2014 Washington State Recruiting Breakdown: QB Christian Chapman (Offered)

A quarterback that Mike Leach is targeting is Christian Chapman out of Carlsbad, California. Chapman is a 6-1 190 pound 2014 recruit who has a lot of the skill traits of a quarterback who can succeed in the NCAA especially under the type of offense that Leach and Washington State run.

The first thing that I noticed when watching Chapman’s film is that he can throw the ball while on the run out of the pocket pretty accurately. He knows where he is at compared to where the line of scrimmage is as well as knowing where the defenders are and when to escape the pocket and when to stay in and throw the ball. Being able to throw on a scramble would be something that would be a huge boost to a team. When the pocket collapses he is able to extend the play a little longer and scramble and give the receivers a little bit of extra time to get open.

When staying in the pocket Chapman is willing and able to take a hit in order to get the ball off if that is what it takes. This can be both a positive and a negative to his game. A team doesn’t want their starting quarterback to take a lot of hits when back in the pocket especially at his size, but wants him to be able to stay in and deliver a ball when needed. One of the main things I noticed that is a huge plus to his game is his long ball. Chapman has great arm strength and is able to hit his receivers in stride deep down the field while putting the ball in a place that only his receivers can get it.

Some of the major negatives I noticed about Chapman’s game is that he doesn’t scan the field before releasing his passes. Most of his receivers are pre-determined and any skilled corner or safety will easily be able to pick up on that and tear him apart when he throws the ball.

Another negative I noticed with Chapman is that when he is under pressure he forces a lot of his balls into tight areas and makes it very hard for the receiver to make the catch. Forcing the ball is going to turn into a lot of turnovers in college. To go along with him throwing into tight areas he releases the ball after a receiver was open which is also why he forces the ball, he sees a receiver open waits and then throws the ball. If Chapman were to work on settling down a little bit more in the pocket and throw away a few of the passes instead of forcing them into tight areas he would have a lot more success.

With Washington State already having a 2014 QB commit in Peyton Bender out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and having quarterbacks Tyler Bruggman, Connor Halliday, Austin Apodaca, Conner Johnson, and Jesse Brown already on the roster I don’t see Chapman getting much or any playing time in his first year if he were to commit to Washington State.

Washington State is the only school that Chapman is interested in so far.

Below you will find Christian Chapman’s junior year highlight film.