Lakewood 2023 QB Anthony Colandrea
Colandrea led the Spartans to a 10-3 record this season. They were eliminated in the state semifinal to eventual 4A champion, Cardinal Gibbons. He finished his junior year with 3,252 passing yards (5th in the state) and 27 touchdowns. On the ground, he added 362 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns. His completion percentage was 62.6% and he averaged 250.2 passing yards per game. Colandrea is currently listed at 6’1” and 177 pounds. He is a well-rounded quarterback. He has a strong arm with solid accuracy. With his speed and athleticism, he can hurt defenses on the ground also. When pressured, he does a great job of evading while keeping his eyes down-field and finding open receivers. Talented 2023 running back Montravius Lloyd will also return to the backfield. Unfortunately, Colandrea is losing his top four receivers to graduation. I would expect to see him quickly build some chemistry with his underclassmen receivers this off-season.
Anthony Colandrea’s Junior Highlights
Jesuit 2024 QB Luke Knight
Knight led the Tigers to a perfect 15-0 record and the 6A State Championship. He finished his sophomore year 2,511 passing yards (21st in the state) and 30 touchdowns. He completed 72% of his passing attempts and averaged 167.4 passing yards per game. The sophomore signal caller is currently listed at 5’10” and 173 pounds. Knight is already beyond his years in many areas and it is going to be fun to continue watching him grow into the position over the next couple of years. With his work-ethic and an excellent group of coaches, he is certainly just going to continue to get better and better. He did an amazing job of managing the Jesuit offense all season. He throws a pretty ball with great power and accuracy. He doesn’t factor into the Tigers’ run game much, but he is quick and athletic and can evade pressure most of the time. He throws well on the run and distributes the ball nicely all over the field. If you watched the final minutes of the week two win over St. Thomas Aquinas and the title game win over Pine Forest, you have seen him display a high level of poise and moxie in high-pressure situations. This is especially true for the title game when he threw some uncharacteristic interceptions but stayed locked-in and battled through the adversity. That maturity will take him very far as he continues to develop as a student-athlete. Jesuit also has star 2023 running back Joquez Smith returning next season. They will have to replace their top two receivers. Look for 2023 receiver Jarriett Buie Jr. to become the headliner of the receiving corps going forward.
Luke Knight’s Sophomore Highlights
There were several other underclassmen quarterbacks in the area who ranked in the Top 50 in the state for passing yards.
Tampa Bay Tech 2023 QB Xavione Washington – 2,464 yards, 22nd
Northside Christian 2026 QB Will Griffin – 2,449 yards, 23rd
Ridge Community 2023 QB Zachary Pleuss – 2,156 yards, 39th
Seven Rivers Christian 2023 QB Nehemiah Vann – 2,100 yards, 45th
Land O’Lakes 2024 QB Kyle Horvath – 2,027 yards, 49th