College coaches flocking to Foothill to recruit quarterback Drew Doxtator

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Friday, March 22, 2013 | 2 a.m.

It’s Monday night under the lights on the Foothill High football field, and Falcons senior quarterback Drew Doxtator is putting on a clinic.

He completes pass after pass to anyone running a route in the school’s involuntary offseason program and doesn’t seem to break a sweat in having pinpoint accuracy with most throws. The 6-foot-3 Doxtator is a prototypical drop-back passer, and judging by recruiting interest from college coaches this spring, he's a sure-thing Division I recruit.

While he is still waiting for his first written scholarship offer, Doxtator has been contacted by more than 40 schools, including Stanford, Wisconsin, UNLV and San Jose State. In total, he’s received more than 500 recruiting letters, including multiple letters from several schools.

They’ve come from “Stanford, UCLA, Oregon, USC, Oregon State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Florida State, Missouri, Utah. ... Washington, Washington State, Texas and Texas A&M are also there,” he said.

Doxtator confirmed his status as an elite quarterback last fall during a remarkable three-game stretch, passing for 450 yards in each game and combining for 14 touchdowns. In the first two games of the hot streak, he had just one interception in 102 pass attempts.

Considering Foothill’s top receiving threat, San Diego State signee Tyler Morris, was sidelined for the season with an injury, Doxtator’s numbers are even more impressive. Just like the Monday passing practices, he completed passes to anyone who was open.

“Not only was he throwing for 450, but he would have eight or nine drops a game, too,” Foothill coach Marty Redmond said. “It is impressive how he can get the ball to anybody. He understands the concepts we are trying to run and the defense we are playing against. He makes great throws, and because of that we are able to score a lot of points.”

Doxtator passed for 1,998 yards last year with 17 touchdowns in completing 50 percent of his passes. And those numbers could have been better. He was shut down — partially as a precaution to protect his college future — after the sixth game of the season with a minor knee injury. He initially injured the knee at the end of his sophomore year, and it required surgery.

When the tissue around his knee starting swelling, it was agreed to pull the plug on the season to allow it to properly heal. It turned out to be a good decision because he’s back to full strength this spring and plays pain-free with no hesitation.

Even without playing in Foothill’s last four games, Doxtator ranked fifth among Las Vegas-area quarterbacks in passing yards.

Those numbers will be elevated this fall. Redmond plans on playing to his team’s strength when calling offensive plays and won’t hesitate allowing Doxtator to pass more than 40 times per game.

That’s music to any quarterback’s ears.

“I love it. That has to be the greatest thing for me,” Doxtator said. “That is a big thing for me college-wise. I have to go somewhere I can read the field. Here, since sophomore year, they have given me two plays. Here is the Cover 2 play and the Cover 4 play. You read the field and make the pass.”

He passed for 2,687 yards with 37 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2011 as a sophomore to help Foothill reach the Sunrise Region championship game, immediately finding success running the offense in his debut varsity season. In his first game, he passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns against Durango, going from a relative unknown to one of the area’s top quarterbacks in one night.

“I had no clue what I was getting into,” Doxtator said of his first start.

Nearly two years later, college coaches are constantly asking about him.

“The kid gets a ton of mail. (College coaches) all know who he is,” Redmond said. “Recruiters are always calling me up to ask how Drew is.”

He plans to take an unofficial trip to Stanford in the spring and is high on Wisconsin because he originally is from there. He’s already taken an unofficial trip to UCLA.

“I want to go somewhere where I can play three or four years and have some fun,” he said. “I like to have fun. I grew up watching Brett Favre and kind of playing like him. You are out there to have fun and be a leader. Not so much yelling at your teammates, but by example.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.