Pat Fitzgerald locks in his QB of the future in the 2027 class

Following Michigan State’s first spring football practice at 6:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning, Pat Fitzgerald received his third verbal commitment in the 2027 recruiting class from three-star quarterback Eli Stumpf.

Stumpf, out of Big Walnut High School in Sunbury, Ohio, is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound gunslinger in the pocket.

Taking a look at Stumpf’s highlight tape shows an immense amount of potential and truly looks like a college-level quarterback playing in a high school setting. The game plays extremely slow for Stumpf and you can even see him react a second before the defender is in his face.

The Ohio product threw for over 2,400 yards and 31 touchdowns last season with only two interceptions.

Stumpf’s arm angle is interesting, though. Normally, quarterbacks throw over the top to their receivers, but Stumpf throws it at more of a side angle. Considering he is 6-foot-4 and towers over his own offensive line, it gives him the flexibility to throw the ball at more of an angle than typical quarterbacks.

The three-star also has an impressive arm. The first word you think of when watching his game tape is “gunslinger”.  It’s sometimes incredible to watch Stumpf deliver the ball in the perfect pocket 50 yards down the field.

The part that scares me is Stumpf’s decision making.

Once again, he’s in high school still, however, there are some throws over the middle of the field that are just lofted to his receivers. Stumpf has the arm strength and talent to overcome this, so it will most likely be mental mistakes at the next level instead of physical ones.

Stumpf will join the Spartans next season with his fellow commits Savior Owens, Grant Adloff, and Jack Carlson, and look to compete for a playing spot early in spring ball.

For now, though, he’s focusing on his senior high school season, and getting ready to compete with his teammates one last time.