Eugene Smith

• CIF Division 1 champs Poway (Lost 13-35).
• CIF Division 2 champs Oceanside ( Lost 14-42).
• CIF Division 3 champs Cathedral (Lost 25-49).
• Last year's CIF Divison 3 champs St. Augustine (Win 27-21), and
• Centennial, which is one of the top schools in the state and lost in the D1 championship game and was ranked number one (Lost 16-55)

Granted, they were obliterated in most of the games versus top ranked opponents, but Tate played well, as anyone can see by his ridiculous completion percentage and the fact that he only threw 6 interceptions despite being pressured heavily on almost every play against superior opponents. So I'm not really worried about how well the kid will project nationally. He's won several accuracy awards at national camps and rivals seems to think he is the most accurate passer and one of the most mechanically sound of all the elite quarterback propects. Having sound mechanics helps a lot when making the transition to a division one college because all too often high school coaches follow the Al Davis "just win baby!" mentality choosing to ignore mechanical problems because correcting throwing errors takes time and patience and the quarterback will inevitably struggle. If they are winning games with a terrible throwing motion they will simply let the terrible arm motion slide (i.e. see: Vince Young). It also helps with the learning curve because coaches don't have to waste time fixing improper mechanics (coughnewsomecough) and can delve right into the system. 

I was very high on Newsome but I would be very happy with Tate as a substitute, primarily because he's not some sort of a poor man's Kevin Newsome or half assed replacement. Although he is a very mobile quarterback with a 40 time similar to Newsome's he doesn't quite have that dynamic running ability that Newsome has, with the ability to not only outrun linebackers and safeties, but to run over them, (while Tate prefers to use his speed to buy more time in the pocket and is more of a scat back back type scrambler). Tate runs a 4.5-4.65 at 6'1'' 190 Newsome runs a 4.5-4.6 at 6'3'' 220, which means that Newsome is simply a physical freak a the QB position, while Tate's speed is more akin to his stature.

However what Tate lacks in the size and power he more than makes up for with his accuracy arm strength and throwing mechanics. He has the advantage over Newsome in all of these catagories. His pedigree and smarts too also give him an edge in that he has two brothers who play quarterback at the division one level (always a plus), and while Newsome ran more of a pro style offense that also incorporated his unique skill set as a runner, Tate has been running a spread read option type offense in high schoolwhich means the learning curve won't be quite as steep.

Granted pedigree can mean nothing, the player could be a bust or the entire family could be busts, or it could be revealed that their entire family is a bunch of dog killing knee stomping gun pulling on kids at mcdonalds statuatory rapist you could hide your weed in here water bottle carrying psychopaths. However, even if the player is just bad, it is never a negative to have brothers or siblings playing at the D1 level, not only because they can give you tips and share experiences, help you to work out, and teach you what it takes to excel, but because a lot of D1 recruits lack a proper support system so having an idea of what to expect and having witnessed sibling go through the fire means that you know what is expected of you. It can also have its problems, like a recruit feeling like they know everything, but more experience is vastly more positive than negative in these situations.