Fayetteville Arkansas Class of 2017 QB Taylor Powell Talks U.S. Army Combine Experience

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

There are several postseason high school football all-star games every year that attract top talent from across the nation, one of those games is the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The game is held in San Antonio, Texas, at the Alomodome giving a last on the field showcase for recruits to their new prospective fan bases and for others, one last test to earn a scholarship offer from a perspective dream school.

This year’s game was a highlight reel for the West squad winning 37-9. But while preparations were being made for the game, some 500 juniors from across the nation were essentially auditioning for a spot in next year’s game by attending the U.S. Army National Combine. The combine gives recruits an opportunity to run the 40-yard dash, do the short shuttle, the vertical jump, and the all too important one-on-one competition. One of the participants was rising Class of 2017 stars, quarterback Taylor Powell.

Powell led Fayetteville High School to a 2014 Arkansas state runner-up finish as a sophomore and then took the Bulldogs to the promise land in 2015 beating 7A West foe Har-Ber (Springdale) 28-7 in the state championship game for the trophy. Along the way the 6’2”, 195 pound, talent did a little bit of everything passing for 3,594 yards with 49 touchdowns against eight interceptions completing 71 percent of his passes. He added 115 yards on 60 carries with six more touchdowns while converting two 2-point attempts.

With the big numbers, Powell set a 7A Classification single-season mark for passing touchdowns, tied a school record set by All-SEC quarterback Brandon Allen (Arkansas Razorbacks) with seven touchdowns in a game, and set the 7A playoff record for touchdown passes in the playoffs with eight. He also broke school records for touchdowns (49) in a season and completions in a season with 269 in just 378 pass attempts. By the time his senior season is completed he will be close to setting all the records at Fayetteville High School or will have reset all of them, and some state records as well.

The honors have rolled in including USA Today Offensive Player of the Year for Arkansas, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Offensive Player of the Year, 7A All-State first team, 7A All-Conference, 7A Offensive Player of the Year, and so on.

Interest from the college ranks are consistent and daily with programs like Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Nebraska, Memphis, Cal, Purdue, Missouri, Louisiana Tech, Illinois, Pitt, Maryland, Central Florida, Wake Forest, Arkansas State, and Notre Dame reaching out. Two offers have been laid on the table from Arkansas State and Wake Forest with another one potentially coming soon from Oklahoma State.

Powell participated in the one-on-one events at the U.S. Army Combine but did not test due to a tweaked hamstring. In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Taylor after the combine to get his thoughts on his performance and a recruiting news update.

Interview

Taylor, how did the U.S. Army Combine go for you?

“It went really well. My mom kept my stats in the one-on-one passing drills. I was 13 of 20 with four drops, so in my book I was 13 of 16. There was some really big time athletes down there. I think it was a good reflection of where I am at with my abilities.”

Was there a wide receiver out there that you connected with during the drills?

“I did not know any of the wide receivers. There were some that I connected with but I can’t remember names.”

What else did you do while at the combine?

“We had meetings and talked a lot about academics. We talked a lot about what it takes to make it in the game and how to better yourself as a player. That’s really all we did, talks about life and meetings.”

Any new news on the recruiting front since we last talked?

“No new offers, but I have been hearing a lot from Oklahoma State. I can’t keep all the schools straight in my head right now but hearing from them all.”

Have you set up any unofficial visits, one-day camp trips, or Junior Day events yet?

“I’ve been invited to Junior Day at Oklahoma State. I’m planning on visiting Arkansas State and Wake Forest. Camp wise, I don’t know yet. I’m not sure what my summer looks like. I’m planning on competing in the Elite 11 (quarterback camp). We’ll see how everything shapes up around that for the summer.”

Taylor, thanks for your time today and congratulations on the success at the combine.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit:  NWA democratgazette.com; Taylor Powell in action.

Photo credit: NWA democratgazette.com; Taylor Powell escapes the pressure in the pocket.