COBB COUNTY GEORGIA: HOTBED FOR QUALITY QUARTERBACKS

If you've followed college football for any length of time then you know that the state of Georgia produces a ton of quality football talent every year, ranked 4th behind Florida, California, and Texas.

And you probably know that Metro Atlanta generates the most talent in the state, which makes sense because of population numbers and the depth of high school football programs in the area.

Of particular interest is how Cobb County, just north of Atlanta, has become a prime fishing spot for top tier football talent.

At last count, over 90 players from Cobb County were on the rosters of 45 FBS schools with 29 of those players on SEC rosters.

But what you might not realize is that Cobb County is quietly becoming a hotbed for top flight quarterbacks, drawing attention from most major college programs across the country.

Mason leads the Dawgs

Currently, two Cobb County quarterbacks are leading their SEC schools: Hutson Mason (Lassiter) at Georgia and Anthony Jennings (Marietta) at LSU. One other Cobb County qb is a sprained toe away from being the starter at another SEC school: Eddie Printz (Lassiter) at Mizzou.  Additionally, Elijah Staley (Wheeler) is a frosh at Mississippi State. That's pretty darn impressive representation in what is considered to be the best football conference in America.

Looking ahead at the 2015 signing class, two other Cobb County qbs are headed to SEC schools next year. Tyler Queen (North Cobb) has committed to Auburn, and Lorenzo Nunez (Harrison) has chosen South Carolina.

Worth noting is Ty Griffin (McEachern) who recently transferred from Georgia Tech to Oregon.

Also worth noting is that two Cobb County qbs are currently in the NFL. T.J. Yates (Pope) is with the Atlanta Falcons and Jerick McKinnon (Sprayberry) is a running back with the Vikings. You may recall McKinnon leading Georgia Southern over the Gators in a huge upset last season, the Eagle's first-ever win over a BCS team.

With Ant Jennings at his very first college visit

Why So Many Top QBs from Cobb County?
Once upon a time, high schools in Cobb County were run-oriented with most operating a version of the Wing T.  But in just the last few years, many schools in the area have shifted to pass-oriented offenses featuring multiple receivers and sophisticated spread schemes, and lighting up scoreboards which fans love. This has allowed young quarterbacks to thrive and showcase their talents, and of course, the coaches have done a tremendous job in developing and nuturing this talent. With kids being cultivated from the first grade up (most accessing private QB tutors and attending intensive summer QB camps), high schools with successful offenses have become magnets for those athletes looking to excel. And right now Cobb County schools are competing in what are considered to be the toughest regions in the state (Regions 4 and 5) which means a higher level of competition as well as exposure...which leads to recruiting by major colleges.

Here's a quick snapshot of Cobb County quarterback talent.

If I've overlooked anyone, please let me know so our records can be updated for future reference. And please let us know your thoughts about high school talent and college recruiting. We'd love to hear from you (see the nifty comment box below).