VYPE COVER STORY: Lagway, Mettauer could be H-Town's next big-time QB combo
WITH THE EMERGENCE OF THE WOODLANDS’ MABREY METTAUER AND WILLIS’ DEREK LAGWAY AS TOP 10 NATIONAL QUARTERBACK RECRUITS FOR THE CLASS OF 2024, IT BEGS THE QUESTION… COULD THE CIT Y OF HOUSTON BE THE HOME OF TWO OF THE BIGGEST SIGNAL-CALLING PROSPECTS, EVER?
Not to mention in the same district? At 6-foot-6, 215-pounds, Mettauer is a Trevor Lawrence look-alike. He had a breakout sophomore season where he was named the District 13-6A MVP, leading the Highlanders to the district title.
The offers (22) began pouring in after his freshman season and he is currently the 10th-ranked Pro-Style QB in the country by Rivals.com.
Just north is the small town of Willis, Texas – home of another elite quarterback from back in the day – Michael Bishop. Bishop became a legend at Kansas State and finished second in the Heisman race back in 1998.
Lagway led the Wildkats to the postseason a year ago, plays baseball and also played varsity basketball as a freshman. He is Mr. Willis, currently the No. 1 Dual-Threat QB in the country as ranked by Rivals.com and holds over 30 offers.
College coaches from across the country are tracking this pair to be their future face of their program. Both are great leaders, who have been thrust into the spotlight at an early age. To think, they have two more years of high school ball to play. Stay tuned.
Tale of the Tape - Mabrey Mettauer – The Woodlands
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 215 Pounds
Ranking: No. 10 Pro-Style QB by Rivals; No. 19 Overall QB by 247Sports
Accolades: District 13-6A MVP
Football Lineage: Brother McKade starts on OL for Oklahoma; Uncle Rex Tucker played nearly 10 years in the NFL at OL
Hudl Highlight: The Woodlands High School Texas - Mabrey Mettauer highlights - Hudl
Tale of the Tape - DJ Lagway -- Willis
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 225 Pounds
Ranking:No. 1 Dual-Threat QB by Rivals; No. 4 Overall QB by 247Sports
Accolades: District 13-6A Second Team
Football Lineage: Father Derek Lagway played RB at Baylor
HUDL Highlight: DJ Lagway Sophomore Highlights
What the Analyst Says…
“Mettauer is a big kid who is comfortable in the pocket but he’s also a lot better runner than you would think. The Woodlands has him run quite a often and he can make teams pay with his legs as well as his arm.”
Brian Perroni, 247Sports on Mabrey Mettauer
“Lagway is a heck of an athlete out there but he’s a pure quarterback all the way. He has one of the stronger arms in the state and he is going to be scary in the new offense at Willis.
Brian Perroni, 247Sports on DJ Lagway
History of QBs in Houston
1995 – Michael Bishop, Willis (NFL, CFL)
1996 – Clint Stoerner, Baytown Lee (NFL)
2002 - Vince Young, Madison, No. 1 Overall Recruit (NFL)
2003 - Drew Tate, Baytown Lee, No. 14 QB Recruit (NFL)
2004 - Bobby Reid, North Shore, No. 4 Dual-Threat QB Recruit (Oklahoma State)
2006 – Andy Dalton, Katy, No. 29 Pro-Style QB Recruit (NFL)
2008 - Andrew Luck, Stratford, No. 3 Pro-Style QB Recruit (NFL)
2008 - Darron Thomas, Aldine, No. 5 Dual-Threat QB Recruit (Oregon)
2008 – Bo Levi Mitchell, Katy, No. 59 Pro-Style QB Recruit (CFL)
2009 - Kenny Guiton, Eisenhower, No. 23 Dual-Threat QB Recruit (Ohio State)
2010 - Shane Carden, Episcopal, No. 72 Pro-Style QB Recruit (East Carolina)
2016 - Jalen Hurts, Channelview, No. 4 Dual-Threat QB Recruit (NFL)
2016 - Kyle Trask, Manvel, No. 92 Pro-Style Recruit (NFL)
2016 - D’Eriq King, Manvel, No. 18 Athlete Recruit (UH, NFL)
2019 – Grant Gunnell, No. 15 Pro-Style QB Recruit (Arizona, Memphis, North Texas)
2021 – Jalen Milroe, Tompkins, No. 13 Overall QB Recruit (Alabama)
2021 – Dematrius Davis, North Shore, No. 24 Overall QB Recruit (Auburn, Alabama State)
2021 – Kyron Drones, Shadow Creek, No. 29 Overall QB Recruit (Baylor)
BACK TO THE HISTORY LESSON
So, to answer the question about having two QBs in the same district with this much hype?
The answer is yes. Back in 2008 – Stratford’s Andrew Luck, Aldine’s Darron Thomas and Eisenhower’s Kenny Guiton were national recruits.
Luck would go on to Stanford, nearly win a Heisman and have an illustrious NFL career. Thomas would lead the Oregon Duck to the BCS National Championship Game against Auburn and Guiton would become a legend at Ohio State for his big-game, back-up QB heroics. He now is an assistant coach at Arkansas. The fourth QB in the district? Nimitz’s Michael Thomas, an athlete, would sign with Stanford and still plays DB for the Cincinnati Bengals.
In a twist of fate, Katy’s Andy Dalton (TCU) would beat Andrew Luck in the Rose Bowl.