From The Road: Thoughts on Top 100 Michigan QB commit Brady Hart

*** I made my way to Cocoa (Fla.) High to watch Michigan quarterback commit Brady Hart throw at his practice on Thursday afternoon. This was my third time seeing Hart live as I also had a chance to watch him at the Elite 11 regional in Orlando early in the offseason and at Under Armour’s Future 50 event in June. Hart first caught my attention at Elite 11 when he had yet to pick up a Michigan offer. It was clear he was the best underclassman at the event. His Future 50 performance — he was named On3’s MVP — really sold me on Hart, especially after I had more time to watch his film. Thursday’s practice further justified my thoughts on Hart. I think it’s clear he has a chance to be Michigan’s highest ranked quarterback since JJ McCarthy and may even finish higher when it’s all said and done. He’ll be a five-star, in my opinion.

*** Hart has drawn some comparisons to McCarthy, and there are definitely some similarities. Hart has elite arm talent at an early age and can make any throw on the field. McCarthy probably had a little more mustard on his throws at this age, but Hart is more impressive in terms of pocket presence and commanding an offense — McCarthy played with more of a gunslinger mentality before really settling in as an accurate, efficient passer as a senior at IMG Academy. From a talent standpoint, Hart is right up there with McCarthy and, as mentioned, may end up as the better high school recruit. But their games are very different. McCarthy was an amazing creator in and around the pocket, could take off for big yards and made downfield/tight window throws look easy.

*** Hart is his own guy. He’s more surgical than McCarthy at all three levels — short, intermediate and deep. His footwork in the pocket is extremely advanced — McCarthy sometimes played with his hair on fire — he reads defenses really well and he commands the Cocoa offense with ease. The quick game is almost robotic at this point — in a good way. Hart has a very quick release and gets the ball to his receivers in a hurry. I got to see Hart take some deep shots throughout Thursday’s practice as well and was extremely impressed with his ball placement and deep ball accuracy. Hart isn’t the athlete that McCarthy was, but he is a taller pocket passer with some athleticism that can distribute, create around the pocket and make the high level throws downfield.

*** I’ve written this before, but Hart is the rare high ceiling, high floor quarterback. So what exactly does that mean? Hart’s high floor is justified by his accuracy, elite mechanics and footwork. He can play early at Michigan thanks to those traits as well as his overall understanding of the game. On the flip side of the coin, the ceiling is still very exciting. While Hart checks a lot of the boxes mechanically and fundamentally, he has only been focused on football for a few years — Hart even told me he thought he was a better baseball player, but his passion has always been football. That means he can continue to progress as a pure passer — an area where I already consider him elite — which is really scary. There is also plenty of room for physical development. Hart is listed at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds and can easily add another 40 pounds to his frame over the next few years. Hart is a bit young for his age as well (for example, former target Brady Smiegel is a year and half older), which means he will continue to mature physically and likely add more arm strength.

*** Where Hart is very, very similar to McCarthy is off the field. Hart is a leader and commands the respect of everyone around him. Remember, McCarthy stepped in as the starter at Nazareth Academy as a sophomore and guided his team to a state title. Hart did the same for Cocoa and put up monster performances en route to doing so. The dude torched national power Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas to the tune of 493 yards and five touchdowns in just his third varsity start. That’s special. Hart, much like McCarthy, has been an early leader for Michigan on the recruiting trail. Almost every offensive recruit I spoke to that visited for the BBQ at The Big House said they were able to spend some time with Hart and were extremely impressed with his magnetic personality. Hart is also a bright kid. He’s just starting his junior season but has already completed all of his high school classes and will be spending the semester taking a full load of community college courses. Hart will finish with his associate’s degree by the time he enrolls early at U-M.

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