Skyler Mornhinweg, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Stats
Home/HS: Philadelphia, PA/St. Joseph's Prep
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215
Starz 'n Sheetz
Stars: 3* (247Sports and Scout)
Offer sheet: Alabama, Illinois, Stanford, Tennessee
Cinema
The Tale
Recognize the name? If you are a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you probably do. Skyler is the son of current Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Known around the league as a pretty sharp offensive mind, Marty has apparently passed those smarts on to Skyler, as the younger Mornhinweg is by all accounts an unbelievable smart and well rounded kid. One analyst said that Skyler "plays well beyond his years."
Mornhinweg committed to Stanford in 2009, during his freshman year in high school. Jim Harbaugh was smitten with what he saw, and Mornhinweg gave the Cardinal a QB of the future. Two things happened though that would alter and eventually deter Mornhingweg's route to Palo Alto. First, Harbaugh jumped to the NFL, now the coach of San Francisco. Harbaugh had been Mornhinweg's main recruiter, and the two had established quite a relationship. Second, beginning with the 2009 Class, Stanford gained commitments from 7 quarterbacks in three years. Either way, the Cardinal QB rotation was going to be crowded.
When Harbaugh for the 49ers earlier this year, Mornhinweg decided to reevaluate his options, and began taking more looks around. Stanford was still after him, but Illinois, Penn State, and Alabama (who did pretty well with a Pennsylvania QB in the past) all came calling. In the end, and as expected, staying in-state to play for Penn State was just too enticing to pass up.
Outlook
The only quarterback with a verbal Penn State offer, Skyler Mornhinweg is likely going to be the only quarterback in the Class of 2012. And that's a good thing. A strong athlete with a sharp mind for football, Mornhinweg should fit right into our not quite spread, not quite dropback offensive style. In fact, Mornhinweg models his play after another relatively mobile quarterback that his father once coached:
"I really love that [Steve] Young is such a mobile QB — he could run and scramble and get out of pressure," Mornhinweg said. "I try to stay agile and run around a little bit. I guess in that sense I try to model my play after him."
Mornhinweg has also spent time in the St. Joe's defensive backfield at the safety position. Some would like to see him get a shot there once at Penn State, but his future is almost certainly under center.
Because he was committed to Stanford for so long and has only recently reopened his recruitment, there isn't much out there on Skyler. But from what we've seen, and certainly from what the staff has seen, Skyler is a great match for Penn State.
Sean Fitz was on the call with Skyler, and had the news when it finally got underway. From Skyler's coach:
"He's a versatile athlete... he's also captain of the baseball team... He is the most talented quarterback I have ever coached. His recruiting process was an intense one, being recruited by some of the country's best.... He's a prolific passer... A very versatile athlete... He's a highly respected member of our program.. Extremely well-liked in our community... A natural born leader and an incredible competitor."
Welcome to Happy Valley, Skyler!
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