With the 2022 class all set at quarterback Washington offensive coordinator John Donovan has been evaluating several signal-callers in the coming recruiting cycles.
This past weekend the staff held its annual Rising Stars Camp, Dirt Dawg Camp and QB camp – all on Saturday – which gave Donovan and graduate assistant Peyton McCollum an opportunity to evaluate a vast number of quarterbacks in the friendly confines of Husky Stadium.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year the school wasn’t able to hold its traditional summer camps, which UW ties heavily into its overall recruiting process with the ability to evaluate prospects in person and get them on campus for an official or unofficial visit at the same time.
For quarterbacks at a random school camp it isn’t as easy to step on the field and lead receivers, who more likely than not haven’t caught a pass from the player prior to the camp.
To earn MVP honors separates the average and decent quarterbacks from the great ones.
Jaxon Potter, a 2023 pro-style QB who recently transferred from JSerra Catholic to Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) made the throws necessary Saturday in front of Donovan and McCollum to earn QB MVP honors for his class.
“Coach Donovan is a great coach. Really good guy. I can feel his energy. I can feel the energy he brings to the team and everyone on the field, Potter said.
“I feel like we connected pretty well during the camp and I’d like to work with him again. I feel like that’d be very beneficial. Coach McCollum is a great coach as well. I’d like to get up there again as soon as possible and get to work with them again.”
After Potter completed his freshman season at JSerra he got followed on Twitter by Donovan and once he finished a shortened sophomore campaign this past spring McCollum joined the UW OC in the recruiting effort.
One part of his game that his high school coaches want Potter to improve on is being assertive.
UW coaches saw that competitive nature on full display.
“My coaches at Santa Margarita are doing a great job of molding me into a great leader and they’re harping on me to be more vocal,” he said. “In the offense and team in general. At camps like this you have to take control and I feel like I did that.”
After the coaches watched Potter throw one element to the game the UW coaches emphasized is stacking positive plays, whether it be with his arm or legs.
“This year I want to be more mobile. I want to try to wow the crowd, make things happen when the protection breaks down,” he said.
“I want to make as many positive plays as possible. That’s actually what they were talking about at UW. I talked about that with coach McCollum. To make as many positive plays as possible and give everything I can to get at least six yards on any play.”
The 6-foot-4, 177-pounder also visited Auburn earlier this summer and will throw at a camp at Boston College in July before turning his attention to his junior season.
