Introducing 2027 Massachusetts QB Jareth Staine

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A prominent football coach asked Jareth Staine‍ the question everybody had been asking themselves coming into Monday night’s showcase at Springfield Central High School.

“Are you ready for all of this?”

“Yessir,” the 14-year-old replied, nodding his head.

In reality, Staine had turned that question into a rhetorical one with the hour-long performance the eighth-grader put on in front of dozens of college coaches, including several from Power Five schools.

“The moment wasn't too big for him,” says Tommy Guy, his QB Trainer with Excel Sports Academy of New England.

“He had a couple bad throws early, he really could have just called it a day and let the moment get the best of him. But he bounced back like it was nothing like, like a veteran does.”

Central High School head coach Bill Watson agrees.

“He's got good size, he's got a strong arm and he's a real good athlete,” Watson says. “He's got a poise about him, a calmness, like he belongs here. He's got confidence. He does all the things that you need to do to attract attention from big-time schools. He's going to continue to get better.”

The 6-foot, 165-pounder won’t take his first snaps as a high-schooler at Central until sometime in the fall, but the throws he made on Berte Field Monday night helped earn him a scholarship offer from Boston College, the first of what will surely be many to come.

College coaches have spent the last few weeks scouring the nation evaluating high school prospects and one Power-Five assistant said afterward that the middle-schooler’s performance was the best he’s seen from a young quarterback anywhere in the country this spring.

“For a kid this young, his arm is really strong and he's really accurate and consistent,” Guy says. “A lot of times when guys are the age that he's at, being a '27, you can probably see some flashes of looking well, but it's hard for them to be consistent.

“It's also hard for guys that age to make throws like comebacks, deep posts and verticals down the field. Jareth threw some balls tonight that were probably 50 to 55 yards in the air. Not only that, but he's throwing it on time and he's hitting guys in stride and in rhythm.”

Guy also points to Staine’s athleticism.

“He's a great athlete,” he says. “People are going to see him move around and make plays as well. He's a three-sport athlete. Right now, he plays football, basketball, and volleyball. You can see when he is out on the field that he is a versatile, athletic kid.”

Many of the non-Power Five coaches in attendance likely realized their chances of ultimately landing Staine are slim given the fact that the top programs in the country will be after him in the years to come.

That didn’t matter to at least one assistant from one of the nation’s premier academic institutions, who was dazzled by the performance and laughed that watching a 14-year-old throw 50-yard bombs on point made his day.

In addition to the offer from Boston College, Staine caught the attention of several other big-time schools.

Virginia Tech, the school where his role model and former Springfield Tiger and Central quarterback Pop Watson‍ is currently a freshman, let it be known that it will be watching Staine closely this season.

Notre Dame has already reached out to invite him to camp.

Guy is confident Staine has a chance to follow in the footsteps of some of the other top quarterbacks he trains, including Watson and 2024 Georgia commit Ryan Puglisi‍.

“He's been working for a long time, so if he was to stop doing that or slow it down, then his ceiling is going to stop where it's at,” Guy says. “But if he continues to work hard and put himself around other guys who work hard and guys who are at a high level, then he's just going to keep improving.

“I'm not sure what his ceiling is, but I know it's going to be high if he continues in the direction he's going now.”

Watson has been impressed with the strides Staine has made as a leader over the past couple years as the leader of the Springfield Tigers youth program.

“The things that you see in the background because you've got to be a leader at that position,” he says. “Those are the things that we've been talking about and working on. He's doing a great job. Anything that we've asked him to do, he's been able to get done.”

Staine is just the latest in a long line of Central football players to receive Division-I scholarships over the last several years under Watson and his predecessor, Valdamar Brower.

And, according to Watson, Staine and the other young Eagles are the beneficiaries of those who came before them.

“One thing I personally take a lot of pride in is if you look at a lot of the kids who we've sent to Power Five schools, they've been able to get on the field early,” Watson says. “They've been able to make a mark early, which to me is an indicator that they're coming to school ready to play. I think a lot of the other schools are seeing that.

“A lot of the colleges are seeing that and they're coming here knowing what type of player they're going to get from this program. They're going to get a kid who knows how to handle himself in the weight room, is going to do the things that you're supposed to do as far as being on time and being accountable. You're getting a good kid when you come here and grab a guy. I think that's what's helping the next kids who come in have success when they come in.”

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