When the three QBs, Eric Peterman, Andrew Brewer and Mike Kafka were signed by then coach Randy Walker, I asked the question, "Why 3 QBs?" He told me that NU traditionally takes one outstanding QB a class, but this year [2005] they had a chance for 3 good QBs and they took it. Besides, the team is full of guys who took snaps for winning teams but switched around once they got to NU. Chris Pool had always said that Peterman would eventually be a safety, and that one or two other QB recruits would wind up playing elsewhere on the Wildcats. Chris had a position change right, but not the eventual position for Peterman? Eric Peterman moved to WR almost immediately as a true frosh, and almost immediately became an underneath threat. Last year's 12 receptions 2 TDs and 181 yards of offense made him a player you don't ignore, and playing with the likes of Shaun Herbert and Ross Lane gives him more than a few opportunities to make plays. But the big news this week is that Andrew Brewer, who started just 2 games ago, is trying out the move from under center and into the WR rotation. I'm sure he'll continue to take snaps, but the recovery of Mike Kafka will allow him to use his speed in the open field one on one, instead of trying to ellude the 5 or 6 rushers he saw during his QB starts.
Andrew Brewer isn't the first High School standout QB to change positions after arriving at Northwestern. Here are all the present NU players who list time at QB in their HS bios...
These 9 former, and 4 present QBs expect to be joined by one more in the class of 2007, Dan Persa, who has been lighting up his eastern Pennsylvania league this season. Persa also plays a little d-back, but has been playing half games lately because his team seems to be able to score at will. The late Randy Walker always said that he like to recruit quarterbacks because of their athleticism - most QBs are the most athletic player on a HS team - and Walker liked good athletes first. NU always tried to take a good QB in each class, some stuck, some decided to play elsewhere. We'll see if Coach Pat Fitzgerald continues that one QB a class trend. So far, it seems to have worked.
