Furian Inferrera arrived for a training session at Game Changers Sports Academy in Las Vegas and was greeted by sports performance specialist Tysson Poots with a message: Don’t get complacent.
The 14-year-old Inferrera is a quarterback prodigy whom some consider one the nation’s top signal callers for the high school graduating class of 2027. Those claims were validated last week when he was offered a scholarship by the University of Pittsburgh.
It’s rare for athletes to receive a scholarship offer before reaching high school. But, then again, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound incoming eighth-grader is widely regarded as having all of the physical and leadership tools to be a star, Poots said.
“I told him, ‘You have to understand that is the start. If you relax now, someone will take over the top spot,’ ” said Poots, who was a collegiate star at Southern Utah and played professionally. “He was like, ‘I am ready to go. (The offer) made me more excited to get better.’ ”
Inferrera cemented himself in the national conversation in January when he was named the Most Valuable Player at the invitation-only Mega VI at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ facility. The three-day event featured the top 20 quarterback prospects for the next six graduating classes.
Shortly after the event, QB Hit List ranked him as the nation’s best quarterback recruit for 2027. By comparison, recent University of Texas pledge Arch Manning — nephew of Peyton and Eli — is No. 1 for 2023.
“It is awesome, man,” Inferrera said of the scholarship offer. “It’s a dream come true and a product of all of the work I put in.”
Inferrera got on the radar of the Pitt coaches thanks to his Twitter account, which is managed by his parents. They followed a handful of college programs, and first-year Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. followed back. A few direct messages and four days later, Inferrera was invited to the college program’s summer camp.
“He’s out there competing with the high schoolers, and just killed it,” said Daniel Inferrera, his father. “The head coach came over and offered the full-ride. I started tearing up because my son has put in a lot of hard work. This is the ACC champs and they had the No. 1 (quarterback pick) in the NFL, and they see talent in my son and similarity in his game (to Kenny Pickett).”
The offer from Pitt was just the beginning, as Inferrera a few days later was offered by Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) and is hearing from other schools, including UNLV. At this stage of his development, of course, a scholarship offer is a college program’s way of saying it’s interested in an athlete if he continues to progress.
“All of the accolades and the scholarship offers are not the main goal,” Daniel Inferrera said. “Our whole goal is to continue getting better with hopes of one day getting a free education and hopefully making it to the NFL.”
Inferrera spent his Saturdays quarterbacking the Vegas Strong youth team, which is arguably the top program in Southern Nevada — if not the region. When many middle-school teams rely on rushing the ball, the group’s offensive scheme of long balls downfield and quick screens catered to Inferrera’s passing skills. He’s tall and lanky, has a strong throwing form, and is a fierce competitor, his father said.
“His knowledge of the game is advanced. He’s a student of the game and already comfortable doing pre-snap (defensive reads),” said his father, who played wide receiver in college at Hawaii.
But those traits aren’t what set him apart, Poots said. Furian Inferrera has all of the intangibles of an elite quarterback in that he’s a natural leader, hard worker and eager to learn.
Furian Inferrera proudly says that he’s a straight-A student — never has received a lower mark, actually. He was previously his school’s student body president, and if football doesn’t work out, would like to be a doctor.
“I take great pride my academics. That comes easy to me,” he said.
Inferrera last year enrolled at Game Changers, a fully accredited school geared to high-end athletes. They spend the day going through various training sessions tailored to their sport and attend classes through the Delta Academy online.
“He came in right away as the new kid and attacked (the training program),” Poots said. “The kid puts in the work, he put in the time. You can tell who has it, and who does not, and this kid is special.”
Inferrera models his game after former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota. Like many prospects, Inferrera is hopeful that some of the nation’s premiere teams — Alabama, Georgia and USC — show recruiting interest.
But first there’s one more season of youth football, this time with the OG Ducks in Southern California, before attending high school. Remember, he’s only a few weeks removed from the seventh grade.
“The offer and all of the attention won’t change anything for me,” he promised. “The drive to get better is still there and the competitiveness will also be there.”