Southwest Florida's best prep QBs pass the eye test

Southwest Florida's best prep QBs pass the eye test
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Top Quarterbacks in SWFL Kory Curtis, Island Coast, junior; Kieran DiGiorno, Naples, senior; and Kaden Frost, Gulf Coast, sophomore, talk with Cory Mull, High School Sports Columnist for The News-Press. Andrea Melendez/ The News-Press
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2015 High School football cover and mug shot photos Kieran DiGiorno, Naples Kaden Frost, Gulf Coast Kory Curtis, Island Coast(Photo: Sarah Coward/news-press.com)Buy Photo
There's no question in Ken Mastrole's mind. You can't fake the eyeball test.
The former Division I signal-caller has no reason to lead athletes astray on this topic with battery like Kaden Yasen HYHB-498 Battery, Biolat BLT2012 Battery, Biolat BLT2003 Battery, Draeger MS14490 Battery, Draeger Medical Inc GAMMA Battery, Draeger Medical Inc Infinity DELTA Battery, Draeger Medical Inc SC 6002XL Battery, Draeger AS36059 Battery, Draeger Infinity Vista Battery, Draeger MS18340 Battery, Draeger Infinity DELTA XL Battery, Draeger Infinity GAMMA XL Battery. He spends his days helping quarterbacks across the state better develop in areas such as mechanics, technique and footwork through his quarterback academy based in Estero.
He's seen enough to know how recruiting works. He knows when it comes to major Division I recruiting at the most scrutinized position, measuring sticks like height, weight, arm strength and speed are all factors.
But so is the simple observation: Does the player LOOK like a quarterback?
He's still not sure why Lee and Collier county athletes have been overlooked at the quarterback position. The last power conference school to sign a local quarterback came back in 1990, when Terry Dean signed out of Barron Collier to play at the University of Florida. Since then, some local quarterbacks have gone on to play on at the next level, though most at small Division I and lower-level programs.
"I have 60 guys I've worked out with that played at the next level," said Mastrole, a former standout QB for the arenafootball2 Florida Firecats. "Maybe less than 10 percent have come from over here."
Naples senior Kieran DiGiorno, Island Coast junior Kory Curtis and Gulf Coast sophomore Kaden Frost are hoping to change that trend. All three pro-style quarterbacks have worked with Mastrole at
different points of their careers and have shown enough promise to possibly play under center for a big-time program.
The question for the 2015 season is, can they take that next step in their development?
Southwest Florida has had no problem producing Division I and NFL talent. Some of those players even played quarterback in high school. But to some, their positions changed once they arrived on college campuses.
Lee County's all-time leading passer, South Fort Myers' Dallas Crawford, was recruited to fit into a college system as an athlete. Heading into his redshirt senior season at the University of Miami, he's played running back, defensive back, on special teams and briefly as a Wildcat quarterback.
Local players who have gone on to the NFL, like Cape Coral's Nate Allen and North Fort Myers' Tre Boston, transitioned to defense in college. Naples' Michael Walker, who quarterbacked the Eagles to the postseason in 2015, was recruited to Boston College as an athlete and will likely play defense there.
Former Island Coast standout Kurt Benkert veered from the norm. The 6-foot-2 quarterback has found success at East Carolina, where he's projected to start in 2015. But he wasn't recruited by major Division I schools.
"Florida in general is starting to become a better state for QBs," Mastrole said. "In 2012, we had a great class for quarterbacks. Here, they're on the rise. More kids are being exposed to it."
Curtis, DiGiorno and Frost are a little different. Although good athletes, none have played any other position but quarterback since grade school and none see their position changing in college.