Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ated him in person the night before they played Pittsburgh this past sea- son and were able to lure him to cam- pus in March for a Junior Day. While Jurkovec said he was always drawn to the prestige of playing at a school like Notre Dame, it was the coaches — and more specifically San- ford — that made him feel comfort- able with the Irish. "I definitely have a lot of trust in the coaches," he told Friedman. "They value what they have at Notre Dame and that played a large role." Jurkovec, who doubles as a star guard on the basketball court, has al- ready drawn some early comparisons to former Ohio State quarterback Ter- relle Pryor because of his ability to beat a defense with both his arm and legs at 6-5½, 202 pounds. He passed for 2,560 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 1,250 yards and FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Phil Jurkovec is a perfect fit for the Notre Dame version of the spread offense, which demands a quarterback to be athletic enough to make big plays on the ground but also have the arm talent to shred teams through the air … Has advanced arm strength for his age, and as he fills out it will only get stronger … Possesses a quick release and shows a good feel for ball placement … When he runs the ball he is a home run threat, a skill that should translate to the next level. Areas For Improvement Just completed his sophomore year of high school, so he will need to bulk up his 6‑5½, 202‑pound frame … Needs to clean up his pocket footwork and how he carries the ball … With more experience will also come an even better feel for going through read progressions. — Bryan Driskell