Tajh Boyd, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound five-star quarterback from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., helped lead his team to a perfect 15-0 record and the state 3A Div. 5 championship.
"I have a quick release," Boyd said. "And a pretty strong arm. I can move around in the pocket well. I'm more of a pro-style quarterback, but have good movement. I can be a dual-threat, but I'm always looking to throw before I run."
Boyd finished his senior season with around 1,500 yards passing and 23 touchdowns. He also scored three rushing touchdowns.
"I'm still trying to read defenses better and see the field better," Boyd said. "I also want to work on some of my mechanics."
One thing that Boyd doesn't consider a weakness is his size. "Some people say I'm small," he said. "But I'm 6-foot-1 and change, so I wouldn't say I'm exactly vertically challenged."
He benches 305 pounds, squats 425 and has a 29-inch vertical jump.
Boyd, ranked as the No. 4 quarterback in the country by Scout.com, still declines a leader but favors No. 15 Oregon, No. 10 Ohio State and Boston College from among over 20 total scholarship offers.
"I'll write down a pros and cons list and we'll see who wins," Boyd said. "I think I'll have a good shot to play wherever I go, so it'll be more about things like the campus and where I'm comfortable."
Boyd will be participating in the Jan. 3 Army All-America game and says he plans to make his decision in mid-January.
He's already taken official visits to Ohio State, Oregon, West Virginia and Tennessee and hopes to trip to Boston College before making a decision.
"I'd love to go there in early January if I can," he said. "I haven't set anything up yet though.
"They've got some great coaches at Boston College," Boyd said. "I like the offense they run and I think that (offensive coordinator) Steve Logan is one of the best quarterback coaches in the country. He says that I can throw the ball with the best of them and they really like me."
He visited the Mountaineers on Sept. 26 and Vols on Oct. 25 and although he was committed to both at one point in time he says he's no longer considering either of them.
"With West Virginia I didn't really like the way their offense was heading," Boyd said. "I didn't see what I wanted from their offense and the coaches and I weren't seeing eye to eye.
"Tennessee was a different situation," he said. "I was pretty set on them even with coach Phil Fulmer retiring but then it just felt like they didn’t want me.
"I guess coach Lane Kiffin said I'm not the type of quarterback he was looking for," Boyd said." But I can do it all, so I'm not really sure what kind of quarterback coach Kiffin wants. I tried to take that whole thing with a grain of salt."
With the Mountaineers and Vols out of the picture, it's down to Oregon, Ohio State and Boston College. In fact, he just visited the Ducks last weekend (Dec. 19).
"It was a real cool trip," he said. "I liked it up there. I got to spend a lot of time with the coaches because the students were already on break.
"My host was (freshman wide receiver) Elvis Akpla but I mostly hung out with (recruiting assistant) Josh Gibson and the coaches," he said. "We got to go to a basketball game and played some pool and videos game. We also ate a lot. It was the usual stuff."
The week before visiting Oregon, Boyd tripped to Ohio State. "Ohio State was different from Oregon," he said.
"Oregon is more nature-like and scenic," Boyd said. "I also liked how everything there is within walking distance.
"Ohio State is bigger and more in the city," he said. "Also the students were still in school so it was busier. I really liked getting to hang out with all the players and getting to know them better. It was also cool getting to know some of the guys who are already committed there. They've got a great team coming in."
His Buckeye host was freshman offensive lineman Mike Brewster. "They all seemed like great guys," Boyd said.
"Ohio State had another great year," he said. "They only lost two games but it seemed like a lot more because people always expect them to win all the time."
Boyd attended their bowl practice and says he's looking forward to their match-up against Texas. "I think it'll be a good game," he said. "They are working hard and I think they'll be ready."
As a youngster Boyd actually followed Georgia as he was born in the Peach State. "I lived in Albany (Ga.) for about four years," he said. "I really liked the uniforms and colors when I was a kid."
Although he had offers from in-state schools Virginia and Virginia Tech, Boyd says he never seriously considered them because he knew he wanted to leave the state. "I think that's what's so cool about getting a scholarship," he said. "You can leave the area and see something new."
Boyd plans to major in sports marketing and reports a 2.9 core GPA and a 18 ACT.