Jake Browning of Folsom is the obvious choice, but others are also in the mix.
Jake Browning of Folsom figures to set numerous state and possibly national passing records during the 2014 season, but will he finish the year as the nation's leading passer?
While Browning is certainly the leading candidate to lead the nation in passing yardage, he's not the only possibility. Here are 10 candidates with a shot at being the top passing yardage leader in the country.
Jake Browning, Folsom (Calif.)
Last Year: 5,737 yards
Browning is destined to be one of the most prolific passers in national history. He has already thrown for 10,985 career yards and 138 touchdowns with his senior season left to play. However, he has never led the nation in passing. He has finished second twice, coming in behind Will Grier of Davidson Day (Davidson, N.C.) as a sophomore and behind Grant Sherman of Kenton (Ohio) as a junior.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: The high-powered Folsom offense has produced a 5,000-yard passer each of the past three seasons, with Browning providing two of those efforts. Expect Browning to be even more efficient this year, which will be quite an achievement considering that he completed 76 percent of his passes as a junior.
Why he won't: Folsom will likely win a number of blowouts, which will limit the number of passing attempts for Browning. Last year he threw 30 fewer passes than he did as a sophomore, although he completed nearly 50 more passes.
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Tucker Israel, Lake Nona (Orlando, Fla.)
Last Year: 3,979 yards
For at least a couple of days, Israel was the all-time leading passer in Florida history with 10,588 career yards. However, John Wolford of Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, Fla.) passed him in the final game of his career to drop Israel into second place. Israel likely will break the record in his first game and put it out of reach for awhile with a big senior season.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Israel is a four-year varsity starter and is capable of blowing away the Florida state passing yardage record. A 5,000-yard season will put him among the top 10 passing yardage leaders of all time.
Why he won't: Israel has lost his top receiver from last year in Ryan Sousa, who graduated in 2014. Sousa caught passes for over 4,100 yards in his career, including 1,664 yards last year.
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Brady White, Hart (Newhall, Calif.)
Last Year: 4,535 yards
White was the ninth-leading passer in the country last year and No. 2 in California behind Browning. Hart figures to be high-powered again on offense, making for another big year for White.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Hart quarterbacks have a long legacy of putting up gaudy passing numbers, including recent NFL quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Matt Moore. White has already made his mark by throwing for 4,535 yards, just 300 yards off the school record. He also has one of the nation's top returning receivers in Trent Irwin.
Why he won't: Hart dramatically increased its passing attempts last year by over 200 from the previous season. White will have to continue to receive that type of confidence from his coach in order to make a run at the national passing lead. Another deep run in playoffs will also help.
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Kevin Sanchez, Chavez Academy (Detroit)
Last Year: 0 yards
Sanchez was a receiver for Chavez last year and did not throw the ball. The quarterback, Omar Salih, threw for 3,305 yards, but he also only played nine games. Figure in the fact that he threw for 674 yards in one game and was over 300 yards seven times and it becomes clear that Sanchez, who replaces Salih (who transferred), could be among the national leaders this year.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Cesar Chavez Academy puts the ball in the air on a regular basis. Salih attempted at least 50 passes six times and the team reportedly attempted just 60 running plays all season. Sanchez will likely throw the ball just as often.
Why he won't: Chavez won just three games and played only nine. It will need to go deep into the playoffs in order for Sanchez to crack 4,000 or 5,000 yards passing.
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Kody Wilstead, Pine View (St. George, Utah)
Last Year: 4,395 yards
Wilstead finished just 52 yards away from breaking the Utah state record for passing yards in a season. Another deep run in the playoffs (Pine View reached the championship game in 2013) could give Wilstead the record and put him among the national leaders.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: At 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, Wilstead has the size to survey the entire field and pick out his receivers. Pine View also likes to throw the ball, as Wilstead never had fewer than 29 attempts in a game.
Why he won't: Utah doesn't play many playoff games, so while Wilstead may be the national leader early in the season, quarterbacks whose teams play more games may surpass him.
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Adam Dycus, Mayflower (Ark.)
Last Year: 4,364 yards
At 5-11, Dycus is not big, but he is dynamic. Twice he threw for over 500 yards in a game last year and twice he threw eight touchdown passes in a game. His 397-yard average per game ranked second in the nation among quarterbacks with more than 400 attempts.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Dycus is in his third year under center and he is quite comfortable with the offense. He has thrown for over 400 yards 10 times in his career.
Why he won't: Mayflower played just 11 games last year, otherwise Dycus likely would have been over 5,000 yards. A solid playoff run gives Dycus a shot at the national lead.
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Ty Storey, Charleston (Ark.)
Last Year: 4,241 yards
Storey led Charleston to a state championship last year and finished with over 4,000 yards for the second-straight year. Storey doesn't throw the ball quite as often as Adam Dycus or Will Hefley, two other prolific passers from Arkansas, but his team has a good shot to reach the championship game again.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Storey could become one of the rare high school quarterbacks to throw for 4,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. His team will give him a shot at the national lead in passing yards as it tries to defend its state championship.
Why he won't: Storey had two games where he threw less than 10 passes last year. If Charleston dominates, look for Storey to throw the ball less often.
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Will Hefley, Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)
Last Year: 4,152 yards
Pulaski Academy is known for never punting the ball. That means whomever is playing quarterback is going to throw the ball. A lot. Such has been the case as long as Kevin Kelley has been coach at Pulaski Academy. Hefley is the latest in a long line of quarterbacks who will finish with over 4,000 yards passing in a season.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Pulaski Academy quarterbacks are traditionally among the national leaders. They also throw the ball often. In fact, the national record holder for attempts in a season, Wil Nicks, with 676, is from Pulaski Academy. So expect Hefley to definitely be in the running.
Why he won't: The only thing that will keep Hefley out of the race is an early exit from the playoffs.
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Trent Hites, Kenton (Ohio)
Last Year: 240 yards
Kenton quarterbacks have a long history of leading the nation in passing yardage. In fact, the top all-time career passing leaders in national history are from Kenton - Ben and Maty Mauk. Hites is the next man up now that last year's national leader, Grant Sherman, has graduated.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Kenton quarterbacks rarely hand the ball off and can be expected to throw over 600 passes in a season. Last year, Sherman set the national record for completions in a season with 440.
Why he won't: Still just a sophomore, Hites may need to grow into the position. Additionally, coach Mike Mauk has left Kenton to coach in Missouri. Brent Fackler, the team's defensive coordinator the past 29 years, will succeed Mauk as head coach.
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Alex Austin, Glendale (Springfield, Mo.)
Last Year: 268 yards.
You won't find Austin on any national passing leader lists from 2013. In fact, he only started a few games as a junior. However, he makes the list because of the new head coach at Glendale - former Kenton (Ohio) coach Mike Mauk. As the longtime coach at Kenton, Mauk's quarterbacks led the nation in passing yardage five times in the past 15 years, including three times since 2010. Mauk has moved to Glendale to be closer to his son Maty, who is a quarterback at the University of Missouri. Austin could benefit from Mauk's arrival.
Why he will lead the nation in passing: Mauk's quarterback last year, Grant Sherman, led the nation with 5,920 passing yards and a national high of 665 passing attempts. Mauk will likely employ the same type of high-powered passing offense at Glendale with Austin at the helm.
Why he won't: Glendale went 1-9 last year. There will obviously be growing pains and a strong defense will also be needed to give the offense more chances to drive the ball.
