Editor's Note: Dick Weiss, a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, has covered college sports in Philadelphia and New York for more than 40 years. He will be providing regular commentary for the American Athletic Conference during the 2013-14 season.
Although Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater continues to stuff Heisman ballot boxes - joining players from the Pac-12 and SEC – the Cardinals’ six-foot-three junior also finds himself competing for weekly Player of the Week honors with other young, but accomplished players from his own conference.
Bridgewater, who is projected by many to be the first pick in next year's NFL draft, passed for 344 yards and three touchdowns as the 17th-ranked Cardinals rebounded from their first loss of the season to defeat USF, 34-3, last Saturday in Tampa. Bridgewater completed 25 of 29 passes with no interceptions, improving his season totals to 23 touchdowns with only two picks.
Even though he may be a headliner on draft day, he is continually sharing his marquee with other great quarterbacks in The American-- senior Garrett Gilbert of SMU, junior Blake Bortles of UCF and a pair of precocious freshmen-- John O'Korn of Houston and P.J. Walker of Temple.
The six-foot-four Gilbert, a top-10 prep recruit from Austin Lake Travis, was supposed to be the heir apparent to Colt McCoy at Texas, but he fell out of favor with demanding Longhorn fans and left in the middle of his sophomore year when he couldn't meet expectations. He has resurrected himself in June Jones' offense at SMU, winning the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week after piling up 538 yards passing and 97 rushing yards as the Mustangs outscored Temple, 59-49, in a shootout in Dallas. His 635 yards of total offense ranks seventh in NCAA history at the major college level. Gilbert broke his own school record for passing in addition to throwing four touchdowns. He also ran for two scores.
"I'm just trying to be the best quarterback I can be at SMU,'' he said, trying to put the past behind him. "I'm not trying to send a message.''
The 6-4 Bortles is drawing comparisons to Jeff Blake as the best quarterback to come out of the Tampa Bay area high school ranks. Like Blake, who missed his senior year in high school because of a car accident and wound up at East Carolina, Bortles was under recruited, a second team All Distrcit choice behind Florida's Jeff Driskell who earned just three scholarship offers.
But he has put UCF back in the national polls, completing 20-of-24 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters as the 23rd-ranked Golden Knights --- currently the hottest team in the league after their 38-35 win at Louisville the previous week - -scored on their first nine possessions to beat UConn, 62-17, in Orlando.
The 6-4 O'Korn, who was just named National Freshman of the Week by Athlon, threw for 364 yards and a career-high five touchdowns as Houston spoiled Rutgers' Homecoming, 49-12, in Piscataway. Walker, a dual threat making just his third start, put a scare into SMU, completing his first 16 passes and finishing with 26 completions on 37 attempts for 293 yards and four touchdowns to help Temple build a 28-7 lead before the Owls melted down defensivley against a constant barrage of Gilbert's passes.
Although The American has yet to establish tradition, its competition and style of play is distinguishing itself against conferences like the Big 12 and the ACC. Although college football fans are just getting to know O'Korn and Walker, those players have long been on the radar with college scouts. Both came through highly successful high school programs.
O'Korn led St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale to the 2012 FHSAA 7-A state title and an average of 43 points per game. He set school records for most passing yards and touchdown passes in a single season and received offers from Wisconsin, Louisville, Syracuse, Mississippi State, North Carolina, USF and UCF before signing with Houston.
O'Korn became the Cougars' starting quarterback after teammate David Piland suffered a career-ending concussion in the conference opener against Temple and has led the Cougars to a 7-1 record. Houston's only defeat was a 47-46 loss to BYU. Despite being sacked eight times by the Cougars, O'Korn threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns. To date, he has thrown for 21 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound Walker led Elizabeth (N.J.) to an unbeaten season and a state championship and was selected North Jersey Player of the Year by the Newark Star-Ledger. Temple got on Walker early in his junior season, sending him upwards of 12 letters a day.
When higher-profile schools tried to jump in later, Walker stuck with Temple because the Owls offered him first and promised him a chance to play immediately. He finally broke through into the starting lineup after his team lost its first four games and Connor Reilly could not move the ball in the first half against Louisville in Philadelphia.
Like O'Korn, he has made a smooth transition, quickly transforming himself into the central figure on Temple's re-energized offense.
Bortles has a big decision to make after the season. If he declares for the NFL draft, he could be a dark horse first-round pick in a top-heavy class at his position that could place six quarterbacks in the top 35 selections. If he stays in college for his senior year, UCF could become a destination for the many great players in the state just like the other four BCS teams – USF, Florida, Miami and Florida State.
O'Korn and Walker may be understudies to the great high draft picks this year but they are the future of a league that has a bright horizon with great young players.