Rashawn Truell, New Hampstead quarterback
Today’s interviewee is New Hampstead quarterback Rashawn Truell, who won the regular-season GHSA passing yards crown with a 500-yard effort in his final high school game, a 48-41 victory over No. 7 Ware County in a Class 4A game Friday. Truell finished the season with 3,032 yards, the most of any GHSA player. He entered the game ranked ninth, 342 yards behind the leader, who had an off week. Truell passed for a single-game GHSA record 635 yards earlier this season against defending Class 4A champion Perry. In 2023, he broke on the scene by passing for 533 yards against 2023 defending Class 4A champion Benedictine. Playing in Class 4A’s toughest region, New Hampstead finished fifth this year, and Truell’s high school career is over. He has not made a college decision.
1. You’re the state’s leading passer in yards. How do you feel about that and the game you just had to put yourself in the lead? “It’s a great feeling to the lead the state in passing yards. Coming into the game, I knew with our offense we could put up good numbers against their defense. It was definitely a statement game being my last game of my high school career.”
2. How is recruiting going? We know it’s hard for quarterbacks when schools usually take only one. What schools are talking with you? “Recruitment is really tough right now because schools are in the heart of their season. I don’t have one school in my mind that I see myself at. I’m planning on playing the long game and seeing where I fall. I talk to Fort Valley, Bucknell and Arkansas State pretty often. It gets frustrating at times, but I try not to stress about it too much.”
3. You’ve had incredible success against some of the state’s top teams – Ware County and Perry this year, Benedictine last year. What happened in this game and perhaps those others? “With those types of great teams, they run defenses and schemes that they believe in and work for them a lot, and when we break down, our goal is to attack those defenses. More often than not they stick with those defenses, and I have success playing against them. With having great receivers like Kamari Maxwell and Ben Hockman, it’s given me an opportunity to throw the ball around a lot.” [Maxwell, who committed to Austin Peay 10 days ago, had 18 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Hockman had eight receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Maxwell unofficially fell five yards short of the receiving yards lead with 1,344 yards, behind Morgan County’s Jaylen Elder.]
4. How would you describe yourself as a player? “I would describe myself as a big arm, smart, game-changer type of quarterback who is not scared to take chances down the field with his guys but can reel it back when it’s needed and be a game manager. I can see myself playing in any offense at the next level that gives the quarterback complete control over the offense and break down the defense from what he sees.”
