When the Gopher football team begins practice in August no new player will draw more attention than quarterback MarQueis Gray from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. Gray might have the hottest high school reputation of any Gopher quarterback recruit in 50 years, dating back to 1958 when Sandy Stephens arrived here from Uniontown, Pennsylvania after turning down schools like Ohio State to play for Minnesota.
Gray was selected last January for the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He completed three of seven passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown. He was ranked by rivals.com as the No. 3 “dual threat” quarterback in the country and the No. 1 recruit in Indiana.
Gopher coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners that Gray is adept at throwing and running. “He’s a true quarterback who is very athletic,” Brewster said.
Neither Brewster, Gray or anyone else, can know how soon he will be playing on game days for the Gophers. Quarterback Adam Weber was a third-team freshman All-America and freshman All-Big Ten selection by The Sporting News last season. He started all 12 games, passed for 2,895 yards and 24 touchdowns, setting school records for pass completions, attempts, yards and touchdown passes.
Gray’s most immediate opportunity could be to take over as the No. 2 quarterback. Brewster said spring practice ended without any of Weber’s backups claiming the job.
Gray’s challenge is learning the Gophers’ complex spread offense and Brewster said “we won’t put him out there until he’s ready.” Although Brewster said Gray ran a spread offense in high school, the difference between there and the Gopher system is “day and night.” He also said Weber, who was a redshirt freshman last season, not a true freshman, could be the first to explain in detail what an “unbelievable amount of information” is involved with the Gopher offense and what a challenge it is for an inexperienced quarterback.
A red shirt season is a possibility for Gray. Yet the Gophers were fortunate last season that despite a lot of pounding from opposing players, Weber didn’t miss any games. Gray could be the alternative if Weber is hurt.
“We want to bring the young guy in and let him compete, and gauge where he’s at, particularly as a thinker,” Brewster said. “Once he assimilates, you are truly going to see a magnificent athlete.”
Besides his athleticism, there’s something else that excites the coach. Gray told Brewster his priority is to become a “good teammate.”