Interview: If Pressure is Mounting for 2018 Centennial 4-Star QB Tanner McKee One Would Never Know It

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Across the nation, hundreds upon hundreds of high school football teams will be breaking in new starters in 2016. Few quarterbacks, if any, enter the 2016 season with the hype and expectations centered upon them the way Tanner McKee does with Centennial High School.

Centennial High School enters the 2016 schedule as the No. 21 ranked team in the nation (MaxPreps). Only Mission Viejo (No. 3), St. John Bosco (No. 2), and Mater Dei (No. 1) are ranked higher within California. The Huskies team is so stacked, they are even ranked ahead of back-to-back state champs De La Salle (Concord). De La Salle just happens to be the team that has kept Centennial from being able to claim back-to-back state titles of their own.

The Huskies may not be ranked as a Top 10 team now, but after their first two games, if they go undefeated and they are not the new No. 1 team in the nation, the system maybe rigged. Centennial opens against Chandler High School, the No. 15 ranked team in Arizona (6A), followed by IMG Academy, the No. 4 ranked team in the nation. Game 3 gets no easier with a collision set with Orange Lutheran, the No. 15 ranked team in California. The list of tough California teams continues on into Big VIII League action for Centennial.

With all that is riding on the season, when talking to McKee he seems like a third-year starter ready to lace them up again like he has done time and time again.

When Centennial was making their 14-1 march to the CIF State Championship Game a year ago, McKee got valuable time in under center completing 50 passes for 709 yards with nine scores without throwing a pick in 73 attempts. The 6’6”, 210 pound, gunslinger has enough arm to spare and was uniquely accurate during his sophomore campaign completing 69 percent of his attempts.

McKee is not alone in this fight to prove that Centennial is already being overlooked and should be taken seriously as a national title contender. The Class of 2018 quarterback has a long list of upperclassmen leadership in guys like defensive backs Reggie Whitfield, Jaylan Shaw (UCLA), and Justin Fisher, defensive lineman Seleti Fevaleaki, running back Miles Reed, and targets on the outside in Tyjon Lindsey and Troy Spencer, just to name a few, around him. The Huskies have other 2018 players to count on with Manuel Allen at wide receiver, Solo Vaipullu on the line and a rising star like Zechariah Holifield at linebacker.

Colleges see all the potential and upside McKee has going for him. To date, four schools have offered with a growing list of top teams ready to see how the first part of the season goes for him in the pocket. Once the test has been passed, expect this four-star recruit to be quickly placed among the best of the best in his peer group.

In a Recruiting News Guru stylized interview, I sat down with McKee after a Centennial practice to get his thoughts on the Huskies 2016 team while covering his off-season workouts with a recruiting news update.

Interview

Tanner, you gained some great experience last year against some really good competition. What were some of the things you learned on the field during your sophomore season?

“The speed of the game and the quickness our guys have during the game. I also learned what routes will be open within our offense and how to look guys off. Film study helps a lot. You get to know the other team’s tendencies if you study film enough.”

What are the skill sets you bring to the field as a quarterback?

“I’m good at finding the open guy and I am accurate with the ball.”

What have you been working on during the off-season to prepare for your junior year?

“I’ve been getting a lot of reps in with our starting guys to get our timing down.”

Have you set any team or personal goals for the 2016 season?

“Win every game, always compete, and follow Centennial’s winning legacy.”

How do you see your role evolving with the team this year going from a backup to a starter?

“Being a quarterback, you have to be a leader and be a vocal leader. You have to know the playbook and the other team well enough to tell your guys what to do on each play based on what the defense is doing.”

Did you go to any college camps this summer?

“I did. I went to a Stanford camp.”

How did that go for you?

“The Stanford camp was a lot of fun. I got a lot of one-on-one time in with the coaching staff.”

What did you learn at the Stanford camp that you will take with you into the season?

“Being smarter with the ball – and getting extra reps in on offense against different types of defenses instead of the defense you see against your own team.”

Did you take any unofficial visits this summer?

“I did. I went to Utah, BYU, Washington, and Stanford.”

How did the visit to Utah go?

“The coaches were not there that day. One of my dad’s cousins has a friend who played basketball for Utah. He showed us around the campus and the facilities.”

How about BYU and Washington?

“The BYU and Washington visits were great. I got to talk to the head coaches at both schools, the recruiting coordinators, and my position coaches.”

What feedback have you received from the various coaches you have talked to so far?

“They like my size. A lot of the schools that have not offered what to see how well I will do under pressure in the first game.”

How many offers do you have right now?

“I have four – Hawaii, Colorado, BYU, and Utah.”

Do you have any unofficial visits planned for this fall or winter?

“I don’t right now. I know we are wanting to go to the BYU verses UCLA game.”

That should be fun. How did everything end up in the classroom for you last year?

“I had a 4.2 GPA.”

Have you set dates to take the ACT or SAT yet?

“Not yet.”

What is your favorite subject in school?

“Right now it is science.”

Let’s talk about the team. How do the Huskies look going into the season?

“We look good. We look really strong and we work well together as a team. We don’t have guys with big egos out there. We all work hard.”

You have some big games on the schedule. Are there any games you are already getting excited to play?

“We have to take it one game at a time. I’m not looking past any teams.”

With your opening schedule that is sound judgement.

(Laughs)

What do you guys have to do this year to have another run to the state championship?

“We have to execute on both sides of the ball. We know what we have to do. It just comes down to executing our plays.”

Tanner, thanks for your time today and good luck with the 2016 season.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: hudl.com; No. 12 Tanner McKee drops back to pass.

Photo credit: McKee family; Tanner McKee at Stanford

Photo credit: McKee family; Tanner McKee at BYU.

Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com; Tanner McKee at UCLA.