Ryan Puglisi is a 4* QB from Paxson, Massachusetts who currently attends Avon Old Farms High School in Avon, Connecticut. According to the recruiting industry rankings, Ryan is the #3 player from Connecticut, the #10 QB, and the #145 player overall in the 2024 cycle. Puglisi played at Groton Lawrence Academy in Massachusetts before transferring to Avon Old Farms prior to his junior season.

·         Jersey # - 2

·         HT/WT – 6’3” 205 lbs.

·         Junior Yr. Stats – Stats only available from games 1 & 4 of 2022; 16/20 (80%), 387 yards, 5-0 TD/INT, 24.2 Y/C, 193.5 Y/G, 8 carries, 33 rushing yards, 3                TD’s

·         1^st Team All Founder’s League in baseball in 2022

As of June 2022, Ryan was ranked as a 3* and had many P5 offers (Boston College, Duke, Pitt, Rutgers, Purdue, Michigan State to name a few), but he had yet to garner much national attention from powerhouse programs. On June 15, 2022, Alabama was the first major contender to offer Ryan, followed by Georgia the very next day. Since Ryan’s commitment to UGA in October of 2022, he has gotten offers from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Miami and shot up to a 4*.

At the time, Georgia was still intently pursuing 5* Dylan Raiola, so why invest in this relatively unknown player from Connecticut? First off, when Kirby Smart and company start eyeballing a three-star player, pay attention. Georgia has some of the best talent evaluators in the country on its staff right now. Secondly, Puglisi is an extremely talented young man with P5 starting potential. Especially after not taking a QB in the 2023 class, Georgia needed two quarterbacks in the 2024 cycle, and they found their guys.

Ryan plays at a charter school with an eight-game season against varying competition, which could be the reason he remained off the national radar for so long. Do not let the fact that this is not an IMG/Buford/Mater Dei product fool you. Ryan Puglisi is a certified football player. He has excellent footwork and a silky-smooth throwing motion. Ryan possesses very good accuracy and can regularly be seen throwing into tight windows. He throws to the sideline extremely well, which tends to give high school QB’s trouble. He has very good arm strength and can drive the ball down the field (24.2 Y/C!!). Along with zipping balls into tight windows, he has great touch and knows how to loft it into soft spots in coverage.

Ryan is a pass first guy. Reads through his progressions well but could use improvement. He is excellent at extending plays and continuing to look down field. When pressure is applied, his first instinct isn’t to run, but he is a capable athlete who can move around. Excels when blocking breaks down where he can improvise but is also willing to stand in the pocket and take a hit. Can throw very well on the move/ across his body, including hitting passes with different release angles. My favorite throw from his reel comes at 5:00 in the Hudl clip. Ryan rolls to the left, flips his hips, and delivers a dart down the sideline with a flick of the wrist.

Going a little further into his athletic background, Puglisi is a three-sport athlete (football, baseball, and basketball). He is a legit baseball prospect with a reported 90-93 MPH fastball. Ryan finished as the #6 Top Performer at the Elite 11 Finals, finishing ahead of the likes of CJ Carr, DJ Lagway, Elijah Brown, and Jadyn Davis.

My only hesitancies with Puglisi are A: Sometimes he tries to do too much. Especially at the HS level, keep it simple. Checkdown, throw OOB, take off and run. He gambles often and it typically works out for him, but it might not in SEC play. B: It’s hard to say what kind of competition he faces in Connecticut. Avon Farms has a good track record of putting guys into D1 programs, but I am not sure that can be said of all his opponents. Also, only playing an 8-game season means Ryan is coming in with less snaps/ pass attempts than some of his counterparts.

Minor discrepancies aside, Ryan has a bright future and the possibility of coming into an open QB race at Georgia, should Carson Beck depart for the NFL after this year. Dylan Raiola is a generational prospect, this we know; however, I will say it again. Puglisi is a bonafide P5 level starter. Should be an interesting offseason in 2024.

·         Ryan Puglisi Player Comparison – Taller Stetson Bennett. I know that this is going to sound like a lazy comp, but if the shoe fits, right? There are some striking similarities in Stetson’s and Ryan’s game. Both guys are pass oriented with good athleticism to extend plays. Both have above average arm talent and great accuracy. Some of the touch passes and strikes over the middle make me feel like I am watching 6’3” Stetson. Give Ryan a little chip on his shoulder with coming in behind a higher touted QB? Watch out. 

Hudl Link: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17374429/637af9f30660c4052cc61983