QB recruit eager to learn system
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BY TOMMY DAHLK / Lincoln Journal Star
Most high school football recruits will be trying to find a date to prom next spring. Patrick Witt instead will be trying to learn the West Coast offense during Nebraska’s spring practice.
The quarterback from Wylie, Texas, who has orally committed to the Huskers, will graduate a semester early and enroll at Nebraska in January. He’s scheduled to make a recruiting trip to Lincoln this weekend, when the Huskers take on Missouri.
Witt said arriving at NU early gives him the best shot of being prepared come fall.
“Talking with my brother, who is playing football at Harvard, he said that the first season, when you come in the fall as a freshman, the program is already gearing up for the season,” Witt said. “It feels as if it’s almost a wasted year. So, if you get there in the spring, it will give you ample time to learn the offense.”
Getting acquainted with the Nebraska offense may be the main reason Witt plans to graduate early, but he said he doesn’t feel too obligated to stay at Wylie for the whole year.
“I’m living in a place with people I’ve known for about six or seven months,” Witt said. “It’s not like I have deep ties here. But I love the guys here.”
Last season, Witt, who is rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, played quarterback at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga.
But last spring, his parents, who are both pilots, decided to move to Texas.
At Wylie, Witt and his teammates have seen their share of obstacles. The Pirates returned only three starters from last year’s squad. Plus, Wylie moved up to 5A, Texas’ biggest class.
Despite being an newcomer in arguably one of the toughest high school football areas in the country, Witt has led the Pirates to a 3-5 record.
Witt said Wylie still has a shot at making the playoffs and has lost a few games in the final minutes.
“It’s no cakewalk,” Witt said. “We’re still in the hunt for the playoffs. We had a couple big upsets in our district. No one really gave us a shot in those games. As it stands, we control our own destiny. If we win these last two games, which are really achievable, then we’re in and that was our goals for this season.”
In addition to being the starting quarterback in the midst of a playoff race, Witt has had to take a full load of classes and additional ones on the Internet so that he can graduate early.
Witt said this season has really taught him a lot about football.
“It has helped me respect the team as a whole,” Witt said. “It’s challenged me, to as far as leadership goes, trying to take these kids, who may not be the most talented guys out there, to get together and perform.”
However, will Witt be ready to come to Nebraska early and able to compete right away for the starting spot?
Witt, who chose Nebraska over Purdue, Wisconsin, Texas Tech and Baylor, among others, said he isn’t sure, but can’t wait to join the Huskers.
“I wouldn’t go to Nebraska if I didn’t feel I’d have a legitimate shot at someday being a starting quarterback,” Witt said. “Nebraska is a program with such great tradition. They have a great coaching staff there. If you’re a quarterback, you’re going to want to play for Coach (Bill) Callahan. If you can run his system, you can run an NFL system and that is a great opportunity that I felt that I couldn’t pass up.”
Reach Tommy Dahlk at 473-7431 or at tdahlk@journalstar.com.
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