Garrett Gilbert
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 190
Position: QB
Year: Class of 2009
High School: Lake Travis HS
( Austin , TX )
Committed to: University of Texas
Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis has indicated that the zone read, which Texas began to incorporate as the focal point of its offense in 2003, will remain a big part of the Longhorn attack. And while nobody will ever confuse Garrett Gilbert with Vince Young in terms of running ability, Longhorn fans got some reassurance Thursday night that, with their quarterback of the future, the offense as they know it will be in good hands (and feet).
Garrett Gilbert, who threw for more than 4,800 yards and 52 touchdowns as a junior, showed Thursday that he can also be effective with his feet. The first commit of the Longhorns' 2009 recruiting haul threw for 212 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 82 yards and three touchdowns en route to leading Lake Travis , the No. 1-ranked team in the state of Texas in Class 4A, to a convincing 38-17 road victory over Austin Westlake.
Garrett Gilbert improved his career record to 25-4 as a starter as Lake Travis notched its first ever victory in three meetings against Westlake , a program that has long been the measure of excellence in high school football in the greater Austin area.
Garrett Gilbert faced an offseason full of question marks following a junior campaign that saw him set new state single season passing records for yards, completions, and attempts while leading Lake Travis to the Class 4A Division II state championship. The questions were not only how Garrett Gilbert would grasp new head coach Chad Morris' spread offense, which features a lot of motion, multiple formations, and operates at a breakneck pace, but also how he would bounce back after February surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Through two games, Garrett Gilbert seems to have answered those questions, and more. He totaled 312 yards passing and three TDs in a season-opening win over Westwood last week, and followed that up with another strong performance through the air and on the ground this week.
When Inside Texas caught up with Garrett Gilbert at the 7-on-7 State Championships in College Station over the summer, the 6-foot-4 inch gunslinger looked as though he had added some bulk to his frame. Such was the case as Garrett Gilbert said he was weighing in at an even 200 pounds back in July as he spent his offseason soaking in the playbook and getting bigger.
“I got to work on a lot of footwork which is great because that was something I needed a lot of work on,” said Garrett Gilbert. “I did a lot of lifting and getting strength in my legs and getting faster were really key things for me.”
The leg strength was evident in the Cavaliers' blowout victory over Westlake as Garrett Gilbert was able to push piles, make defenders miss and refused to go down after the first hit. Garrett Gilbert even now looks to be bigger than 200 pounds and is listed by the Lake Travis coaches at 210. Garrett Gilbert also looks quicker and faster than he ever has thus far in his prep career.
Fifty-three of Gilbert's 83 rushing yards on the night came on the Cavaliers' first series as he toted the rock six times, including on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line when he plowed his way across the goal line to cap a 10-play, 78-yard drive to give Lake Travis an early 7-0 lead.
Westlake was able to narrow it to 14-10 before the end of the first half when the Lake Travis defense stopped a potential scoring drive by the Chaps with an interception near the goal line.
Taking over in the shadow of the Lake Travis goal post, Garrett Gilbert made a heads up play on second-and-long from inside the one-yard-line as he avoided a sack, rolled to his left and just appeared to make it outside of the tackle box before throwing the ball away. On the next play Garrett Gilbert hit Cade McCrary on a rollout to his right for a first down to keep the drive alive, showing great arm strength. Gilbert was very calm on the drive and showed great poise on the series, which ended when Gilbert hit Chris Aydam on a tailback wheel for a 48-yard score to finish off an impressive nine-play, 95-yard drive that took only 1:59 off of the clock.
From there it was all Lake Travis . Though Westlake kept the Cavs within range in the early goings, Gilbert and Lake Travis pulled away, winning by a final of 38-17.
All night, as he has done throughout his career, Garrett Gilbert made good decisions with the football. Garrett Gilbert's completion percentage (14-of-30) was under his average, but he got rid of the ball when necessary. His arm strength is something worth noting.