Trevor Knight and the New OU QB

Last night, Trevor Knight apparently got the offer he wanted as he switched his commitment from Texas A&M to OU.  This is huge news (my thoughts on Knight after the jump), but I'm going to start out with a few qualifiers.  For starters, let's not act like we stole someone that A&M is just going to be devastated without.  Matt Davis is no joke either, and he was at the top of A&M's QB board from the outset.  Second, this doesn't mean that the Gunner Kiel sweepstakes is over yet, either.  I know what you're all thinking.  If we offered Knight, we're out of it with Kiel.  At face value, that's obvious.  But high school kids change their minds daily about damned near everything.  Kiel is clearly very conflicted about his decision.  On the one hand, I think he's figured out what we all already know: Josh Heupel is the best QB coach in D1 without exception.  On the other hand, distance is a critical factor to him, and he's just not willing to go through that kind of drive to get home.      

The Good:  

He's basically a more advanced Colt McCoy.

1) Great arm strength.  Even on the run, he's throwing missiles.  He's got the power to throw any pass that OU's offense requires.  

2) Accuracy on short and medium range passes.  Anything from a bubble screen to about 20-25 yards downfield is going to be a frozen rope and it's going to be inside a 3 foot circle.  That's damned good for a prep player.  

3) Pocket presence. He's got a mediocre OL, but you just don't see people getting close enough to bring him down.  Despite the fact that Knight really isn't exceptionally dangerous as a runner, he's incredibly smart about how he moves.   While his highlight film might make you think he's got happy feet, you'd be wrong.  Pay close attention, and you notice that every time Knight has to get on the move on a passing play, he's looking to plant his feet to throw off of his front foot.  

The Bad:

He's basically a more advanced Colt McCoy.  

1) Only adequate athletic ability.  Despite all the outstanding QB running plays you see on highlight videos, he's not a terribly fast runner.  Yes, he's got fantastic pocket presence, but he's also not going to be mistaken for Vince Young.  

2) Untested going deep against coverage.  It's one thing for a QB to make the throw 50 yards downfield when the secondary is spying on the QB.  It's another to make that when that same CB is turning and running with your WR.  I haven't seen Knight make that throw yet.

The New:

The QB's that Heupel has been allowed to target have all proven that they can run effectively.  Heupel was called on for more than a couple of QB draws and designed runs in his day, and Kevin Wilson was always a big fan of it at Northwestern.  If OU has learned anything from the last 10 years of college football, it's that a QB can run on command is like having a 12th player on the field.  

While Gunner Kiel is obviously an exception, he's the exception that proves the rule.  He'll likely come in D1 ready to play at a passable level.  Think Sam Bradford in 2007.   For a guy like that, you change your strategy.  Now that it appears he's off the table, we go back to the game plan.  I'm just curious to see that plan play out in 2013.