Zac Katz isn't the only quarterback who played varsity football as a freshman in 2023

Meet 5 other rising sophomores who enter high school this fall having already experienced playing up on varsity

Zac Katz played for True North Classical in 2023, but has since transferred to Chaminade-Madonna /

Looking back at the 2023 Florida high school football season when it came to the quarterback position, there was plenty of underclassmen that saw time under center.

Though the 2026 class is a star studded group of signal callers, there's an abundance of passers that were totally capable that will be coming up from the 9th grade.

It's not odd to see quarterbacks starting as a sophomore, but a rarity when it comes to freshman stepping right into the pressure cooker right out of the gates. One quarterback that stood out among the rest when it came to 2027 passers was Zac Katz, formerly of True North Classical, now at Chaminade-Madonna.

Katz will enter the 2024 season as one of the state’s top quarterbacks, regardless of class, with the kind of statistics he strolls in with and potential weapons he’ll have around him. In two seasons at True North Classical (2022-2023), Katz threw for 6,262 yards and a staggering 74 touchdown passes. 

The Class of 2027 quarterback already has offers from Appalachian State, FIU, Louisville, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, Toledo, Western Michigan and USF. 

But Katz isn't alone when it comes to freshmen quarterbacks who played varsity high school football in 2023. 

Here are five other players expected to step into or are vying for starting quarterback jobs this fall who played varsity snaps as freshmen last season.

Know of another? Send a note to villamarzo@scorebooklive.com with some details. 

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Champ Smith, Columbus: Smith played at Jupiter Christian last season and has since transferred over to play for the back-to-back Class 4M state champion Explorers. The quarterback put up some big numbers for the Eagles last season, with Smith completing 141-of-233 passes for 1,974 yards and 20 touchdowns. The signal caller saw plenty of time in the spring jamboree for Columbus against Bishop Verot and Sarasota Riverview.

Joaquin Kavouklis, Tarpon Springs: There's no doubt about Kavouklis being on this list after the kind of 2023 season he had at Clearwater Academy International. From throwing game-winning Hail Mary passes to playing against some of the state's elite programs, the quarterback was superb under center. Kavouklis has offers right now from Arkansas, Syracuse, Toledo, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, UCF and USF.

Landen Holley, Wesley Chapel: Now Holley saw minimal time on the varsity stage when he was at East Lake for a hot minute. Holley is ranked among one of the top quarterbacks of the 2027 class by QBHitList and for good reason. The signal caller had a big spring performance and threw for over 250 yards and three touchdowns in one half of play. Holley has four Division I offers, including from Tulane.

Joseph Allen, Eau Gallie: The 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback had himself a strong freshmen campaign at Melbourne Central Catholic before ending up transferring over to Eau Gallie in the off-season. Now thr 2027 product is heading into the fall as the front-runner to be under center for the Commadores after throwing for 2,174 yards and 29 touchdowns a year ago.

James Perrone, Southridge: South Florida is ripe for quarterback talent in the underclassmen level and Perrone was certainly one of Dade County's rising stars of the 2027 class. In the spring, Perrone completed 15-of-21 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns. The freshmen has offers from Appalachain State, Colorado State, Virginia Tech and USF.