Friday, March 07, 2008

Poly football picks up another QB

Cabrillo College quarterback and punter Harlan Prather, who made an official visit to Cal Poly last month, has decided to walk on for the Mustangs next fall, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Prather, a 6-foot, 210-pounder out of San Lorenzo Valley High (i.e. Jordan Beck's old stomping grounds), was an All-Coast Conference selection after passing for 2,159 yards and 27 touchdowns in a season and a half as Cabrillo’s starter.
While Cal Poly returns 10 of its 11 offensive starters next season, including quarterback Jonathan Dally, Prather could make an impact as a punter.
Cal Poly is looking for a replacement for Tim Chicoine, who averaged 42.5 yards on his 46 punts last season.
Jake West and Andrew Gardner are currently listed as the Mustangs’ punters during Spring Drills.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brian...

What do you know about him as a punter? Honestly the punting and kickoff part of the game are both huge concerns going into the next season. We need someone to kick the ball off consistently inside the opponent's 10 yard line. There were way too many times that we gave up excellent field position after the kickoff. Yes, special teams also has to make the tackles but having a player with a great leg would be a real plus. Jake West handled a lot of the kickoffs last year but does not seem to have the same leg strength as let us say a Cormealas from a season ago. And Gardner, while having a reliable leg was not used on long field goal attempts (Chicoine was used instead).

Your thoughts !!!

Anonymous said...

Harlan Prather averaged 37.8 yards per punt (48 for 1,812 yards), according to statistics posted on www.coasports.org. I've seen him pretty much every home game the past four years and he is a quality, punter, quarterback and person. His older brother Waylon was a darn good punter too. He just finished his senior season at San Jose State and participated in the Hula Bowl. Moreover, Harlan can power through tackles in short-yardage situations and he has decptive speed. Also, being a quarterback, can throw on fake punts with great accuracy. Cal Poly got a steal. Best yet, the kid is a winner and a fighter. I imagine we'll see him a junior in the starting rotation.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for advising regarding Prather's punting stats. 37.8 yards per punt doesn't exactly "knock 'em dead" though. When you take a look at Cal Poly's punting depth chart you have Jake West and Andrew Gardner -- neither of whom look like they weigh more than a buck fifty (yes, I know that they are listed heavier on the team roster). Neither has a leg that will deliver deep kickoffs and long punts. Hopefully Harlan Prather can become a part of the punting and kickoff mix and is able to develop very quickly. Like I said in my first comment, we cannot afford to give up excellent field position due to our kicking game.

Again, thanks for advising...

Anonymous said...

grab a player from the soccer team

Anonymous said...

any word on adding a 12 th football game for this season ??

Anonymous said...

did we forget to recruit a field goal kicker???