Grant Gunnell (born November 24, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Sam Houston Bearkats. Gunnell started his college career at Arizona in 2019 before transferring to Memphis in 2021, then transferring to North Texas in 2022, and transferring to Sam Houston in 2023.
| Sam Houston Bearkats – No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Graduate |
| Major | Pre-Business |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 24, 1999 The Woodlands, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| High school | St. Pius X (Houston, Texas) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| |
Early years
editGunnell first gained recognition as a 7th grader at Knox Junior High in The Woodlands, Texas, where he led his team to an undefeated season with 84–0 and 95–7 wins, and he reportedly received early recruitment interest from Arizona, Arkansas, Houston, and Texas A&M, all of whom would later offer him college scholarships.[1] As an 8th grader, Gunnell was named the 7th best middle school player in the nation, the 2nd best middle school quarterback only behind DJ Uiagalelei, and the top quarterback for the class of 2019.[2] His 8th grade Knox Junior High team went undefeated and were named the top-ranked 8th grade team in the nation by Youth1 Sports.[3]
After originally playing at College Park High School as a freshman, Gunnell transferred to St. Pius X High School in Houston, Texas as a sophomore, where his older brother Nelson Gunnell was the team's quarterback. During his career at St Pius, Grant actually surpassed his older brother on the depth chart and set the Texas high school records for passing touchdowns (195) and passing yards (16,108).[4][5][6] Grant was a USA Today All American, second team his senior year. He was a MaxPreps Junior All American, MaxPreps Sophomore All American, MaxPreps Sophomore Co-Player of the Year, and was a MaxPreps Freshman All American. Additionally, Grant played in the US Army All American Bowl and was a finalist for Player of the Year. Within the state of Texas, he was a first-team all-state selection as a Sophomore, Junior, and Senior.
A four-star recruit, Gunnell was Texas's top QB prospect and received 42 college scholarship offers, including from powerhouses like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, to name a few.[7] Gunnell originally committed early on to Arkansas before recommitting to Texas A&M, where his brother was playing wide receiver,[8] but recommitted again later into his senior year to the University of Arizona, to play college football under Kevin Sumlin.[9][10]
College career
editArizona
editGunnell entered his freshman season at Arizona in 2019 as a backup to Khalil Tate. He made his first career start in a game against UCLA, throwing for 352 yards and a touchdown.[11][12] Overall he played in eight games with three starts and completed 101 of 155 passes for 1,239 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception.[13] However, Gunnell was also the starting quarterback during Arizona's 2020 winless season, which included their historic loss to in-state rival Arizona State 70–7.[14] Following the game, Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin was fired, and Gunnell announced on social media that he would be transferring from Arizona to Memphis.
Memphis
editAfter transferring to the University of Memphis for the 2021 season, Gunnell saw no playing time after receiving surgery on his right leg. Following the season, Gunnell reportedly played "incredibly well" in the spring scrimmage, but ultimately transferred to North Texas.[15]
North Texas
editGunnell transferred to North Texas University to begin play for the North Texas Mean Green in 2022.[16] The backup to Austin Aune, Gunnell only saw playing time in two games, throwing a touchdown and an interception on 75 passing yards against Texas Southern.[17]
Sam Houston
editGunnell transferred to Sam Houston State University to play for the Sam Houston Bearkats.[18]
Statistics
edit| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| Arizona Wildcats | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 8 | 1–2 | 101 | 155 | 65.2 | 1,239 | 8.0 | 9 | 1 | 150.2 | 32 | 14 | 0.4 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0–4 | 64 | 93 | 68.8 | 625 | 6.7 | 6 | 2 | 142.3 | 23 | 22 | 1.0 | 0 | |
| Memphis Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| 2021 | DNP | ||||||||||||||
| North Texas Mean Green | |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 2 | — | 4 | 9 | 44.4 | 75 | 8.3 | 0 | 1 | 92.2 | 1 | −5 | −5.0 | 0 | |
| Sam Houston Bearkats | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 1 | 0–1 | 14 | 22 | 63.6 | 100 | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 92.7 | 4 | −4 | −1.0 | 0 | |
| Career | 15 | 1–7 | 183 | 279 | 65.6 | 2,039 | 7.3 | 15 | 5 | 141.1 | 60 | 27 | 0.5 | 1 | |
References
edit- ^ Holmes, C. J. "QB Grant Gunnell ready to fulfill big-time expectations as Wildcats leader". The Athletic.
- ^ Poorman, Jon (October 17, 2014). "FOOTBALL: Local player chosen for Youth All-American Game". Chron. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "Youth1 Sports: Grant Gunnell".
- ^ "St. Pius X QB Grant Gunnell becomes Texas' career passing TD leader". HoustonChronicle.com. November 3, 2018.
- ^ Coleman, Adam; Chronicle, Houston (October 20, 2018). "St. Pius X QB Grant Gunnell sets Texas' career passing yards mark". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Lev, Michael (December 14, 2018). "QB Grant Gunnell, the centerpiece of Arizona's 2019 recruiting class, is just getting started". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ "Grant Gunnell, 247sports Recruiting Profile".
- ^ "Will Gunnell, Texas A&M".
- ^ "Grant Gunnell, the state's top-ranked QB and a former A&M pledge, commits to Kevin Sumlin and Arizona". Dallas News. June 6, 2018.
- ^ Lev, Michael (June 6, 2018). "Commitment of 4-star QB Grant Gunnell is a 'big splash' for Kevin Sumlin, Arizona Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ "Arizona holds on to beat UCLA behind quarterback Grant Gunnell". Los Angeles Daily News. September 29, 2019.
- ^ "Arizona freshman Grant Gunnell looks like a seasoned veteran against UCLA defense". Los Angeles Times. September 29, 2019.
- ^ "Competitive nature won't allow Grant Gunnell to assume Arizona Wildcats QB job is his to lose". azcentral.
- ^ "Arizona State Dominates Rival Arizona in 70–7 Win". December 11, 2020.
- ^ "Grant Gunnell Memphis".
- ^ "Record-setting quarterback Grant Gunnell transfers to North Texas".
- ^ "Grant Gunnell, UNT".
- ^ Marrion, Jack (May 3, 2023). "Sam Houston football: QB Grant Gunnell transferring from North Texas". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 19, 2023.