Lombardi has what it takes
Luke Feddersen | Staff
Rocky Lombardi will be back in Iowa City for another visit this weekend.
Rivals.com
Class of 2017 quarterback Rocky Lombardi is going to be a three-year starter for Coach Gary Swenson at West Des Moines Valley. During that time, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Lombardi has impressed Swenson with his arm strength, physicality, and understanding of the game. We caught up with Swenson to learn more about his star player and the latest on his recruiting.
Q: What type of player has he been for you?
SWENSON: He has thrown for close to 2,000 yards both years for us. That is a lot of yards for us. He was a first team all state quarterback as a junior. I think it is pretty obvious that he is a real talented player. He has been a key component for the success we have had the last couple of years.
Q: What are his main strengths at this point?
SWENSON: As a quarterback, he just has a really strong arm. He can make throws that the average high school quarterback can't throw. Physically, he is just tough. He is a four sport guy. He is a good wrestler and that is an unusual combination for a tall lanky kid but he is just tough. He came to us with a really good understanding of the game. He has a high football IQ. Being a coach's kid, he has been around the game his whole life. A lot of that stuff he had when he came here.
Q: How does that high football IQ help him?
SWENSON: As a quarterback, it is helpful because he understands concepts in the passing game. He can look at coverages and understand where the ball needs to be put. Early on I think he relied a little bit on trying to make the throws that weren't there. He has settled in now and for the attempts he has had there is a limited number of turnovers.
Q: What areas of his game is he working on?
SWENSON: He has been so immersed in wrestling season. I know he always wants to be a better athlete who wants to get faster. He is a good lifter in the weight room. He never really has that four month window where he can just work on physical improvements but he does what he can. I think what he gets from competing year round balances against what he loses with the time in the weight room or doing agilities. It is a good trade off. I think we encourage all of our kids to be multiple sport athletes. Even at a bigger school, most of our kids do that. He is a year round guy and that is different from the average kid.
Q: What colleges are recruiting him?
SWENSON: I think everybody is still evaluating him. He has had a few offers but I feel sometimes these kids get labeled as a pro style quarterback which is the code word for he doesn't run as fast as some of these other guys. Everyone wants that dual threat guy who is a running back with a strong arm. In the class of 2017, I think ultimately when it all shakes out that he’ll be looked at as a guy that is evaluated nationally and not just locally. He will end up being a Division I quarterback but I don't really know what the level looks like as far as that goes.
Q: What has been the interest from Iowa?
SWENSON: I would categorize it as a little up and down. They are continuing to evaluate him. He was just over at a junior day there a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday. I don't know what, if anything, that they’ll do. I think they really like him and the fact that he is a big kid that has a level of toughness. I'd be hard pressed to predict what they'll do. They'll continue to evaluate him. If he does back over the summer for a day, they'll see him throw and watch him move. I think there is a chance but I don't know for sure. I think he is being evaluated very favorably by everyone in that class. (The colleges) are all trying to fight it out for the same pool of guys which isn't very big. I think as guys come of the board with commitment, his stock will continue to go up.
Q: Is it difficult for him to get out to camps with summer baseball?
SWENSON: The one day situations have really helped. Ten to fifteen years ago, you were locked into three days at a camp. That became prohibitive for the kids. Now you can get in and out in the same day. He'll probably have to miss a day of baseball practice. That isn't good but our coaches are pretty understanding about that type of event for him. The coaches here are good about working with kids when they want to do those things.
As a junior, Lombardi finished 144/251 passing (57.4%) for 2,258 yards and 25 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also had 404 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground as well during West Des Moines Valley's 10-3 season.
See Lombardi's highlights in the video below.
Luke Feddersen | Staff
Rocky Lombardi will be back in Iowa City for another visit this weekend.
Rivals.com
Class of 2017 quarterback Rocky Lombardi is going to be a three-year starter for Coach Gary Swenson at West Des Moines Valley. During that time, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Lombardi has impressed Swenson with his arm strength, physicality, and understanding of the game. We caught up with Swenson to learn more about his star player and the latest on his recruiting.
Q: What type of player has he been for you?
SWENSON: He has thrown for close to 2,000 yards both years for us. That is a lot of yards for us. He was a first team all state quarterback as a junior. I think it is pretty obvious that he is a real talented player. He has been a key component for the success we have had the last couple of years.
Q: What are his main strengths at this point?
SWENSON: As a quarterback, he just has a really strong arm. He can make throws that the average high school quarterback can't throw. Physically, he is just tough. He is a four sport guy. He is a good wrestler and that is an unusual combination for a tall lanky kid but he is just tough. He came to us with a really good understanding of the game. He has a high football IQ. Being a coach's kid, he has been around the game his whole life. A lot of that stuff he had when he came here.
Q: How does that high football IQ help him?
SWENSON: As a quarterback, it is helpful because he understands concepts in the passing game. He can look at coverages and understand where the ball needs to be put. Early on I think he relied a little bit on trying to make the throws that weren't there. He has settled in now and for the attempts he has had there is a limited number of turnovers.
Q: What areas of his game is he working on?
SWENSON: He has been so immersed in wrestling season. I know he always wants to be a better athlete who wants to get faster. He is a good lifter in the weight room. He never really has that four month window where he can just work on physical improvements but he does what he can. I think what he gets from competing year round balances against what he loses with the time in the weight room or doing agilities. It is a good trade off. I think we encourage all of our kids to be multiple sport athletes. Even at a bigger school, most of our kids do that. He is a year round guy and that is different from the average kid.
Q: What colleges are recruiting him?
SWENSON: I think everybody is still evaluating him. He has had a few offers but I feel sometimes these kids get labeled as a pro style quarterback which is the code word for he doesn't run as fast as some of these other guys. Everyone wants that dual threat guy who is a running back with a strong arm. In the class of 2017, I think ultimately when it all shakes out that he’ll be looked at as a guy that is evaluated nationally and not just locally. He will end up being a Division I quarterback but I don't really know what the level looks like as far as that goes.
Q: What has been the interest from Iowa?
SWENSON: I would categorize it as a little up and down. They are continuing to evaluate him. He was just over at a junior day there a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday. I don't know what, if anything, that they’ll do. I think they really like him and the fact that he is a big kid that has a level of toughness. I'd be hard pressed to predict what they'll do. They'll continue to evaluate him. If he does back over the summer for a day, they'll see him throw and watch him move. I think there is a chance but I don't know for sure. I think he is being evaluated very favorably by everyone in that class. (The colleges) are all trying to fight it out for the same pool of guys which isn't very big. I think as guys come of the board with commitment, his stock will continue to go up.
Q: Is it difficult for him to get out to camps with summer baseball?
SWENSON: The one day situations have really helped. Ten to fifteen years ago, you were locked into three days at a camp. That became prohibitive for the kids. Now you can get in and out in the same day. He'll probably have to miss a day of baseball practice. That isn't good but our coaches are pretty understanding about that type of event for him. The coaches here are good about working with kids when they want to do those things.
As a junior, Lombardi finished 144/251 passing (57.4%) for 2,258 yards and 25 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also had 404 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on the ground as well during West Des Moines Valley's 10-3 season.
See Lombardi's highlights in the video below.
