Justin Thomas can throw but his best weapons are his legs&Gunner Kiel2012

Justin Thomas can throw but his best weapons are his legs:&Gunner Kiel2012

Ht:-5'11''
Wt:-175lbs'
Class:-2012[High School]

A state title ... an undefeated season ... a national title. Prattville feels it is all within reach. So does RivalsHigh, which has selected Prattler as the No. 1 team in its preseason RivalsHigh 100 ranks.





This is the best team I have ever had on paper," head coach Jamey Dubose said. "But paper doesn't win you football games."
Players do. And Dubose has plenty of them - almost all of which 

We return (nearly) everyone from last year," Dubose said. "We were junior-laden and now they are seniors. We have to replace a center on offense and two linebackers on defense. Other than that, we are back.
"And we have depth. Our two deep is almost all seniors


And we have depth. Our two deep is almost all seniors.

Rivals.com Southeastern analyst Keith Niebuhr doesn't see many weaknesses on this team.
"On paper, there aren't any," he said. "The key here might simply be keeping everyone happy and making sure all the players are on the same page. When a team has this much talent, chemistry is crucial. Without it, even the best squads can get beat."
Prattville learned that the hard way last season, when it took on a tough schedule but kept coming up short.
Three of the four losses were by a combined six points - a 35-34 setback to Millbrook (Ala.) Stanhope Elmore, a 26-24 loss to Wetumpka (Ala.) High and a 26-23 playoff exit also to Wetumpka.
The fourth loss was to Miami (Fla.) Central, which finished with a Florida Class 6A title and the No. 14 ranking in the RivalsHigh 100.
Prattville, as it always does, has another tough schedule ahead - right from the start. It opens at No. 10 Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas on Aug. 27.
Dubose knows from experience that just playing in big games isn't enough. You to have to win them. Prattville is just 1-4 in big-time games since 2007.
Niebuhr thinks this team is ready to reverse those results for one big reason: Its big lines.

Gunner Kiel 

Kiel has the size you want in a QB, and can also move and plays with his feet. He's not necessarily a dual threat, but is a tough, effective runner and can buy time with his mobility. He is very accurate, sees the field well and makes excellent decisions. He can make the throws and get the ball into traffic. His arm strength is good, but improvement can still be made to push it to elite. Is smart and a good leader as well.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Kiel chose Indiana over his other finalist Alabama, and a slew of offers from many of the nation's top programs including Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Tennessee and USC.

"It was just the best fit for me," Kiel said a few hours before making his decision on a trip to Indiana with his parents. "I woke up having that gut feeling and felt really good about it and my parents were excited about it too."

As a junior, Kiel threw for nearly 2,700 yards and 36 touchdowns while rushing for another 600 yards and eight scores. Ranked by 247Sports as the nation's 10th overall prospect, he plans to graduate from high school a semester early to enroll on campus in January, just days after he caps his prep career as an Under Armour All-American.

As a junior, Kiel threw for nearly 2,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, leading Columbus East to a 9-2 record.

The thing that kind of stood out to me the most about Indiana is I have family over there," Kiel said. "Having a brother playing the same position as me, at first I thought that was a negative but I realized it's such a positive. Nobody is going to have my back more than him. He's going to help me go over the playbook and I'll probably learn it a lot quicker with him helping me."

Kiel is the most high-profile prospect to commit to Indiana since Elkhart (Ind.) Central quarterback Dave Schnell did so back in 1985. Once labeled the nation's top recruit by Sports Illustrated, Schnell spurned offers from Miami, Penn State, Michigan, among others, to play for the Hoosiers. He went on to lead the program to three consecutive bowl berths and its only win at Ohio State in the last 50 years.

Whenever people think of Indiana, they think of basketball," he said. "I want people to start thinking about Indiana football. I want to go in with my brother and change things."

Kiel is the 13th commit in Indiana's class of 2012, as Wilson and his staff continue to impress. In less than a full year on the job, they've accomplished something previous Indiana coaches haven't: Get the state's top prospects to play in Bloomington. Prior to Kiel's pledge, Wilson locked up commitments from Kevin Davis, the state's top linebacker, and Jordan Wallace, the state's top receiver.

His track record has a lot to do with it. Wilson mentored players including Zac Kustok, a Unitas Award finalist at Northwestern, and Sam Bradford, the former Heisman Trophy winner and current starter for the St. Louis Rams. From Kiel's perspective, it was simply another reason to believe in his tutelage.

"It's definitely special seeing his background and all the guys he's coached," said Kiel. "It's special to have a chance to be part of that."

One thing's for certain. Kiel's commitment has solidified Jul. 27 as a very special day for Indiana football.

Kiel was the No. 2 overall quarterback in the 2012 class for the National Football Post and his arm has been praised as elite by everyone from ESPN to every known scouting service. He threw for 36 touchdowns last season to go with over 2,600 yards and this season should bring even more accolades as he’s now clearly on the national radar.