An early look at Cal's 2011 commitments: Kyle Boehm

Kyle Boehm- Kyle Boehm looks like an extremely impressive prospect and is different than the typical quarterback prospect that Coach Tedford recruits which lately seem to be quarterbacks with average arms and decent mobility but seem to be projects. On espn.com he is listed as 6'3 and 202 lbs, so he has good size. From all of the scouting reports I have read and from the videos that I have seen on Boehm, it seems that he has a very strong arm and good mobility. What I like about Boehm is that he has a very strong arm, which is exactly what Cal needs if they want to continue recruiting speedy wide receivers. He also throws a tight spiral which makes it easier for his receivers to catch the ball. In 2009, as a junior Boehm completed 59 of 117 for 936 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed for 877 yards and 14 touchdowns in a mostly running offense. He is listed as a 4 star prospect on rivals and high 3 star prospect on espn. espn has a very detailed scouting report courtesy of scouts.inc saying,

"There are two things that stand out about Boehm off an initial viewing. First, he possesses tremendous natural arm strength, and second, he is playing primarily from under center which is a real plus for college offensive schemes that showcase a multiple, pro-style set. Boehm has very good size, strength and bulk for a pocket passer that is an adequate enough athlete for the position. This offense requires him to throw the three and five step passing game from under center and also be a competent play-action passer between the tackles as well as on short rolls and designed nakeds. The ball pops off his hand and is sometimes difficult to track on film due to its speed and velocity. He can make any throw on the field at the collegiate level and both when set and balance and when on the move and sometimes off his back foot. Gets tremendous velocity and power behind the throw and can threaten deep and outside the numbers from the opposite hash. Drop speed is sound and consistent in terms of footwork. Can freeze linebackers with play-pass and is more than capable of fitting the ball into tight spots on arm strength alone. Gets set quickly, makes quick decisions and has the quick release to help neutralize pass rushes. Goes through progressions, has good height and can see the entire field. Does an excellent job in terms of changing up velocity, shows good touch when throwing underneath and shows very good accuracy when his feet are set. As impressive as Boehm's pure arm strength and passing ability may be, he can be very inconsistent with his delivery and feet from throw-to-throw. Ball does not always come out clean and he will alter his delivery point from high to 3/4 at times. Elbow will drop when he is not balanced and does not get weight behind the throw. His front leg will often get stiff and not allow for him to plant off his back leg and transfer his weight properly. These fundamental issues will have an affect on his accuracy which can make him somewhat erratic at times. These are also areas that can be corrected with coaching and drill work. Boehm is a very good prospect and he can do some things with the ball that you cannot coach. He is not going to wow you like a dual-threat, but he will surprise you with his ability to buy time and keep a play alive until his arm can do the rest."

Clearly, Boehm has some work to do on his mechanics but it seems as if he has the talent to eventually succeed in Cal's pro style offense with his ability to use his strong arm to stretch the field. This will give Cal's running game more room to operate and give Cal the ability to have the big play in the passing game. He will also be useful when Cal uses the spread offense because of his ability to run and give the spread offense a dimension that has not been utilized. I think this is a great pickup for Cal as quarterback play has been lacking from Longshore and Riley the past few years. I think Boehm will allow Tedford to revert back to using more of the offensive schemes that he used under Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers, both of whom were also strong armed quarterbacks. Cal is in desperate need of a star at quarterback. In today's pac-10 and soon to be pac-12, defenses are too good to be one dimensional and in the past few years, the inadequate play of Longshore and Riley have led to Cal's offense being too one dimensional and when Cal plays good defenses they are easily able to stack the box against the run without fear of the pass over the top of the defense. Boehm will give Cal this dimension and hopefully develop into the next star quarterback under tutelage of Coach Tedford.