Brett Gordon immediately noted the raw talent in Gavin Sidwar's game.
He saw it on display through the quarterback's first two seasons at Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College High School, but when Gordon was appointed head coach ahead of Sidwar's junior year, he knew what his pupil needed to work on.
When they first met in January 2024, the two got to work right away with the mental aspect of the game. Gordon wanted Sidwar to understand his vision in their tandem, realizing how much of the offense will be dictated by the play of the quarterback.
"Not only has he grown physically, but he's grown emotionally from a maturity standpoint," Gordon said. "Watching him take his game to the next level mentally, for me as a coach, has been has been a lot of fun to watch."
After their first scrimmage ahead of the 2024 season, Gordon saw enhanced accuracy and decision making from Sidwar. He felt the demand of the quarterback in his offense would most prepare Sidwar for an opportunity at the next level.
That was on display in Sidwar's junior season, as the Class of 2026 signal-caller passed for 2,747 yards and 31 touchdowns on a 69% completion rate.
Sidwar, who verbally committed to Missouri on Friday, impressed Tigers offensive coordinator Kirby Moore not only with his stats but also his football knowledge of route concepts, progressions, defensive identifications and pass protections.
"It was apparent to me very quickly that he had a very high football IQ," Gordon said.
In Gordon's mind, anticipation has always been the hardest thing to teach quarterbacks. He's seen uber talented athletes with strong arms not progress and transition to college or the NFL.
"In my estimation, the things that are most important for a quarterback at any level, Gavin excels at both," Gordon said, "which is the ability to process information very quickly and then be able to have a quick release and get the ball out accurately. He does that as well as any high school player I've ever seen."
Moore worked out with Sidwar in January, when the Tigers offered the former Rutgers commit. Sidwar, a four-star, visited Missouri's campus this past week, after his previous trip was canceled due to weather, and made up his mind on his future.
"I wouldn't say it was a big surprise," Gordon said. "The more coaches I talked to, the more I got to understand how Kirby operates and what he was looking for, I wasn't surprised, especially down here towards the end. Because he was very apparent the appreciation that he had for Gavin, his development mentally."
Missouri proved to align its vision with Sidwar's specific skills, and with the Tigers having two other Pennsylvania quarterback products in Beau Pribula and Matt Zollers, it only strengthened the pipeline.
"Jack's a great guy," Gordon said of Missouri assistant offensive line coach and Pennsylvania recruiter Jack Abercrombie. "He's been pretty active with a couple of our players here over the past couple months. There's familiarity there.
"I think the part that often has gotten overlooked just because of all the moving and shaking within conferences is Missouri's SEC football. Pennsylvania kids get a chance to go play in the best conference in college football. I think it's pretty special."
Mizzou QB commit Gavin Sidwar grows mentally, physically into junior year
Class of 2026 four-star Gavin Sidwar developed into the quarterback that best fit Missouri's scheme.
missouri.rivals.com
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