The Rocky Mountains: Home to the Top High School Gunslingers

Four of the top five leading passers in yards in the nation, as recorded by MaxPreps, reside within the state of Utah. The Beehive State has seen six weeks of football played, with four of its top quarterbacks throwing for more than 8,000 yards combined. 

Four of the Top Five

Senior quarterback Tradon Bessinger from Davis High School in Kaysville is the nation’s top passer, logging 2,277 yards through the air. Bessinger has completed 172 of his 225 attempts and tallied 30 touchdowns with just one interception. The 6-foot-5 Boise State commit is set to enter league play this Friday with a strong hold on the top spot of the leaderboard. 

In second place is junior quarterback Jaxon Hunt from Mountain Ridge High School in Herriman. Hunt has thrown for 2,065 yards, 18 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while completing 158 passes of his 247 attempts. The 6-foot-3, 190lbs gunslinger has recorded one of the more impressive breakout seasons in the class, making him a must-know recruiting target for the class of 2027.

The fourth spot on the national leaderboard for passing yards is Pasyon High School senior Trevyn Wall. Wall has thrown for 2,002 yards and 14 touchdowns, while completing 141 of his 220 pass attempts, but he has also thrown seven interceptions. Little is known about Wall or his recruiting on the national level outside of his stats, but there is no denying his contribution to Utah’s claim on quarterbacks so far in the 2025 season.

The fifth spot belongs to Xavier Cocci, a junior quarterback from Skyline High School in Salt Lake City. Cocci has thrown for 1,957 yards and 16 touchdowns, completing 102 of his 153 pass attempts with only four interceptions. In addition to his passing stats, Cocci has also racked up solid numbers in the run game. Tallying 314 yards and seven touchdowns on 55 carries. Cocci currently sits on a handful of recruiting boards with the expectation of being added to more before his junior season is completed.

The Third Place Phenom

Utah may hold four of the top five passing leaders, including the number one in yards and touchdowns, but the third spot belongs to the nation’s most touted quarterback, who resides on the East Coast. Lukas Prock is a sophomore at Hun School of Princeton in New Jersey, who has thrown for 2,063 yards, 21 touchdowns, and no interceptions, while completing 98 of his 134 pass attempts through five games.

Prock currently holds 10 Division I offers, including Ohio State, Illinois, Syracuse, Pitt, and South Florida. The young quarterback is on pace to be the top high school passer and possibly the top-scouted player in the class of 2028 before it’s all said and done.

Colorado’s Top Quarterbacks

The Centennial State is home to a plethora of talented players. Some of whom have built solid reputations, while others remain fairly unknown. Boston College commit DJ Bordeaux (2026) from Legend High School in Parker, Idaho commit Blitz McCarty (2026) from Grandview High School in Denver, and Louisiana Tech commit Brady Vodicka (2026) from Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village are three of the top quarterback recruits in Colorado this season. 

When taking a look at the state’s passing leaders from the top classification (5A), four names stand out. Logan Duhachek (2026) from Arvada West High School in Arvada has surprised the state by leading the Wildcats to an undefeated first half of the season (5 games) with a stat line of 65 of 108 for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns with no interceptions. Duhachek has committed to Eastern Illinois, where he will join former Colorado high school standout Cole LaCrue in the QB room.

Another top quarterback from Arvada is Ralston Valley High School’s Zeke Andrews (2026). Andrews is the second-leading passer in 5A, throwing for 1,071 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception on 75 completions of 102 attempts through four games. Andrews has a handful of offers, including a preferred walk-on (PWO) from Colorado State University and a scholarship offer from Northern Colorado.

Junior quarterback Marquise Reese from Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch has thrown for 1,055 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions on 60 completions of his 97 pass attempts through four games. Reese is putting on a strong performance in what has easily become a breakout season, landing him on the radars of a few college programs.

Coming in fourth in the 5A passing leaders is a young sophomore with one of the highest ceilings in the state. Theo Lee from Arapahoe High School in Centennial has a stat line that does not jump out as impressive on paper–63 of 116 for 957 yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTs–but his film speaks volumes. The 6-foot-5, 235lbs mobile gunslinger has a tape that is a must-watch. 

Lee currently holds an offer from Kent State. Still, there’s no reason why the University of Colorado and Colorado State University shouldn’t start to show interest in him now to make a legitimate push to keep him in-state before it’s too late.

Colorado’s Lower Classifications

It’s difficult enough for players in the top classification to land on major radars, but being at smaller schools in lower classifications makes it even harder. 

The state’s overall leading passer plays in the 3A classification at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs. Thomas Buckmiller (2026) leads the state with an impressive stat line of 80 completions on 113 attempts for 1,620 yards, 20 touchdowns, and one interception through four games.

Another extremely talented QB from a small school is Yianni Balafas (2026), who plays in the 2A classification at Kent Denver High School in Denver. Balafas also has an impressive three-game stat line of 53 completions on 71 attempts for 813 yards and 13 touchdowns with one interception. Balafas is on Division I radars with hopes of landing on a roster at an Ivy League school, something that should be very achievable for a player of his caliber—especially coming from a school that has a senior offensive lineman (Tripp Skewes) who is committed to Vanderbilt.

Buckmiller, on the other hand, has a more difficult path to gaining the recognition he deserves because he plays in a smaller classification outside of the Greater Denver Area. Due to his location and the level at which his team plays, his recruiting ceiling is a bit lower than it should be, but that simply makes him a steal for whichever program manages to land him. For the record, Buckmiller is talented enough to be on more radars, especially for teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). 

Utah Compared to Colorado

Colorado quarterbacks are typically outshone by quarterbacks from other states–at least on paper–with Buckmiller being the only one to land within the top 30 on the national leaderboard for passing yards, while neighboring Utah has 13 players among the top 30. Is Utah the mecca of quarterbacks, or is Utah simply more prone to airing out the ball?

Colorado’s football woes remain an unhealed scab on the heads of so many that we just can’t help but scratch. Is it possible for Colorado to produce top-tier quarterbacks to match the production of the offensive linemen who get recruited from within the four corners? Is it possible for the Box State to develop into a more respected hub for prospects in general? What will it take to prove to the rest of the nation that Colorado should be a legitimate destination for recruiting? More importantly, will Colorado ever develop a football culture strong enough for the sport to be respected within the state, let alone outside of it?

These are the questions that have plagued the itchy spot beneath my scalp ever since I first got involved with high school football in Colorado, and I don’t see them going away any time soon.