Film Breakdown: WKU 2021 QB Commit Chance McDonald
WKU earned its first class of 2021 verbal commit when two-star pro-style quarterback Chance McDonald verbally committed to WKU.
I decided to check out McDonald's abilities to see how they would translate into Tyson Helton's offense and to show Topper fans what they're getting in McDonald.
Footwork
The first thing that I took a look at was McDonald's footwork. It's solid for a guy who still has a year left to improve at the high school ranks before moving up to the Division I level. His feet are typically squared to his target with all of his spikes in the ground when he hits the back of his drop/moves up to hit the reciever. McDonald also does a pretty good job of moving outside of the pocket on designed run-out plays for him to hit guys outside the numbers. McDonald has an occasional heel click that shortens his base but overall has pretty good footwork.
Accuracy
An important aspect of Tyson Helton's offense is to get the ball to playmakers at all 3 levels of the field. McDonald has exceptional deep ball accuracy and ball placement. He can sling it vertically which is something that Helton tried to put more emphasis on as the 2019 season went on. On his Hudl there's also plenty of examples of him taking 3-5 step drops and firing a ball to the intermediate level of the field on an out route. Therefore, McDonald is accurate enough to hit guys on timing routes as well. There isn't much tape on his Hudl of working the ball behind the sticks outside of a few nice completions to guys running slant patterns which were put only where his guy can get it. Overall, his ability to throw the deep ball accurately is excellent.
Arm Strength
McDonald is only 6'2, 200 pounds but he can sling it. The offense McDonald plays in allows him to take many shots downfield due to the athleticism he has to work with on the perimeter. His arm strength compliments it very well. His ball is one that cuts through the wind which is always helpful in the colder months of the season. Below in his Hudl tape, you'll see plenty of examples of his arm strength in terms of delivery from his stance in the pocket and out.
Pocket Presence
Has a great sense of when to get in/out of the pocket. McDonald uses his feet well to extend plays outside of the pocket when the play breaks down. From there on he uses his arm strength and athleticism to complete tough throws outside of the pocket. Will also stand tall in the pocket and take one on the chin while finishing his delivery.
Progressions/Vision
The one thing that will improve as he grows as a quarterback is going through his progressions. Once again Hudl does not always do an athlete justice in their game from top to bottom but McDonald is great at connecting with his recievers on designed shot plays and timing routes. However I wish I had more footage to look at in terms of seeing how he progresses through his reads so I cannot give a fair judgement in terms of his skill.
Overall, McDonald looks like a solid QB that has tools that Tyson Helton and Bryan Ellis can work with. If he does end up a Hilltopper I could see him bringing a new archetype of QB to the Hill as a gunslinger who moves well on designed runs too. Designed runs were a huge part of WKU's offense last season with Ty Storey's toughness and athleticism out of the backfield. Bryan Ellis I'm sure would love to get McDonald involved in the run game running read options and implementing more RPO's with the threat McDonald brings with his legs.
If McDonald decides to sign a letter of intent to come to WKU, Helton and co. will be getting a very unique add to their quarterback room.