Cal Football Scouting Report: Max Gilliam

Out of Thousand Oaks, Max Gilliam joins Armani Rodgers as the second quarterback commitment of the 2016 class. Sources indicate he will not change his name to Gucci Sampson, contrary to Nam's hopes.

Gilliam is a good fit at the QB position for the Bears, as Thousand Oaks runs a similar offense to the Tony Franklin system. It's from the pistol, it encourages timing routes, and the quarterback is given numerous options that build off each other. Gilliam has flashes of what made Jared Goff the starter in his freshman year. He keeps things very smooth and hits his receivers in rhythm, and can throw a hell of a deep ball.

Some notes:

• From the first pass, we can see why this kid fits into the Tony Franklin System. He draws a safety into the underneath route, looks him off, and uncorks a deep ball straight out of the Rex Grossman school of Going Deep. He makes it look effortless, or as effortless as it gets for a high school kid.
• Gilliam has a good sense of timing on his throws, hitting his receivers at the end of his drop and right after their cut. This shows on a curl route at 1:08, where the receiver is coming back for the ball. Whle that is part of system that takes time to build, Gilliam will have a whole host of weapons to utilize. He throws quickly on a slant route at 1:34 in the first clip. He didn't even wait for the receiver to look. He does essentially the same sort of thing at 1:42. Quick hitch, and boom, completion. That type of timing and trust is integral in the Bear Raid
  
• Gilliam is listed as having a 4.62 40, which shows at :31 into the second clip. They run the read option/slip screen play that Arizona runs. Gilliam takes it on the read, and burns his way into the endzone. He also uses his athleticism to escape and make chicken salad out of chicken feed, seen at 1:26 into the first clip. He is a dual threat, just as much as Armani Rodgers.
• There's a little screen at 1:58, and I'm starting to think that Thousand Oaks runs the Tony Franklin System. Gilliam sets it up perfectly for the RB, lofting it up enough for him to catch it in stride and get some yards after the catch.
• Gilliam throws two routes in the second clip, the outside shoulder comeback and the fade route. His placement on both of these passes is exemplary, especially on the comeback. That's a timing route, and he can adjust his timing when he gets into camp here.
  
• Mechanically, Gilliam is very sound. He doesn't get happy feet when the pass rush comes. He sets his feet before he throws and squares himself up really well. There isn't any early Tedford ball on a shelf mechanic to fix here. He delivers out of the end of his drop, while having the internal clock going in the back of his head to tell him to get the ball out before three seconds.
  
• I'm not sure if there's going to be a similar situation between Gilliam and Rodgers as there is with Forrest and Rubenzer, but I could see either one of these guys playing and making an impact.
• Gilliam is a bit smaller than Rodgers, at 6'2" and 193 lbs, but still is big enough to have a physical presence and to see over the line. Much like Jared, he'll put on a good 20 lbs of muscle to soften some of the blows he will take.
• He does have a problem of locking on to his receivers once in a while, but that can be worked out, and he already knows how to look off the safety, which is a good sign.
• Long story short, he will be a great fit in the Tony Franklin system, having played in what is essentially it. He has the physical tools to do so, and will be an asset for the program