When DeAnza college coach Dan Atencio sent Joshua McCain off for his official visit to Moscow he expected his prolific quarterback to return home and have a conversation before making a decision.
Atencio had just sat down for dinner when he received a call from Idaho coach Paul Petrino.
“He said ‘coach, your quarterback just committed’,” Atencio said. “I said ‘hold on, wait a minute, put Josh on the phone.'”
“I thought you were going to come home first?” Atencio asked his quarterback.
“Josh told me ‘Coach, I love this place, this is the place for me,'” Atencio said. “So I said ‘that’s great’. I told him to get ready to prove to those guys that they made the right decision.”
McCain is the third quarterback committed to Petrino’s class of 2013, joining Anthony Neyer (already on campus) and Matthew Linehan, to bring the total of scholarship quarterbacks to six.
Petrino said in an earlier meeting with the media that he planned on bringing in two quarterbacks, one a junior college and one a high school, but with the early signing of Neyer it seems the plan has changed to bring in two junior college quarterbacks to join the competition. McCain won’t join the team until fall camp opens up in August.
McCain’s recruitment began with a coach retained from former Idaho coach Robb Akey’s staff, tight ends coach Al Pupunu. After visits from Petrino and offensive coordinator Kris Cinkovich he decided to take a visit.
“He was sold the new system and what they’re trying to do there and opportunities he had to play,” Atencio said. “Petrino knows a lot about preparing and I think he’ll a job of developing him, he does a good job with quarterbacks.”
“(Petrino) sees enough in (McCain) that I believe and Josh believes he can do a job to coach him up. I’ll go along with his opinion,” Atencio said.
McCain led DeAnza College to an 8-3 record and threw for 32 touchdowns in the process. He shows savviness throwing the ball down the field with power and accuracy, but is at his best when he’s out of the pocket making throws on the run or tucking it in and getting the yards himself.
But inconsistency struck McCain throughout the season.
The 6-2, 185 pound quarterback ran for 626 yards on the season, four times running for over 90 yards, but also had four games in which he was held under 20 yards and two games in which he ran for negative yards.
He also had his moments throwing the ball, throwing for 2958 yards in 11 games. This includes some gaudy throwing games — Four games with over 300 yards, four games with over 8 yards per pass attempt and four games with at least four passing touchdowns en route to 32 passing touchdowns on the season.
But there were also accuracy issues. Five times he was held under 50-percent completion in a game, 12 of his 16 interceptions on the season came in those games. He posted a 13-12 touchdown-interception ratio in those five games.
Atencio believes his now former quarterback has all the tools to be a competent pocket passer, but opponents all had a similar game plan in trying to defend him.
“Every team we’ve played they’re gameplan was to keep the pocket, because if he gets outside he’ll kill you. But he can sit in the pocket, he can run the spread,” Atencio said. “Guys have asked me, how would you defend your own quarterback? (I wouldn’t) want to pressure him because if you pressure he’s gone.”
Atencio said McCain received a good amount of interest as an ‘athlete’ recruit, but Idaho’s opportunity to let him play quarterback was probably a deciding factor.
“He’s elusive, fast. Some people look at him more like a quarterback here who could be a wide receiver there,” he said. “Idaho is giving him the chance to be a quarterback, he thought that was probably his best deal.”
With Feb. 6 right around the corner should Petrino and his staff fret about outside interest?
“He’s the kind of guy who gives you his word. Pretty solid. Probably planning on sending that fax (right away) Wednesday to make sure it’s all solid,” Atencio said.