Land O'Lakes quarterback and Florida State recruit Drew Weatherford will have much more to read than the endless newspaper articles written about him.
He'll be reading opposing defenses.
If there's one thing Weatherford, Pasco County's all-time passing record holder, learned at last week's EA Sports Elite 11 Quarterback Camp in California, it's that he has quite a bit to learn about reading defensive coverages.
"I kind of realized how bad I really was at reading coverages after being there, after getting the chance to talk to guys like (Michigan QB) John Navarre and Matt Schaub of Virginia and Chris Lewis from Stanford," he said.
Just as important as the competition and daily drills that pitted 12 of the nation's top high school quarterbacks against each other was the daily classroom sessions with some of the nation's top college players.
"We had chalk talks," Weatherford said. "We just learned a bunch about different coverages: cover 2, cover 3, cover 4, robber. I really learned a lot."
Weatherford and his fellow QBs may be the toast of Division I-A football, but he said they have a lot to learn before moving to the next level. That's why he went to California.
"It was awesome, it really was. It was stuff I hadn't really done before," Weatherford said. "A lot of it was reading coverages and stuff like that. We did this one drill called good ball, bad ball. Two (quarterbacks) throw it at the same time, one picks the right receiver and one picks the wrong one. It's to help us understand our reads. I thought I did well."
Weatherford said he thought the competition was equitable, as was the level of talent he saw there.
"There's probably six to eight guys who physically had the same ability," he said. "It was fun meeting all those guys I had heard about. It was great."
It was there in California, hanging with new friends at a local mall, that Weatherford decided to make his choice of FSU public. It was a decision the Seminoles coaching staff expected, he said.
"They were just really pleased and happy that I got it out of the way right now," he said. "So now I can just concentrate on my senior year and hopefully become a Seminole when I sign with them in February."
After the camp Weatherford stayed in California, visiting cousin Aaron Lieber in Fallbrook. He returns tonight, and when he arrives for Thursday's combine he'll receive good news: His home jersey will be replaced.
Land O'Lakes' blue No. 1 jersey has been missing from the football storage room since early June, when Weatherford needed it for a Gainesville photo shoot. The team suspects it was taken from the rack.
"Why would we misplace it?" coach John Benedetto said.
Benedetto had ordered six replacement home jerseys and had to wrangle with the company to place a late order for a new No. 1. After a delay the company accepted the late order, and it should be in sometime in August.
"I don't have anywhere to lock them up," Benedetto said. "I'll just have to give them to him and tell him to keep them at home."
