Recruiting: Lake Mary QB Noah Grubbs looking to build on impressive freshman year
LAKE MARY — Noah Grubbs commands your attention the second he emerges from the Lake Mary High School locker room.
The rising sophomore quarterback stands 6-foot-4½, 220 pounds and certainly checks any of the size boxes colleges have for the position. It’s part of the reason why he already has a handful of Division I offers, including Texas A&M, UCF and Virginia Tech.
Then Grubbs starts to throw. It’s just supposed to be short warmup throws but the ball comes out of his hands different. It’s both effortless and powerful. Grubbs’ arm strength is impressive for any high school quarterback, much less one who is in his first varsity spring.
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Lake Mary offensive coordinator Adam Donnelly said the ball “whistles” when one of Grubbs’ passes sails past his head. The Rams, which reached the regional championship game in 2022, had to take a favored screen pass out of the playbook last fall because Grubbs threw the ball too hard.
“Part of it is size and his strength already,” Lake Mary coach Scott Perry said. “When he torques that shoulder forward, he can put a lot of speed on it. He played baseball for years. He’s played quarterback for years. And with that type of size, that’s how you get power on the ball.”
Grubbs took over as the team’s starter early last fall and never looked back. He finished the season with 1,598 yards and 17 touchdowns with six interceptions. Grubbs threw for a season-best 330 yards and three scores in the regional final against Apopka, the eventual Class 4M state runner-up.
“He was able to step in and improved the whole time,” Perry said. “He got a lot stronger in the offseason and we’re expecting big things this year.”
Grubbs focused on improving his RPO reads, footwork and ability to quickly scan defenses during the offseason.
“I just have to trust the process,” he said. “It’s my first spring out here. I’m trying to do whatever it takes.
“Either way, I’m coming in working. Last year, I had to earn the spot. This year, just because I have the spot doesn’t mean I’m going stop working.”
Grubbs appears unfazed by the attention he’s receiving this spring – even though college coaches are making Lake Mary this spring because of him.
“Wherever God takes me,” Grubbs said. “It’s a blessing to have people out here who believe I have what it takes. Right now, I’m just letting it all soak in. I’m a freshman. I’m not putting my head in places where I have to make a decision soon.”
That won’t stop colleges from pursuing him, though.
Lake Mary coaches believe Grubbs’ 2022 performance was just the start.
“He’s continuing to grow, reading things quicker and getting the ball out as quick as he can,” Perry said. “It’s hard playing varsity as a ninth grader but he’ll be better off for it as a sophomore. He’s a smart kid. He’s going to take things and go with it.
“Every (college) wants to get in early on him because he’s going to blow up.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Lake Mary QB Noah Grubbs looking to build on impressive freshman year
