Scouting SMU Commit Austin Upshaw

Thanks to former Nebraska Cornhusker baseball commit, turned Memphis Tiger football commit, and now committed SMU Mustang Austin Upshaw, the Ponies are hitting 2017 on a positive note.

The 6-foot-1 and 190-pound quarterback from La Porte High School in La Porte, Texas, has an incredible athletic resume as he has already been linked to three division one programs through two sports, including another offer to play football for Army. He tests incredibly well in a combine setting, 4.54 40-yard-dash, 4.16 second shuttle drill, a 32.4 inch vertical and a 235-pound bench press with a 385-pound squat. He is blessed with a powerful arm, the kind that could ring up base-runners trying to beat the the throw to first, but his testing results shows that he is a worker.

The 2017 three-star dual-threat quarterback was named the consensus District 22-6A MVP and a USA Today Player of the Week at one point during his senior season. His high school offense meshes well with the SMU scheme as La Porte regularly incorporates read-options and jet-sweep play-action passes much like the Mustangs. Upshaw extends plays nicely when receivers struggle to get open and can set up in the pocket well. Some of his best throws come when he is asked to throw back-shoulder passes when his target needs to be thrown open.

His arm strength allows him to throw flat footed when stepping up in the pocket isn’t an option, but trusting an arm like that can lead to false confidence and interceptions. It can also lead to some big plays. Upshaw has a knack for looking downfield for his receivers and if he is given the weapons that the Mustangs have at the playmaking positions it could yield many highlight plays.

He excels when in space, more than capable of making the first defender miss, and is a strong runner who invites the physicality of football into his game. SMU isn’t replacing the long term potential of Charlie Brewer, his early polish as a passer and athleticism would have made him a program building block for years, but Upshaw is a gamer who when on the field will make plays for the Mustangs.