When St. Pius X gunslinger Grant Gunnell arrived in College Station for the Texas 7on7Championships a couple weekends ago, he was, at the time, a five-star prospect and the most highly touted talent in attendance. As expected, he drew a crowd of fans and media alike each time out, but the Texas A&M commit didn’t feel as if he had anything to prove at the event.
“I feel like there’s no pressure because I’m committed to my dream school,” Gunnell told TexasHSFootball. “I only have stuff to prove to myself and get better for when I get there.”
That certainly didn’t deter Gunnell performing like he had something to prove, though.
Just a few quick clips I got of #GigEm Commit @grantgunnell5 while at the #State7v7 Tournament today. pic.twitter.com/nwKoQpcdFh
— Matt Salvaggio® (@979DesignsTAMU) July 1, 2017
In what became a 3-0 afternoon to open the event, Gunnell orchestrated the offense masterfully, manipulating defenses with his eyes and giving a full display of his arm strength, accuracy and ability to complete any pass on the field. It seemed as if Gunnell was on the exact same page as his receivers all tournament long because, well, he was.
“That’s just what my receivers and me do,” Gunnell said. “We have this connection and we know what’s going to work. We talk through it before the drives and we just go and do it.”
As supreme of a prospect as the future Aggie may be, Gunnell is well aware of the luxury he enjoys by having future Division I talents at wide receiver, such as Northwestern pledge Jacob Jefferson, three-star talent Bryson Jackson and fellow Texas A&M commit Chase Lane.
“It makes my job so easy,” Gunnell said of being able to pick and choose which college prospect to throw to each time out.
The aforementioned trio of pass-catchers helped make Gunnell’s job so easy last season that the 6’6, 212-pound passer shredded defenses to the tune of 4,970 yards and 71 touchdowns through the air. As is, Gunnell is on pace to go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks the talent-rich state of Texas has ever witnessed, but he still envisions room for improvement.
“I definitely want to work on my deep ball getting more air on it, just dropping it in,” Gunnell said. “And just my timing.”
The hope for Gunnell is that the progression he’s pursuing becomes enough to help lift St. Pius X over the top in 2017. As a sophomore, Gunnell and the Panthers ripped through the 2016 slate, climbing to a perfect 11-0 record before falling to Bishop Dunne in the Division I TAPPS State Semi-Final.
To that end, Gunnell’s only 2017 goal is also his driving force – a state championship.
“I hate losing, honestly,” Gunnell said. “That really drives me whenever I’m working out and out there.
If last season’s effort and St Pius X’s display at the Texas 7on7 championships are any indication of what’s to come, Gunnell and the Panthers won’t have to worry about losing much, if at all next season.
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