SPRINGDALE — His stomach ached out of nervousness as Fayetteville quarterback Brandon Allen walked into the room, on the eve of the 2008 Top Gun QB1 Quarterback Challenge.
Shiloh Christian quarterback Kiehl Frazier already knew plenty about Allen. They had competed against one another in a few youth baseball games. And people had started uttering their names together after their successful ninth-grade football seasons, beginning the trend of comparing the two that unavoidably continues to this day.
But hearing about, and actually meeting, Allen were two entirely different concepts to Frazier.
“It was really weird. It was kind like meeting a celebrity, really, because I had heard so much about him,” Frazier said. “There seemed to be so much hype about us already, so it was great to finally meet and get it over with. We just introduced ourselves and clicked from there. He’s a really cool guy, and he’s a good friend.”
They could’ve been rivals. The junior quarterbacks, two of the highest-rated quarterback prospects nationally in the Class of 2011, could’ve big-timed one another. They could’ve sparked a bitter, intense relationship. Instead, Allen and Frazier chose that day to commence an ever-growing friendship.
These days, though, they find little time to keep in touch.
Frazier is busy trying to lead one-loss Shiloh Christian to another Class 4A state championship. Allen is occupied with hopes of leading 4-2-1 Fayetteville to a 7A-West Conference title. And all the while, they’re each dealing with the daily demands of an already exhaustive recruiting process.
The situation is simply unprecedented in Northwest Arkansas. Forget the personal connection between Allen and Frazier for a moment. All of the country’s top college head coaches, offensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches have sent letters or visited the area. And they haven’t contacted one quarterback over the other. Most want to sway both of them.
“I can’t recall a time when two quarterbacks in the same class were as good as Brandon and Kiehl,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “They’re different quarterbacks, but they both have unbelievable God-given ability and talent. To have both of those kids here in the area, and maybe both go to Arkansas, I think you could be set at that position for a long time.”
Top Of The Class
Even in recent years, the state of Arkansas has sent quality quarterbacks to stand out at Division I schools.
Mitch Mustain of Springdale started for the Razorbacks as a freshman and has since moved on to USC. Kodi Burns of Fort Smith headed to Auburn before switching to wide receiver. Ryan Mallett spent many of his childhood years in Lincoln before becoming the Hogs’ current signal caller.
But as Patton said, it’s hard to remember a time when two quarterbacks of that caliber entered college at the same time. Especially two who look the part of a pro-style quarterback the way Allen and Frazier do. They both stand 6-foot-3, and Frazier weighs only seven pounds heavier (212) than Allen (205).
“It’s the best Division I quarterback class that I’ve ever seen,” said Dudley Dawson, recruiting editor for Hawgs Illustrated. “That’s including Allen, Frazier, (Dumas quarterback Darion) Griswold and a couple others. That said, Brandon and Kiehl are right at the top of it.”
Dawson said Allen and Frazier each possess the physical talents and mental attributes needed to impress any school. Their respective willingness to improve on identified weaknesses has helped them on two fronts, Dawson said.
On the field. And in the minds of college coaches.
“Kiehl has shown so much development since last year,” Dawson said. “He used to be a guy that just got stuff done with his feet and flung the ball. He’s turned into a guy who has pinpoint accuracy and great footwork, and he’s certainly a dual-threat quarterback.”
Dawson also lauded Allen’s improved mobility and throwing accuracy.
“He can make any of the throws,” Dawson said. “He has the strongest arm of the top three, and he certainly has shed the label this year that he has no mobility. He’s run for tons of yards and he runs hard.”
The fact Dawson described different flaws and different improvements for Allen and Frazier proves that — despite their similar builds — these really are two different quarterbacks.
Mentally, however, they each revealed this offseason they could learn from criticism and develop as leaders.
Getting Better
The interceptions piled up fast for Allen in 2008.
He threw 20 of them, in fact, and Patton and Fayetteville offensive coordinator Jared McBride could only grimace as Allen continued to struggle down the stretch. But both coaches could see glimpses of greatness. Allen still tossed 30 touchdowns and showed off a powerful arm that resulted in a plethora of dropped passes.
So this summer, Allen worked daily on his footwork and decision-making with McBride — a former UA quarterback. Patton has seen vast improvement, and Allen admitted he’s “making better decisions than ever.”
“Brandon’s done a great job of stepping up in the pocket, relying less on his feet and trusting his receivers,” Patton said. “Last year, it seemed like he was a little gun-shy every time something didn’t look right. He’d move his feet and lose track of his receivers down the field.”
“He’s much better at not forcing the football and at throwing it away, as well.”
Allen’s offseason commitment has resulted in a massive turnaround in his touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has 18 touchdowns to only three interceptions this season.
McBride also commented that Allen’s demeanor has changed as a junior. Surrounded by many seniors last season, Allen deferred his role as a leader for the Bulldogs. Now, he doesn’t hold back — not as much, at least.
“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around,” Patton said. “He’s a winner and has great confidence in his abilities, but he’s not one of those ‘look-at-me’ kind of guys who draws attention to himself. The kids would go through brick walls for him. Brandon doesn’t speak a lot, but when he does speak, it’s like dropping 1,000 bricks. Everyone pays attention.”
Frazier has evolved in a similar way this season, Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd said, but his quarterback still remains pretty subdued during games.
That quiet confidence has stemmed from Frazier’s offseason regimen that took place just as much inside as outside. Frazier spent countless hours over the summer in front of a TV, watching film from last season when he split time with David Matthews.
“I didn’t really know all that was going on last year,” Frazier said. “I knew I had to get better chemistry with my receivers.”
Floyd said Frazier learned from his mistakes and has nearly mastered the Saints’ offense, allowing him to identify his reads much quicker. Too often last season, Frazier simply scrambled for yardage — partly because he could, partly because he gave up on his receivers.
But Frazier appears in complete control now, which has helped during tense situations, Floyd said.
“The thing with Kiehl that I love is he’s very calm,” Floyd said. “The game could be on the line and he may be smiling, but he’s not bothered by things. He’s not a Tim Tebow who goes around yelling at his teammates, but at the same time, he’s directing the offense and he knows where every person is supposed to go.
“That wasn’t the case last year. Last year, he just tried to make sure what he was supposed to do.”
In It Together
Maybe these two quarterbacks have found it so easy to relate because of their similarities, exemplified by their persistent work in the offseason. Floyd and Patton each used the word “humble” several times during interviews to describe their quarterbacks.
Allen and Frazier both expressed genuine admiration and respect when asked to tell their impressions of the other. And that’s certainly part of what has excited college recruiters.
The process has been intriguing thus far, to be sure, not that the two quarterback buddies have discussed their recruiting dramas much.
“We don’t really talk about football,” Frazier said. “We just talk about girls and school and stuff like that. Every now and then, I’ll ask him where he likes and wants to go, and he’ll do the same. But that’s not what we’re interested in right now.”
Frazier has received seven scholarship offers — the biggest names being Arkansas, Auburn and Miami — and should get plenty more. In fact, he took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame last Saturday. Meanwhile, Allen has only one offer — from Arkansas — as schools seem scared off by the fact his father, Bobby, is an assistant coach for the Razorbacks.
They have spoken in the past about the possibility of suiting up together for the Hogs — and subsequently, competing against each other. For now, however, they don’t see one another as quarterbacks competing for scholarships, despite the endless comparisons.
Allen and Frazier view themselves as friends, simple as that. Frazier even said he wanted to challenge Allen at his favorite video game — NCAA Football 2010.
“It’s nice to be able to talk to Kiehl about other stuff, regular stuff, you know,” Allen said. “One day, we’ll get into all the college talk a lot, I’m sure. But neither of us has wanted to. And that’s fine with me.”
“It was in the newspaper earlier in the week, and it was brought up after the game,” Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. “It’s a long rivalry so it goes without saying when you can do something for the first time, it’s pretty special.”
