<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0DtZhi_0vybH7OW00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0DtZhi_0vybH7OW00" width="962" height="504" >Although the primary focus remains on the upcoming 2025 class, along with the ensuing 2026 class, it's never too early to begin assessing upcoming quarterbacks, given the importance of the signal-caller position at the collegiate level. Hence why the Gators, among a handful of Power Four programs, have taken an early look at a number of options in the 2027 and 2028 classes at the position, including during the team's most recent contest, Saturday's 24-13 win over UCF. Along with a handful of high school upperclassmen, the Gators welcomed a pair of quarterbacks in the 2028 class – Blake McCullough and Brycen Marbrey – to Gainesville to take in the team's contest with the Knights, marking the pair's first-ever visit to Florida's campus. Marbrey currently starts on Lake Mary High School's freshman team, though he also serves as a back-up on varsity to Noah Grubbs, a four-star prospect who committed to Notre Dame on June 1, while McCullough started on Bishop Moore Catholic's junior varsity team as a freshman and currently serves as a back-up to Bjorn Jurgensen, a Virginia commit. While they're still years away from making decisions in their respective recruitment processes, the pair of Marbrey and McCullough have been training together since they were 9-years-old with Anthony Siciliano, a private quarterback coach based in the central Florida area who's adamant the duo have significant potential if they continue to develop at their current rate. "With Blake and Brycen, I've had the opportunity to work with them since the fourth grade, and I knew right away both of them were super talented. Just working with them, they just had something different about them with their work ethic and their mindset and how they attacked playing quarterback," Siciliano said. "I think what separates Blake and Brycen from a lot of kids their age is they're elite at processing information, and at the quarterback position you have to be elite processors, and if you're able to do that you just play the game at a different level. And mentally they're very sharp, physically they can make all the throws in the pocket, off-schedule throws they can make as well, but what separates them the most is they're both winners and leaders." From watching film on each quarterback, it's clear they possess ahead-of-the-curve mechanics, from their throwing motion to their footwork, though there's work still to be done for each freshman passer to realize their goal of securing a scholarship at the collegiate level, and they know it. "I think something I can keep working on is some of my off-platform, off-schedule throws, understanding when I need to get out of the pocket, things like that," McCullough said, "and then also staying in the pocket when I need to and just pushing up, staying in for as long as I can before really needing to bail, making calm, poised decisions in the pocket." Marbrey, who had an opportunity to enter last weekend's contest between Lake Mary and Hagerty after the former gained a sizable advantage in the contest, understands there's room for growth, too, as he continues to progress. "Definitely pushing the ball upfield," Marbrey said. "I feel like I have pretty good touch on the ball."Both McCullough and Marbrey started to receive collegiate interest back in the spring, with UCF reaching out, and Florida making contact in the summer. A handful of Power Four schools have already reached out expressing interest in evaluating the duo further, with Syracuse and Florida State, among a handful of Group of Five programs, showing early interest in evaluating the pair. While they're primarily focused on continuing their freshmen seasons at their respective schools, McCullough and Marbrey have begun evaluating potential landing spots, leading the pair to take the short trip north Saturday to Gainesville after contact was made with offensive analyst Ryan O'Hara. Each came away with a positive impression of the atmosphere and facilities at Florida. "I really enjoyed meeting Coach O'Hara. He's a great guy, you can start talking to him and you can just tell from some of the conversations we were having, I feel like he was testing some of my knowledge. I really loved being in Gainesville, the environment is unbelievable, like I've never experienced anything like it," McCullough said. "I can definitely see why other teams when they go there have trouble playing there. The Swamp is real." Marbrey concurred. "It was amazing. I had never seen nothing like it," Marbrey said. "The atmosphere, the fans, the people, you can just tell there's a lot of camaraderie, a lot of energy. I liked the energy, man, it was nice." Florida's usage of a freshman quarterback, DJ Lagway, resonated, too. "It says a lot, because they're willing to play a freshman, but I like both of their quarterbacks, especially DJ Lagway," Marbrey said. "I've been following him since he was in high school."For now, both Marbrey and McCullough will continue what they've done since elementary school: working on their game nearly seven days a week with Siciliano and their respective coaching staffs in central Florida. Again, there's plenty of time before either will make a decision on their future, yet the early interest from a handful of programs coupled with their work ethic makes it likely both Marbrey and McCullough will receive significant interest before too long. "In my 10 years of coaching, they're my two best quarterbacks that I'll ever have," Siciliano said. "They're super competitive, but they have a great friendship, and you don't see that a lot in young kids." Both quarterbacks credit Siciliano for their development thus far, with the duo intent on continuing to train in Oviedo with their long-time coach. "I've loved it, I've been working with him since fourth grade, everything from my mechanics to my footwork, he's really improved on it, really harped on everything with me," McCullough said of working with Siciliano. "It's really made me a better football player, and overall as a person and as a teammate. He's like family to me. "He understands the game, he's been around it for a long time, and definitely someone I can rely on."Marbrey expressed a similiar sentiment. "The experience is great, because he's the best coach ever, man. He's always doing what he can for me to train me, always having me come out, talking to colleges for me," Marbrey said. "It's a great experience, having a coach like that."As much as he deserves credit for the pair's progression thus far, Siciliano makes it clear the coaching staffs at Lake Mary and Bishop Moore Catholic deserve an abundance of commendation for their current role in aiding each signal-caller, a process which will continue until both Marbrey and McCullough eventually make their respective decisions on their collegiate futures. "We are super grateful for the coaching staffs from Bishop Moore and Lake Mary," Siciliano said. "They are awesome, and I'm super excited for them to help them with their developments as well. They play a huge role." </div></body>

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Pair of 2028 QBs, Blake McCullough and Brycen Marbrey, discuss development, first-ever visit to UF

Although the primary focus remains on the upcoming 2025 class, along with the ensuing 2026 class, it's never too early to begin assessing upcoming quarterbacks, given the importance of the signal-caller position at the collegiate level. Hence why the Gators, among a handful of Power Four programs, have taken an...

Pair of 2028 QBs, Blake McCullough and Brycen Marbrey, discuss development, first-ever visit to UF

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