Jerrard Randall warms up before an LSU game in October 2012. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez added to his collection of quarterbacks late Friday night.
Junior college transfer Jerrard Randall, who spent his first two college seasons at LSU, committed on a visit to the UA campus, according to reports on Rivals.com and Scout.com.
Randall, a former four-star recruit out of high school in Hollywood, Fla., played this season at Northeast Mississippi Junior College. He was once committed in the same Oregon class as quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Johnny Manziel.
Randall (6-1, 188) didn’t qualify at Oregon and ended up signing with LSU in March 2011. He redshirted in 2011 and did not play in 2012.
His background and list of suitors scream that he’s an athletic, explosive playmaker. Tim Tyrell, his coach at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory, claimed in a Miami Herald story that Randall had been timed in 4.3 seconds for 40 yards. Randall, cited as having a rocket arm, was rated the nation’s 10th-best dual-threat quarterback in the 2011 class by Rivals.com.
But his passing numbers at Northeast Mississippi leave something to be desired — 65 of 152 for 861 yards, with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He did add 419 yards and six touchdowns on 84 carries.
A few years ago, Randall was rated higher than Mariota and Manziel in coach Chip Kelly’s recruiting class. Randall told the Herald in 2010, that if he hadn’t committed to Oregon, he was thinking about playing receiver at Florida.
“I told (Kelly) I wouldn’t mind being the next Percy Harvin or something,” Randall said. “But he said he could turn me into the one of the greatest QBs ever in the Pac-10. I said ‘OK coach, do your magic and I’ll come with it.’”
Randall, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, is expected to enroll in January, according to reports, joining Arizona’s unproven group of scholarship quarterbacks that is likely to dominate the offseason discussion.
As of now, the Cats’ quarterback situation after this season looks like this (with players listed by 2014 class):
–Senior Jesse Scroggins, a former USC quarterback who never gained ground on the starting job after transferring from junior college. He was sidelined in the spring because of toe surgery and hampered in fall camp by concussion problems.
–Sophomore Javelle Allen, who has served as B.J. Denker’s little-used backup this season.
–Sophomore Connor Brewer, who transferred to Arizona this summer after one season as a redshirt at Texas. He ran the scout team this season.
–Redshirt freshman Anu Solomon, who was one of the centerpieces of Arizona’s 2013 class.
–True freshman Brandon Dawkins, a three-star recruit who was one of the most prolific passers in California this season. He will arrive in the summer.
(Arizona also has junior Nick Isham, a walk-on from Louisiana Tech. Khari McGee, who redshirted this season as a freshman, is listed as a quarterback but was moved to receiver late in camp. We’ll see where he ends up.)
Rich Rod needs a playmaking QB and Jerrard Randall has loads of athletic ability. Could be a big late pull for them.
— Justin Hopkins (@JHopkins247) December 14, 2013