Commit GIF Breakdown: 2018 QB Cameron Rising

Lincoln Riley is the college football quarterback coach equivalent to Scrooge McDuck diving into his vault full of gold coins.

With Sunday’s commitment of 2018 Newbury Park (Cali.) QB Cameron Rising, the Oklahoma offensive coordinator now has under his tutelage the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in Baker Mayfield and four four-stars coming behind him - Austin Kendall, Kyler Murray, Chris Robison, and the aforementioned Rising.

Kendall, Murray, and Robison were/are all distinguished as Rivals100 members and Rising’s initial 5.9 evaluation makes him likely to join them when the 2018 list debuts.

In Riley’s system, quarterbacks are expected to make quick reads and accurate throws on time. But the Sooner play-caller has always said on numerous occasions that he expects his guys to be athletes capable of making something happen when the play breaks down. On numerous occasions Rising shows he is more than capable of leaving the pocket, extending plays, and making accurate throws on the run.

On the play above, Rising does something not enough quarterbacks his age do and that’s keep his eyes downfield once his first read wasn’t there. He breaks the pocket to the outside and makes a perfect throw on the run over a defender for a touchdown.

The Newbury Park (Cali.) quarterback is also similar to 2017 Oklahoma quarterback commit Chris Robison in that they are both more athletic than people give them credit for. If you leave Rising unaccounted for in the run game, he’ll make you pay.

Another thing to like about Rising is his ability to make throws through improvisation. Many quarterbacks can make a nice throw with a clean pocket and a perfect rhythm. Unfortunately for them, there are 11 guys on defense whose entire job is to make that process as uncomfortable as possible. Football is organized chaos and being able to navigate that pandemonium is a highly valuable trait for a quarterback. There are plenty of plays on Rising’s reel that showcase his ability to throw from a clean pocket, however, much of the highlights from his sophomore year also show Rising throwing from unusual angles or off the wrong foot when need be.

On this play, Rising is faced with an unblocked defender in his face, but quickly dismisses him with a simultaneous pump fake and right leg juke before stepping up with his left leg and hitting the open receiver for a touchdown. It all fits in with the pattern that Rising seems to playing the game at a different speed, a very impressive feat for a high school sophomore.

This is probably burying the lead, but it’s time to take notice of the arm strength of the future Oklahoma passer. As mentioned before, Rising is capable of both throwing on the run and from unorthodox positions. However, that is only possible through a naturally powerful right arm.

In this instance, Rising is throwing with his momentum taking him away from the line of scrimmage and using literally none of his lower body, because both of his feet are in mid-air. Fortunately for the California four-star, he has the arm strength to still fire a 31-yard strike to the sidelines.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound passer clearly has the accuracy and ability to make quick decisions that are a necessity to succeed in Lincoln Riley’s offense. It’s the superfluous attributes that make him one of 2018’s top overall quarterback prospects. The newest Oklahoma commitment plays with incredible poise and composure (especially for a player his age), has the athleticism to be an asset in the run game, can keep plays alive by breaking the pocket and making accurate throws on the move, all while still carrying above average size and arm strength.

All of the tools are there for Rising to be an elite quarterback if college football fate allows him to eventually take over the keys to the Sooners offense.