Quick Thoughts: Mason was the top QB prospect on the board for the coaching staff. After watching him throw in person and seeing what he can do live, the staff made him a priority. Quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski spent a lot of time recruiting Mason and Lance Leipold was also involved.
I go back to that summer camp and believe that was a pivotal moment. I saw Zebrowski working with him a lot over that two hour stretch in position drills. Mason told me that was a big thing for him to work with Zebrowski. He said in a short amount of time Zebrowski helped him with parts of his game and left camp with improvements.
Mason told me the staff treated him like family and that he was a "priority" which I could feel through the process. Another thing of note that proves this; the other top QB on their board Derek Garcia visited for the TCU game as well. The word I get is Garcia wanted to commit, but the staff said they needed a bit more time and were honest with him. They could have landed their top two QB on the board for one spot.
This really came down to KU and Iowa State, and in the summer I think it was a close race. But the KU staff was consistent with him and thorough and he committed a little earlier than I thought. Mason said it is a relief to have his decision made and he can go out and focus on playing football and not worry about recruiting.
Breakdown: When I saw Mason in camp and on film, I don't know exactly how I would classify him. He has some elements of his game that might classify him as a drop-back passer, but he can still move well. He looks more comfortable in the pocket to me and can throw any ball. He can put touch on some passes and throw others with velocity. He can drop down sidearm and make several throws.
In the Northwest offense they use a lot of motion and will zone read. Mason isn't afraid to keep the ball and run. They also use some designed runs with him especially when teams lighten the box pre-snap in the middle of the field. He will take a direct snap and run behind the lead blocker in the backfield.
What this means: The plan for now is to take one high school quarterback in the 2026 class and Mason is the guy. They could have had Garcia but wanted to be patient to see what Mason would decide. Zebrowski gets to sit back and relax because he has his QBs in the 2025 and 2026 class on board.
I go back to that summer camp and believe that was a pivotal moment. I saw Zebrowski working with him a lot over that two hour stretch in position drills. Mason told me that was a big thing for him to work with Zebrowski. He said in a short amount of time Zebrowski helped him with parts of his game and left camp with improvements.
Mason told me the staff treated him like family and that he was a "priority" which I could feel through the process. Another thing of note that proves this; the other top QB on their board Derek Garcia visited for the TCU game as well. The word I get is Garcia wanted to commit, but the staff said they needed a bit more time and were honest with him. They could have landed their top two QB on the board for one spot.
This really came down to KU and Iowa State, and in the summer I think it was a close race. But the KU staff was consistent with him and thorough and he committed a little earlier than I thought. Mason said it is a relief to have his decision made and he can go out and focus on playing football and not worry about recruiting.
Breakdown: When I saw Mason in camp and on film, I don't know exactly how I would classify him. He has some elements of his game that might classify him as a drop-back passer, but he can still move well. He looks more comfortable in the pocket to me and can throw any ball. He can put touch on some passes and throw others with velocity. He can drop down sidearm and make several throws.
In the Northwest offense they use a lot of motion and will zone read. Mason isn't afraid to keep the ball and run. They also use some designed runs with him especially when teams lighten the box pre-snap in the middle of the field. He will take a direct snap and run behind the lead blocker in the backfield.
What this means: The plan for now is to take one high school quarterback in the 2026 class and Mason is the guy. They could have had Garcia but wanted to be patient to see what Mason would decide. Zebrowski gets to sit back and relax because he has his QBs in the 2025 and 2026 class on board.
