With strong offseason, Bethel High School QB Visperas’ stock rising
Fans of high school football in the South Sound and around Washington might not have heard of Kekoa Visperas, but if recent weeks are any indication, that’s sure to change.
The Bethel High School senior quarterback is seeing his stock rise after a strong offseason, including a runner-up finish to UW commit and Kennedy Catholic five-star quarterback Sam Huard in the Northwest 9 competition — a quarterback skills competition that is the brainchild of Taylor Barton, a former UW quarterback who now coaches high school quarterbacks.
The competition concluded earlier this month in Gig Harbor.
“It was super fun being able to get out there with all the guys, the top talent in the region,” Visperas said. “Sam Huard is a special talent. It was fun to compete against him and a lot of other guys.”
The competition evaluates QB’s on arm strength, delivery, velocity, athletic ability, footwork, accuracy, etc.
Scouts and recruiting analysts in attendance, including 247sports.com’s Brandon Huffman, walked away impressed with what they saw from Visperas.
“This is the fourth time we’ve seen Visperas in the last month, and he continues to impress us each time we watch him,” Huffman wrote in his event notebook. “He reminds us a ton of former Samammish (Washington) Eastlake quarterback Grady Robison, now at Western Kentucky with his arm and athleticism and we think Visperas is an easy FCS level, if not higher, quarterback prospect.”
Visperas, a 6-foot, 190-pounder who is listed as a dual-threat QB on 247 and considered a two-star prospect, has yet to see the Division I offers roll in. He holds offers from Division II Central Washington, Montana Tech and others. With the COVID-19 shutdown limiting recruiting visits, it has hurt players like Visperas, who coaches want to see throw live.
“With quarterbacks, they want to see you live before they offer you,” said Bethel coach Mark Iddins. “They’re more reluctant to pull the trigger. Now with 35 states playing football, that hurts him, too.”
Height is the knock on Visperas. He’s not the prototypical 6-foot-5 pocket passer. But what he lacks in top-shelf height, he makes up for with athleticism, accuracy, arm strength and demeanor.
“When he’s feeling it, picking things up quickly, he’s the best player on the field,” Iddins said. “Last year, he had 2,500 or so passing yards and 700 rushing yards — and he came in two weeks before the season started. He picked up the offense in about two weeks. … He has a good demeanor. Doesn’t get too high, too low. He’s a great leader.”
Iddins offered a flattering comparison to a household name in these parts.
“So much of his mannerisms, they’re very Russell Wilson-like,” Iddins said. “He throws very similar to him. … He’s so electric. He’s tough for a defense to game-plan for.”
Visperas said the Robison comparison was flattering, as someone he’s looked up to playing the quarterback position. In fact, Robison’s father approached Visperas before the Northwest 9 camp kicked off.
“He told me I reminded him of his son,” Visperas said. “We have the same jersey colors (at Bethel, with Eastlake) and everything. Watching him and how electric and exciting he is and how he could make plays out of nothing was insane.”
Visperas said he’s been in the weight room this offseason, working on his strength and also his speed and athleticism and also throwing with teammates.
“I’ve really been working on my accuracy,” he said. “I’ve been making sure I’m putting it on their outside shoulder, really leading them and making sure I’m throwing a better throw.”
Not having a fall season to put film out for college coaches isn’t ideal, but Visperas said he’s trying to maintain a glass-half-full approach.
“It definitely has an impact,” he said. “The bigger schools all want to see some film of my senior year. That would’ve been huge for me. To get that in the fall would have been a lot more beneficial. The process is a process. You just have to trust it. This offseason is giving kids more time to excel and be where they want to me.”
Hopefully, the season will at least be played in the spring, as part of the WIAA’s modified 2020-21 sports calendar. Iddins expects more people to come around on what he’s been seeing for the past year.
“I think they’re starting to (come around),” he said. “The kid has unbelievable arm talent. He has extra pop that comes out of it to go along with 4.6 legitimate speed. He’s a true dual-threat guy that can beat you in every way. I’ve been telling schools. … Finally, some of these camps, showcases come around and almost everyone that sees him says that people need to pick this kid up. Finally people are starting to recognize what we’ve been saying.”
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
