2023 QB Sleepers

Every winter, the recruiting game and incoming freshmen should become a part of your roster breakdown. Much like dynasty players start diving into upcoming rookie classes once the college season or Super Bowl is over. The recruiting scene can be a bit daunting when you first dive into it. Hundreds of players are ranked, many going to schools you may not even pay attention to, is there room on the depth chart? Will they matter from a CFF/NFL perspective? Can I trust this coach or his staff to develop a raw player? All these questions and many more enter our minds as we traverse the unknown of recruiting. At the same time, everyone knows the top-named players, ala Arch Manning and Malachi Nelson, in the 2023 class. My goal for this series of articles is to give you a group of players a bit out of the limelight. Some players you can jot down and target once freshman/supplemental draft season gets here. 

Aidan Chiles

• Height- 6’4″
• Weight- 195
• 3-star
• Committed to Oregon State

Chiles’ journey to commitment has not been easy. He started his high school journey at the famous Los Alamitos High School in California, competing with five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson. Chiles was forced to sit on the bench, never getting any significant playing time or even a shot to challenge Nelson. Heading into his junior season after hitting a growth spurt in 2020, Chiles looked to show growth on the field. He transferred to Downey to finally be given his shot to start. He quickly proved he deserved to be in the conversation with some of the best quarterbacks in the nation. In his first six games with Downey, Chiles went 70/96-for-1,187 yards with a 10/2 touchdown to interception ratio. He had a 73% completion percentage, adding over 300 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns.

Just as things looked to be moving up for Chiles, he broke his wrist in his throwing hand, sidelining him for the rest of the season. This is, unfortunately, when the recruiting services likely overlooked Chiles. Yet he didn’t let it affect him. Chiles came back out for his senior season with Downey and put everyone on notice. He was passing with efficiency and running with a purpose. Chiles will lead Downey this Friday in a playoff game against Cypress.

Chiles shows his unique ability to throw off-platform without losing any of his velocity or accuracy. He shows excellent instincts behind the line of scrimmage, knows when to get out of the pocket, and always looks to pass before running. His quick release and twitchy movements will cause problems for defenses. Chiles can easily challenge all three areas of the field; when he’s in the open field, he’s hard to catch and bring down.

Chiles, as of now, is committed to Oregon State, which should give him a chance to start as a true freshman or, at worst, his second year in. For fantasy purposes, Chiles has a chance to be a high-end producer. It’s still early, but Chiles would be a fringe second-round freshman/supplemental pick. He’s a player I wouldn’t want to miss out on.

Sam Leavitt

• Height- 6’2″
• Weight- 195
• 3 star
• Committed to Washington State

Leavitt has been a solid producer throughout his high school career. Much like Chiles, Leavitt has moved around and has been counted out. Leavitt started for two seasons at Westview High School in Portland, Oregon. He was able to pass for over 3,700 yards with a 43/11 TD/INT ratio while completing 57% of his passes. He was able to take Westview into the playoffs but lost in the second round.

Heading into the 2022 season, Leavitt would decide to transfer to West Linn to learn under former head coach Chris Miller. Coach Miller was a former quarterback with NFL coaching experience. The plan was to head to West Linn and further develop under a former quarterback. Those plans quickly changed as just months after his commitment, coach Miller left the school to take a head coaching job in the XFL. Yet instead of transferring or sitting out, Leavitt took on a leadership role and reportedly bonded with new coach Jon Eagle. Leavitt has taken a massive step forward with West Linn and has them on the precipice of a state championship. Leavitt and West Linn will play Sheldon this Friday for the championship.

Leavitt’s arm and ability to make out-of-structure plays will have your mouth agape as he runs around in the backfield and fires a 40-yard dart. Leavitt plays with calming, controlled chaos. He shows plenty of velocity on short-area throws to challenge tight windows and can also challenge defenders deep. Leavitt displays good touch on his deep passes as well. He does have a rushing upside if needed. Leavitt thrives in his ability to throw off-platform and from multiple arm slots.

Leavitt has committed to Washington State and seems to be locked in. His main competition will be Cameron Ward as long as he stays. Ward could enter the NFL this year, but likely stays for at least one more season to continue to develop. Leavitt should have a chance to compete to be the backup quarterback immediately and fits the run-&-shoot type system being run. Leavitt will be a high-end fantasy producer when he steps on the field.

Israel Carter

• Height- 6’1″
• Weight- 186
• 3 star
• Committed to Arizona State

Israel “Izzy” Carter is another lower-ranked quarterback with some high upside. Carter has spent his past few seasons at Centennial high school in a two-quarterback system. While he was getting starter snaps as a sophomore and junior, he was splitting the reps with quarterback Carson Conklin. Over these two years, Conklin had 156 pass attempts to Carter’s 128. Carter passed for 83/144-for-1,284 yards and a 12/1 TD/INT ratio. At the same time, adding over 477 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

Heading into the 2022 season and his senior year, Carter would win the job as the sole starter. This came off an off-season quarterback MVP award at the Under Armour Next All-America Camp in California. This also brought multiple new offers in as well, including an offer from his dream school in Oregon. Carter has impressed this year, taking Centennial into the playoffs, but they would lose in the second round to St. John Bosco.

Carter is a dual-threat quarterback. He’s explosive in the open field and a dynamic runner when he does take off. He’s elusive in the open field, making defenders miss with jukes, spin moves, and even hurdle defenders. Carter shows impressive touch and accuracy when throwing the ball deep. He averaged almost 21 yards per play as a senior. While he lacks the velocity to throw it on a rope, he can anticipate and deliver the ball in stride. Don’t let the moniker of a running quarterback fool you either; Carter has impressive mechanics from his feet to his delivery.

Carter joins an Arizona State quarterback room full of players but none that necessarily stand out. Emory Jones technically has one year of eligibility left. Yet with a new coach and staff coming in, Jones may not be locked in even to start next year. While this new coaching staff won’t have recruited Carter, he’s currently the most dynamic quarterback they’ll have. He likely won’t start as a freshman, but with his rushing upside and solid mechanics, Carter could be a multi-year sleeper for your college sides in the same vein as Jayden Daniels.

Brayden Dorman

• Height-6’4″
• Weight- 196
• 4 star
• Committed to Arizona

Since showing up at Vista Ridge high school in Colorado, Dorman has been their guy. He started as a freshman and put up some impressive stats while leading Vista Ridge to a 5-5 season. Dorman would continue to improve in a shortened Covid season and his junior season. He made a name for himself in college circles and got offers from top schools like Mississippi State, Oregon State, and Wisconsin. Dorman was traveling to camps and working on getting in front of as many eyes as possible while working with Tim Jenkins, leader of the Jenkins Elite QB Academy in Aurora, Colorado.

He worked with the Jenkins Elite QB Academy since the sixth grade, making Dorman a refined and technically sound prospect. He’s moved from working on mechanics to fine-tuning, making small changes, and even modifying his throwing motion. Working with the academy, Dorman has even been able to practice reading defenses to help prepare him more for the next level.

Dorman chose Arizona on February 22, 2022. He did this to focus solely on his senior season and put his future at ease. In doing so, he had his best season in high school. He would lead Vista Ridge to the playoffs but eventually lost before making it to the state championship.

Arizona is an intriguing fit for Dorman, as he doesn’t fit the current quarterback profile at the school. De Laura, Fifita, and McCloud are all smaller quarterbacks with good arms but can use their legs to make plays. Dorman is the opposite and, therefore, a better fit for this Wildcats offense. He is a pocket quarterback with an arm that can make every throw. He shows high-end pocket manipulation and maneuvers around the pocket, avoiding defenders and finding the space he needs to make a throw. Dorman shows incredible touch on deep throws and good velocity on throws in the short/intermediate areas of the field.

While Dorman will lack the rushing upside of his quarterback counterparts, his ability to diagnose a defense and distribute the ball all over the field gives him immense upside. Current starter Jayden De Laura is averaging 37 attempts a game. Dorman has the better arm, and with weapons around him (Dorian Singer, Tetairoa McMillan), possibly for multiple years, it could lead to some high-end fantasy production. Matching his arm talent with the Fisch offense is a bet worth taking.

As we move towards the off-season of our campus2canton leagues, stay tuned to everything we have going on. The transfer portal, flips, and coaching changes are all coming and could have major impacts on the college landscape. Watch the Youtube page and podcast feed for all breaking news. Make sure to check back here soon for the 2023 sleeper running backs.