It appears right now that Tennessee’s coaching staff is focusing on four-star Alabama commit Taulia Tagovailoa as their main target at quarterback for the 2019 recruiting cycle. But since he’s committed to the Tide right now, the Vols’ staff can’t count on him flipping and joining UT. So they’re keeping their eyes out for other quarterback prospects in this class. And they sent out an offer to one of the hottest names at the position on Wednesday.
Brian Maurer has been impressing scouts and analysts at quarterback camps this summer, and his recruitment has heated up significantly this month. He arrived in Knoxville on Tuesday to camp with Tennessee, and the Vols’ coaching staff gave him an official offer on Wednesday.
#AGTG Excited to announce that I’ve received an Offer from the The University Of Tennessee ❗#GoVols #GBO @WP_WOLFPACK_FB pic.twitter.com/9dhW2MJeGA
— Brian Maurer (@maurerera_2) June 20, 2018
Right now, Maurer is rated as the No. 491 overall player and the No. 18 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He hails from Ocala, Florida and holds nearly two dozen scholarship offers now. Along with his Tennessee offer, he holds offers from Texas A&M, West Virginia, UCF, and others.
Last week, Maurer attended a camp on Florida’s campus. He performed exceptionally well at the Elite 11 Finals and was one of just 12 quarterbacks to be invited to Nike’s The Opening Finals. The finals will be held from June 30th through July 3rd over in Frisco, Texas.
Maurer came to Knoxville for the first time on Tuesday, and he’s planning to stay through Thursday to camp with the Vols’ coaching staff on campus.
Maurer’s summer has helped him become more well known by bigger schools, but his highlight film shows that he’s always had raw talent and just needed a stage to show it off.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Maurer has an extremely strong arm and great vision. He has great zip on his throws, and his deep passes have beautiful arcs on them. He can make a number of throws to various parts of the field, and he has the mobility needed to escape incoming defenders. He’s listed as a pro-style quarterback, but he’s surprisingly agile too. When he tucks the ball and runs, he’s fairly dangerous on the ground. He needs to work on his accuracy and how to lead receivers better, but he certainly has the arm talent and athleticism to build upon.
As a junior, Maurer completed 57.5 percent of his 388 pass attempts for 2,512 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions according to MaxPreps. He also ran for 259 yards and six scores on just 51 carries, giving him an average of 5.1 yards per carry.
Tennessee would like to add a quarterback in their 2019 class, but it’s not necessarily their top priority in this cycle. They’re likely willing to slow play the Tagovailoa situation, but Maurer is a very intriguing option as well. His stock should only continue to rise as the summer goes on.
