable Offers: Yale, Penn, Lehigh

Mendoza, with his size and arm strength, is your prototypical pro-style pocket passer.  His IQ is off the charts and the senior has improved his decision-making over the past year and a half.  Mendoza led Columbus to a Tri-County Gold Championship, a championship tournament created because of the COVID-19 pandemic between high schools in the Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. 

Now with a full season approaching, can Mendoza lead the Explorers to a third championship in as many years?  If Columbus does achieve the feat, it would be Mendoza leading the charge completing the best season of his high school career.  

Kevin Smith, Miami Palmetto

Class of 2022 (6-2, 200)

Notable Offers: Arizona State, Southern Miss

Going into last season, the Palmetto Panthers were one of the favorites to take home the 8A state championship.  Led by the linebacker-sized quarterback, the Panthers seemed to be well on their way to win their first state title in school history until a leg injury to starting quarterback Smith derailed the Panthers’ plans.  

Palmetto ended its season with a lackluster offensive performance losing to Osceola Kissimmee 9-3 in the state semifinals.  As Smith heads into the final year of his high school career, the large quarterback has much to prove if he can duplicate last year’s success without the bevy of blue chips that were alongside him in 2020.

Carson Haggard, Miami Gulliver

Class of 2022 (5-11, 170)

Notable Offers: Committed to Tulane

Carson is one the best pure passers in all of Florida.  He has the arm strength to fire into tight windows but his best throws are his deep balls on go and corner routes.  Last year, many thought Gulliver had what it took to make a deep run in the 4A playoffs, but unfortunately for the Raider faithful, their quest was halted by the eventual champions, the Chiefs of Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale).

This season the weapons for Gulliver are downright scary with top tier running back Sedrick Irvin Jr. in the backfield, Jalen Brown and Trey Lathan at wide receiver and converted tight end De’Carlo Donaldson.  The aforementioned playmakers, all 6 feet and over all have multiple D-1 offers.  All the pieces are there for Gulliver to make a run but will it be enough for Haggard to complete his career with a state championship?

Does Gulliver @GPrep_FB have the best offense in Dade County? @haggard_carson, @sedirvin1, @Sp3Cj, @Smooth5ive_ and @treylathan5 will be a force to be reckoned with in 2021. pic.twitter.com/Kk14w9U0Id

— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminReport) July 8, 2021

Ennio Ejay Yapoor, Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah)

Class of 2025 (5-11, 215)

The freshman phenom led the Lions to their second straight state title and he and the Lions are in line for completing the three-peat.  The 2025 prospect is more than a quarterback, he’s a football player. 

At 6 feet 200 pounds, Yapoor has a cannon for an arm and can break tackles once he decides to tuck it and run with his legs.  Can the young QB maintain consistency for a full season and continue to dominate with the kings of 2A?  The 2021 season will prove if his first season was a fluke or not.  

Collin Hurst, Western (Davie)

Class of 2023 (5-10, 150)

Hurst was the engineer of arguably the best seven-on-seven team in South Florida with South Florida Express.  SFE per usual won several tournaments with Hurst at the helm. 

Hurst can make every throw needed to win big-time games, but what is undeniable is his speed once he gets out of the pocket. Hurst will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his ability to win big games with Chaminade-Madonna and St. Thomas Aquinas on the 2021 schedule.  

Adrian Posse, Miami Monsignor Pace

Class of 2024 (6-4, 210)

Notable Offers: Miami, Ohio State

The quarterback with the highest upside at this point of his career Posse.  The high school sophomore has solid arm strength and puts the ball in positions for his teammates to make plays.  His frame has colleges thinking that Posse could be the next signal-caller to lead their team to the top of the top.

What Posse lacks is big game moments.  We have yet to see Posse perform on the biggest stage, but in 2021, Posse will have his opportunities.  After games against Somerset and Coral Gables, Pace faces a gauntlet of South Florida powers that include 2A title contenders Dade Christian and Champagnat (Hialeah), followed by back-to-back 7A state champions St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), Miami Norland, and 8A Tri-County Gold Champions Miami Columbus. Yikes!

Dylan Rizk, Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)

Class of 2023 (6-3, 190)

Notable Offers: Indiana, Kentucky

The pressure is on for whoever wins the starting job for the Gibbons Chiefs, but my guess is that it’s Rizk’s to lose.  The Palm Beach County transfer will be expected to perform at a high level in Gibbon’s Air Raid offense. 

The last two Gibbons quarterbacks will go down in history as arguably the best the school has ever seen. Nik Scalzo and Brody Palhegyi helped the Chiefs win two state titles in three years and another would solidify Gibbons as a dynasty, but no pressure.

Armani Norcius, Dillard (Fort Lauderdale)

Class of 2023 (5-10, 165)

Norcius has the honor of leading arguably the best Dillard team the school had produced this decade…no century.  This is a team that is expected to be the closest Broward County challengers to the mighty Aquinas Raiders in the class of 7A.  The opener against Chaminade will be a great test to measure just how far Dillard will go this season.  

Armani will have to win with style points in the games expected to win and find a way to win against the powerhouses to be considered among the area’s best. 

Dillard tops Monarch in spring game. #hotbedworld pic.twitter.com/3e4BTdXL5M

— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) May 27, 2021

Michael Merdinger, Deerfield Beach

Class of 2024 (6-2, 180)

The sophomore quarterback is another quarterback with plenty of upside.  His decision-making is ahead of most of, if not all of his ‘24 classmates.  For his age, he has a great understanding of the game, but is just scratching the surface of what he can become.  

Deerfield always has high expectations, so anything short of the 8A state championship game will be a disappointment.  My guess is that he will be able to shoulder the weight of the Buck Pride faithful and carry Deerfield Beach Boys to big victories.

Deerfield Beach v Stranahan mixtape. | @DB_BucksFB | Full Highlights on YouTube. Link: https://t.co/6gr6rFnmLV pic.twitter.com/GLOGLvbPHb

— Football Hotbed (@FootballHotbed) May 28, 2021