Nate Hybl 23 Oklahoma 8 QB PLAYER AGE SCHOOL NO. POSITION

Height  6'4" Weight  220 lbs. Year  Sr. 2002 stats  95-169, 1,313 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs Career stats  326-565, 3,691 yards, 25 TDs, 19 INTs

QB SPECIFICS Arm Strength B+ With proper footwork his arm strength is adequate. When Nate sets his feet he throws a strong ball, but often when he is off-balance the ball sails on him and dies. Escape Ability C+ This is not really his game and Nate is not much of a runner. His ability to escape is average. He is more of a pocket guy and depends on the screen passes and draws the Oklahoma offense is known for to be effective in this area. Quick Set Up B Most of Nate's work is done from the shotgun formation, but his feet are above average. He handles the pocket very well but in the shotgun you don't get to see a lot of setups from normal drops. Accuracy Long A- This is an area in which he is very good. The Sooners' offense suffered last year because it didn't throw a lot of deep balls, and one of Nate's strengths is the ability to put air under the ball and get it down the field. He also has great touch on the deep ball. Accuracy Short C+ Nate is an accurate thrower, but his accuracy depends in his set up and that is where he needs to concentrate on keeping his feet underneath him. When he moves in the pocket and gets off-balance his accuracy suffers quite a bit, and a lot of times quarterbacks have to make short throws from awkward positions. That is when Nate's accuracy starts to wane and this is an area he needs to work on a lot if he is going to become the player he wants to be. Locate 2nd Receiver B+ He seems to understand the offense, and if there is a strength in Nate's game it is the ability to know what he is doing and get into his check-offs, and locating the secondary options is what he does well. He could benefit, like any other QB, from speeding the process up a little, but as he plays more he will get better. Running Ability C+ Nate is an average runner. As he continues to emerge he should take a cue from a guy like Craig Krenzel at Ohio State. He doesn't need to think about big plays but rather four or five-yard gains and picking up a first down here and there. Maintaining himself as a weapon is what he needs to do and he is not quite there yet. Quickness of Delivery B+ He is very quick and his motion is fine. Nate has the ball in the proper position to throw all the time and his mechanics are fine. It is his comfort level with the game that is holding him back a little, so the grade here is just on mechanics and not the overall thinking process. Judgment B- I have seen Nate misread plays in games I have broadcast, and it seems like he is sometimes too intent on making the big play down the field. He has to follow his routine and listen to the good coaching he is getting in order to make things happen. If Nate stays patient his judgment will improve and this is an area he needs to continue to work on. Poise A This is his strength and this is why Nate gets to play. He has been through it all and is able to handle the ups and downs. I was impressed with the way he came back after four interceptions in the Texas game earlier this year, making some plays at critical times.

SUMMARY Nate is a very calm, measured player. He has been through a lot in his career and is able to handle the ups and downs that quarterbacks experience. His transfer from Georgia, his background as a top high school golfer and his movement in and out of the lineup at OU have all helped him gain perspective and handle the emotions of the quarterback position. But Nate is still getting used to being in game action. He sat out a season with transfer and has had injuries, and when a QB has been in and out of the lineup it takes a while to get comfortable. That process started last year before he was injured and then he was disappointed at being named the No. 2 quarterback to start this year, but I think Nate is just now starting to get comfortable in big-time college football.

Former NFL quarterback Gary Danielson is a college football analyst for ABC Sports.