ADAM BEDNARIK
QB, 6-3, 215 lbs., 4.8
Bethlehem Catholic High School – Bethlehem, Pa.
Talented quarterback prospect who led the Bethlehem Catholic
Hawks to an 11-1 record and undefeated regular season … was
148 of 225 passing for 2,356 yards … threw 27 touchdowns
against just four interceptions … first-team all-area, all-Lehigh
Valley Conference and all-state for coach Chuck Sonon …
named team MVP and the Lehigh Valley player of the year …
earned all-conference honors at safety as a sophomore and
receiver as a junior.
"He is a field general,” Sonon told the
Allentown Morning Call. “The kids believe in him, rally behind
him, and they know that if they give him enough of an opportunity,
good things are going to happen.”
Insiders.com Top 50 in
state, Superprep Top 30 and PrepStar all-regional
“I think I fit
in pretty well to Coach Rodriguez’s offensive system,” said
Bednarik. “They run spread, and I know Coach Rodriguez told
me they would like to get the ball down the field some more. I
think that’s something I do pretty well. In terms of running with the
ball, we did run some option in high school, and I did OK. I’m not
as fast as Rasheed (Marshall, WVU’s junior-to-be quarterback),
but I usually can run when I need to. I consider myself a better
thrower than a runner, but I can run when I have to. If that’s an
area Coach Rodriguez wants me to improve, I’ll work on it, and
I’m confident I can do whatever they need me to do.”
All-area
and all-league basketball standout as well who scored his
1,000th career point … averaging 16 points a game this year for
Becahi (as Bethlehem Catholic is known by the Lehigh Valley
locals) as a shooting guard and small forward … basketball team won 20 games and particpated in league playoffs …
also an all-area pitcher, as well as a shortstop on the baseball
team … posted an 8-0 record and a 1.74 ERA as a sophomore
pitcher for the Hawks and was 7-3 with a 2.1 ERA last spring,
earning all-area notice both seasons … third cousin is NFL Hall
of Famer Chuck Bednarik
Also recruited by Connecticut, Rutgers,
Iowa and Purdue but visited WVU early, liked what he saw and
committed to the Mountaineers in October.
“I wanted to play for
a good football program, but I didn’t want to go too far away from
home,” said Adam. “West Virginia just seemed like the perfect
place. I went down there last fall for a couple of games, and the
atmosphere was just amazing. I really fell in love with the place
and the fans. And the coaches also made me feel very comfortable.
They were very nice to me, and I thought they had my best
interest at heart.”
Also influenced by a pair of former
Mountaineers on the Bethlehem Catholic coaching staff – Artie
Owens, who is the Hawks’ offensive coordinator, and Dan
Kendra, Sr., who is Becahi’s quarterback coach … Owens
(1972-75) is still third on WVU’s all-time rushing list (2,648),
behind only Avon Cobourne and Amos Zereoue, while Kendra
(1974-77) remains in fifth in all-time passing yardage with 4,781.
“Coach Owens and Coach Kendra both were a big influence
in getting me to look at West Virginia,” explained Bednarik, who
first came to WVU on an unofficial visit during the Mountaineers'
fall practice last August with Kendra. “They told me what a great
place it was and what a wonderful experience they had there. I’ll
admit I didn’t know much about West Virginia until they started
talking to me. Then when I came down and saw what West
Virginia did have to offer, I was blown away. The facilities they
have are as good as anybody’s, and Coach Rodriguez is
developing a first-class program. I’m glad Coach Owens and
Coach Kendra talked me into looking at West Virginia, because
it did turn out to be the best place for me.”
Started as a strong
safety for the Hawks as a sophomore and also played some
tailback, finishing the season with four interceptions … was a
starting wide receiver and strong safety as a junior before taking
over as the starting quarterback in the last four games, throwing
for 1,071 yards in that time … Bethlehem Catholic was 10-3 in
2001 … will be a physical education major … son of John and
Rosie Bednarik.
What Rich Rodriguez says: “We think Adam can be a great
quarterback in our system. He’s a big guy but still very athletic.
He’s a very good basketball and baseball player as well. We think
he’s got a chance to be an outstanding quarterback for us. Some
people may think he’s a sleeper, but he can throw and run, and
we like that ability for our quarterbacks.”
What Herb Hand says: “Adam may be a bit of a sleeper. He
is, but he isn’t. If he had been playing quarterback all throughout
his high school career, he would have been a more widely known
kid. But his junior year, he played behind a senior who ended up
going to Lehigh, and Adam didn’t get much of a chance to play
until the last four games. But he threw for around 1,110 yards and
12 touchdowns in those four games. This year he was an
unknown coming in but wound up being a first-team all-state
selection. He’s a tremendous competitor, and we think he’s
going to be a great player.”