QB recruits turned recruiters

When it comes to college football recruiting, there are quarterbacks and then there's everybody else.

The alternate recruiting timeline quarterbacks must abide by has been well documented -- quarterbacks have to make their decisions earlier than any other position group -- but their lives as recruits go beyond committing and waiting on signing day.

"It differs from other positions because there's usually only one quarterback (in a class), so a lot more guys tend to go early," said Brady White, who made his commitment to Arizona State on May 2. "If you're a wide receiver, there's more of you on the field. But a quarterback is the only one, so the process tends to pick up and be a little more intense and it concludes quicker."

White was one of several quarterbacks who said they appreciated the expected early decision that comes with playing the position and being recruited by a number of Power 5 programs.

Brian Lewerke committed to Michigan State on April 19 and said ending the recruiting process came with its benefits.

"Before I committed, my mailbox was full of letters and I had to call coaches almost daily to talk to them about their school," Lewerke said. "After I committed, it was much easier and wasn't as stressful. There were no visits or mail and I could live my life."

For quarterbacks like White and Lewerke, committing to a school usually means life as a recruit is over, and new life as recruiter is just beginning.

All 20 quarterbacks rated in the ESPN 300 have committed. The average commitment date for ESPN 30 QBs in 2015 was June 23, which includes Brandon Wimbush, Jarrett Stidham, Sheriron Jones and Dwayne Lawson -- four recruits who flipped from their original commitments and made the four latest announcements.

And that's where the early commitments from quarterbacks can really pay off for programs, as the signal-callers often become the face of and lead recruiters for their classes. Unlike the coaching staffs, these recruits aren't slowed in their efforts by contact rules or limits on communications with the prospects.

"Being a quarterback, when you're on the field and being the main guy once you commit, they definitely have similarities," White said. "You have to be a leader in both scenarios and you're trying to rally guys around you. Other positions might not be as vocal or experienced with that."

And recruiting the best class possible is priority one for most quarterbacks.

"That's your first job out of many," said Travis Waller, who committed to Oregon on July 1. "Once I committed, I felt it was definitely my job to do that. I talked to a lot of linebackers and defensive backs and people at camps."

"I obviously don't know the exact hours that went into it, but you do a lot of talking to guys at camps," White said. "Or if you're on a visit with someone you can explain what's great about the program and how they can fit."

While this process begins long before signing, White said the quarterback's involvement carries over to the incoming class and the future team on the field.

"The quarterback is the face of the program," White said. "Even if there's a guy older than you there, you still have to take that leadership spot. If you aren't going to be the guy going in right away, you will eventually get your time if you prove it on the field and in the classroom, and then it's going to be your class you're leading."

For some quarterbacks, their future coaches hand over plenty of recruiting responsibility, essentially making them the lead recruiter for top targets and telling them to go reel in as many as possible.

"[Michigan State's coaches] gave me guys to go after, but didn't tell me how to go after them," Lewerke said.

And that's where things can get interesting for the quarterbacks, who have to hit the ground running with no experience on the other side of the process.