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It’s so difficult for a first-year freshman quarterback to succeed out of the gate because he is usually being asked to accomplish more challenging tasks at a higher rate of proficiency than he’s ever had to before, and with less margin for error.

Put another way, it’s why recruiting evaluations for quarterbacks typically are 50/50 hit-or-miss. College ball is often a drastically different game than what they’ve played before.

What high school quarterbacks are charged to do by their coaches typically pales in comparison to the responsibilities of a college quarterback, which is logical.

Certainly there is a wide range here within the high school spectrum. But big picture, the reads are fewer and simpler. Fewer plays to know. Much easier windows to throw into. Much simpler defenses to diagnose and process.