Brothers in arms: Young quarterbacks sharing same journey
February 03, 2015 | Mike Lucas
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com
MADISON, Wis. -- Austin Kafentzis and Alex Hornibrook each endured a couple of weeks of uncertainty when they were in recruiting limbo. But their career paths have since intersected as Wisconsin freshmen; bridging their recognizable differences, physically and geographically, as early enrollees in the Class of 2015.
Kafentzis is a 6-foot, 200-pound quarterback from Sandy, Utah, a Salt Lake City suburb; whereas Hornibrook is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback from West Chester, Pennsylvania, 25 miles west of Philadelphia. While so unalike - Kafentzis is right-handed and Hornibrook is left-handed - they have so many common likes.
Both like school, especially the idea of getting a degree from the UW School of Business. Both like Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. Both like competition. Both like Paul Chryst. And the latter is a big reason why they're both here, and it's based on their trust and belief in Chryst, the UW head coach.
Kafentzis, who will be 19 in April, said that his commitment to graduate early from high school and enroll for the second semester was made all the more easier knowing that it would allow him to "start learning from one of the best offensive minds in college football today, Coach Chryst."
Hornibrook, who just turned 18, said essentially the same thing after decommitting from the University of Pittsburgh - where Chryst coached the last three seasons - and following Chryst to Madison because "I thought his pro-style offense was great for me; I thought it was the perfect fit."
Despite being a long way from home, Kafentzis and Hornibrook are both confident that they will have no trouble "fitting in" with the Chryst system, the school, their new teammates, the coaching staff, the campus and the community. Yet, they have very different stories to tell.
"I'm just looking forward to working with both of them this spring," Chryst said.
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After attending a Wisconsin summer football camp, Kafentzis verbally committed to the Badgers in June of 2013; he accepted Gary Andersen's scholarship offer two months before the start of his junior year of high school and two months before Andersen, who had replaced Bret Bielema, made his debut as the head coach against UMass. Kafentzis was the first member of the 2015 class.
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| Complete coverage of Signing Day 2015 |
There was a previous Kafentzis connection to Andersen in that Austin's father, Kyle, then the defensive coordinator at Sandy High School, had previously coached Andersen's son, Keegan. During his playing days, Kyle Kafentzis was a defensive back at the University of Hawaii and had a brief trial as a free agent with the Chicago Bears before an injury ended his career.
The recruitment of Austin Kafentzis continued long after he said "yes" to Andersen and the Badgers. Others tried to get him to flip but he remained steadfast in his commitment. "How could you not come to Madison and just love everything about it?" he posed. "It was the people, the university, Camp Randall, the fans; just everything about it. I didn't need to take any other visits."
Until, that is, Andersen left Wisconsin for Oregon State. "It was ironic that he ended up leaving and I had to go through the (recruiting) process which I tried not to do (by committing early)," Kafentzis said. "It was a big decision on where I wanted to go and I had two weeks to figure it out as opposed to the two years that I would have had prior."
Kafentzis felt obligated to visit Oregon State. "His first day there," he said of Andersen, "was my first day there. So he was seeing it (the campus and facilities) as I was seeing it. He hadn't seen it at all, either. We were kind of going through it together. I already had two years to basically fall in love with Madison and I did. And I'm a really loyal guy when it comes to commitment.
"I love Gary, I love him to death," Kafentzis stressed. "He's the reason why I'm here right now and I wish him the best at Oregon State. But in the end I feel what was best for me was staying at Wisconsin and learning under Coach Chryst."
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| "The thing that stood out the most was the way he competed, " Chryst said of Kafentzis. "Then in talking to him, I thought, 'Here's a guy who will work and wants to be good at this level.'" |
Chryst also did his homework on Kafentzis. "When you watched his film, you saw a guy that competed," Chryst said. "He made throws; he did a lot with his legs. But, again, the thing that stood out the most was the way he competed. I certainly felt that he had quite a few redeeming qualities. Then in talking to him, I thought, 'Here's a guy who will work and wants to be good at this level.'"
More than anything, Kafentzis wants to be a quarterback. Many recruiters projected him on defense as a safety. Andersen, in fact, thought that's where he might wind up. So when he visited with Chryst, it was one of the first things that came up. "He believed I was a quarterback and he thinks I'm a quarterback at the highest level," Kafentzis said, "and I ultimately based my decision off that answer."
Chryst was just being himself, just being honest. "I knew that was going to be important to him, so we talked about it," he said. "I don't believe that it's right to bring someone in for a position when you know that you're going to try and move him. I've been a part of guys who have changed positions, some really good ones here. But that's not the intention with Austin. He's got the ability to be a good quarterback and I told him that he would have every opportunity to do that."
Because of his running prowess - 6,942 rushing yards, which included 38 games of 100-yard-plus yards during his illustrious four-year high school career - Kafentzis has been branded as a dual-threat quarterback; and there's nothing wrong with that brand, particularly when you are the most prolific dual-threat in U.S. prep history with 115 passing touchdowns and 103 rushing touchdowns.
"I do believe I can run the ball," Kafentzis said. "But I'm a pass-first guy. When I'm going through my progressions - first read, second read - if that all breaks down, I'm going to use my footwork, backdoor or frontdoor (out of the pocket). But I'm using it find the open guy. I wouldn't say I'm one read and sprint out. I wouldn't say I was a dual-threat quarterback. A lot of my rushing yards were called rushes. I feel like I'm more of a pocket passer who uses his footwork."
Kafentzis has strengthened his arm by throwing the javelin; he's not just any thrower, mind-you, but he's a Utah record-holder and state champion in the javelin.
"It has not hurt me; if anything, it has helped my arm get stronger," said Kafentzis, who wouldn't mind going out for the UW track team after spring ball if it can be arranged. "I'm not going to say it's the same as throwing a football. The release points and starting points are different. But if you keep your elbow above your shoulder, you're not going to have any (arm) problems. My dad and uncles threw it (the javelin), so it's in my blood."
Before Kafentzis knew of Chryst, he knew of Wilson. He knew that Wilson was a 5-11 quarterback whose height was questioned, especially by the NFL scouts. "I feel like the only thing you can't control is height," said Kafentzis. "I'm not as tall (as some other QBs) but I have the footwork to keep the play alive and get into passing windows and deliver the ball downfield. Drew Brees is in the same boat. He's not the tallest quarterback. But he's getting the job done at the highest level."
Kafentzis has tried to take different elements from a variety of quarterbacks. He respects Aaron Rodgers "for his arm strength and ability to have a quick release." He admires Tom Brady for his "pocket presence" and Peyton Manning for his "brain." The mental part of the game is very important to Kafentzis. "He knows your defense," he said of Manning, "better than you know your defense."
Kafentzis shares that trait with Hornibrook. Both are excellent students in the classroom. Both are avid students of the game. And both have credited Joel Stave, UW's returning starter at quarterback, with easing their transition to college life and football. "Joel has been a great role model," Kafentzis said. "He has helped us every step of the way. He has been a great mentor."
Kafentzis is living with tight end Kyle Penniston and linebackers Nick Thomas and Ty DeForest. Penniston is from California, Thomas is from Florida (via Kansas), DeForest is from Marshall. Hornibrook is on the floor below them and living with defensive back Serge Trezy and offensive lineman Jon Dietzen. Trezy is from Eastern Arizona (via Florida) and Dietzen is from Black Creek and Seymour High School.
"We're all blending really well," Kafentzis said. "We're excited to see how our future is."
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Up until a few weeks ago, Hornibrook wasn't sure his future would be here.
"There was a week or two where I didn't know if I was going to get offered (by Wisconsin) or not," he said. "Through the whole process, I wasn't too anxious or overwhelmed or anything like that. I was confident in what was going to happen. And once I actually did get an offer from Coach Chryst, I was excited to get started. It happened real fast. I visited on Sunday and moved in Monday."
On June 7, 2014, Hornibrook hit send on Twitter and delivered this tweet: "Very excited and humbled to announce that I have committed to play football at the University of Pittsburgh."
Hornibrook was recruited by Pitt's offensive line coach Jim Hueber, a former UW assistant. He also had offers from Rutgers and UConn.
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| "I think he has some special talent, and when you spend some time with him, he has the makeup that you want in a QB, " Chryst said of Hornibrook. |
While at Pitt, Chryst had a good book on Hornibrook, a three-year captain. "I was able to go through the whole process with him," he said. "He came to our (summer) camp and he came to campus quite a bit, which really allows you to sit down and visit and get to know him. I think he has some special talent and when you spend some time with him, he has the makeup that you want in a quarterback."
When Chryst informed Hornibrook that he was taking the Wisconsin job, Chryst said, "He (Hornibrook) brought up the possibility whether there would be any interest in him (coming to Wisconsin) and I said, 'Absolutely,' because I knew this place would fit him as well (as Pitt). I'm really excited and feel fortunate that he's here. He has got a lot of arm strength and throws a lot of different type of throws. He has got good mobility to go along with his size, so you feel pretty good about him."
Maybe nobody felt better about Hornibrook's decision to become a Badger than one of his uncles who played for UW basketball coach Bo Ryan at Sun Valley High School in Aston, Pennsylvania. On top of that, Ryan's late father, Butch, coached another of Hornibrook's uncles, Ben Davis, who played seven years in the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox. Davis, the second overall pick in the 1995 draft, got some notoriety in 2001 when he broke up Curt Schilling's perfect game with a bunt single in the eighth inning; it was 2-0 at the time.
"He's definitely one of my closet uncles; he lives about five minutes away and I see him all the time," Hornibrook said of Davis, a 16-year vet of pro ball. "He has just been a great influence on me because he has already been where I want to be (as an athlete). He went to the same high school and he has had a lot of success in sports. He has been a great role model."
Hornibrook feels the same way about his parents: his mom Dawn played basketball at Gettysburg; his dad Jeff played football at Temple. Meanwhile, his older sister Mackenzie is a swimmer at Penn State and his younger brother Jake will "probably be a lot bigger than me." On opting for Wisconsin over Pitt, he said, "It was kind of a family decision and we felt this was what was right."
For awhile, the Hornibrook home base was Austin, Texas. Business took Jeff Hornibrook there. "And I would have gone to the same high school as Drew Brees, if we had stayed, the same school as Nick Foles," said Alex Hornibrook, who lists Brees and Peyton Manning among his favorite quarterbacks. Hornibrook, like Kafentzis, pointed to the way that Manning can manage a game. "He knows where he want to go with the ball, he's making checks all the time and he gets all of his guys in the right place."
Right place, right time. That's how Hornibrook would characterize why he's in Madison today. As for the competition for playing time, whenever it may materialize down the road, not only for Hornibrook but Kafentzis, he said, "I know there are a lot of quarterbacks here. But at the end of the day you're going to have to compete anywhere you go. So you might as well go to a place where you're comfortable and you feel like you can succeed."
Both have succeeded in doing that; the first step.
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