By: Chad Wilson – Editor – GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds
Often times in the wonderful world of recruiting, the emphasis is on comparing a current player to one who had success in the past. Many times, those comparisons can be forced as “analysts”, reporters and bloggers feel it is absolutely necessary to engage in this practice to validate a recruit’s existence. However, coaches can be found doing this as well. A successful player can become an instrument of security as the blanket is to Lionus on the famed cartoon Peanuts.
There is little strain in the comparison I am going to make here in my opinion with 2018 QB Anthony Petillo. Having played again Jake Plummer in college and watch him go on to have a successful career in the NFL, Plummer instantly came to mind as I watched Petillo’s highlight video on the GridironStuds App. Petillo is a highly ranked pro-style quarterback in the class of 2018 but one of the first things that will jump off the screen at you on his tape is his athleticism. Petillo does quite well for himself running Olympic Height’s zone read offense. Quite often you will see him pull the ball out of the half back’s belly and twist his way through the defense for sizable gains. What you will also like, if you are recruiting Petillo is that Olympic Heights also goes under center and he is very effective on bootlegs. Whether he keeps the ball on the rollout or buys enough time to get a man open, Petillo does well to achieve the objective for Olympic Heights. If you saw Plummer play then there’s no way you don’t see the comparison to Petillo, especially on the rollouts.
Zone reads and bootlegs are not all there is to Petillo’s game. The 6’3″ sophomore can also stand tall in the pocket and drop the ball in on a WR who has found himself in a window of opportunity vs. the defense. He displays the ability to change the type of throw needed to match the situation. Petillo can put the ball on a lime or put some air under it to lay into the hands of a WR. He also shows the ability to avoid a rush, stay behind the line of scrimmage and find open targets down field. Petillo is currently ranked as a pro-style passer but could easily rank as a dual threat as well.
Jake Plummer started off his NFL career on a Arizona Cardinals franchise that is not what it is today so the beginning was rough. However, Plummer’s years in Denver allowed him to display his full potential. As a Bronco, Plummer went 39-15 as a starter and tossed 61 TDs. Plummer led Denver to the playoffs in 3 of his 4 seasons with the team. Anthony Petillo, early in his career, is showing that same type of potential. As a rising junior he has plenty of time to work on his game and reach the heights that Plummer did.
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Chad Wilson is a college football recruiting expert and creator of the GridironStudsApp which allows high school football players to gain exposure to college football coaches and fans. Wilson is a former college football player for the University of Miami (92-94) and Long Beach St. (’90-’91) and played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks (’95). He is also a former youth and high school football coach for over 15 years most recently for 5-A State of Florida Champs American Heritage. He runs All Eyes DB Camp a defensive back training company located in South Florida IG: @alleyesdbcamp. Wilson’s oldest son Quincy plays in the NFL for the New York Giants and his younger son plays cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals.