Landon Duckworth

Physical Profile

Duckworth grew into the frame college staffs projected on him: listed 6-3/195 as a recruit and 6-4/215 on South Carolina's roster after an early-enrollment spring in the program's strength system. That is prototype SEC size with room for another 10-15 pounds without compromising movement. The athleticism is verified across sports, not inferred from football film — a two-time state champion basketball player and a track sprinter with a 23.18 200-meter, which is legitimate long speed for a 215-pound quarterback and explains the ability to turn a broken pocket into a 20-yard gain. Arm strength is above the line for the position, delivered from a quick, compact release that fits gun-heavy spread structures. He is not a Konnor-type velocity outlier; the arm plays because of release speed and lower-body engagement rather than raw torque.

Play Style

A rhythm-and-improvisation dual threat. Duckworth is best from the gun with a defined half-field read and a run element attached — zone read, RPO, quarterback draw, designed keep. He gets the ball out fast on the first read and is efficient in the quick game, and his 63.1% senior completion rate reflects an operator who takes the layup when it's there. When the initial read is covered, the game changes character: he slides off pressure, resets, and either extends to a scramble drill throw or takes off, and this is where he separates from the rest of his class. He is not a turnover-prone gunslinger by temperament — the interceptions trace to placement misses, not reckless decision-making. Demeanor on film is even; he does not speed up or bail early when the pocket compresses.

Strengths

• Elite off-structure creation. 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins wrote that Duckworth 'can create like few others in the 2026 cycle with his legs as he will dance away from pressure and extend plays' — he escapes the muddy pocket, keeps his eyes downfield, and converts pressure into chunk yardage. His senior line (78 carries, 626 yards, 11 TD, 8.0 per carry) is designed-run and scramble production, not garbage volume.
• Pocket poise and processing under duress. Scouting reports consistently describe him as 'calm and collected in the pocket' and unwilling to 'flinch in the face of pressure.' On film he climbs and resets rather than bailing at first contact, which is the harder half of the mobile-QB equation and the reason he graded up year over year rather than plateauing as an athlete.
• Proven production and demonstrable improvement curve. Four-year starter with a 46-7 record and two state titles, including a 13-2 Class 4A championship season in 2025 with 63.1% completions (137-of-217) for 2,243 yards and 21 touchdowns. Ivins' updated evaluation flagged him as 'a well-rounded game that has shown year-over-year improvement' — he is a developer, not a static physical-tools bet.
• Scheme-ready in the modern spread. 'Made-to-order for a modern spread attack with his quick release and zone-read talent' — he is already comfortable operating RPO and zone-read menus, which shortens the on-boarding curve at the college level.

Areas to Improve

• Intermediate ball placement. The most consistent knock in his evaluations is that 'ball placement can be a bit erratic when looking to target the intermediate parts of the field.' The 9 interceptions against 21 touchdowns as a senior corroborate it. Against SEC coverage speed, throws that arrive a half-yard behind a dig or a shallow crosser get taken away rather than caught. He needs to clean up base and front-foot direction on 12-18 yard throws so accuracy stops being athleticism-dependent.
• Full-field progression discipline. His escapability is so far ahead of his high school competition that it functions as a first read. Coming off a 4A schedule, he has to learn to work a defined progression and take the checkdown rather than bail into a scramble — the habit that produces explosives in high school produces sacks and turnovers in the SEC.
• Pass-protection and coverage-recognition volume. Alabama 4A defenses gave him limited exposure to disguised two-high rotations, simulated pressures, and post-snap safety movement. This is experience, not talent — but it is the gap that keeps most dual-threat freshmen off the field.

College Projection

Duckworth enrolled early at South Carolina in January 2026 and is already inside the program as a true freshman, having earned the 2026 South Carolina Spirit Award (Offense) from the coaching staff after spring drills — a real signal about how he attacked his first camp. The immediate path is blocked: LaNorris Sellers is the entrenched starter and Cutter Woods is a year ahead in the system, so 2026 projects as a redshirt/developmental year with situational availability at most. The realistic window is 2027, when Duckworth and Woods should compete for the job if Sellers moves on. Expect a two-year runway before he starts, with the intermediate-accuracy work and progression discipline being the determinants of whether he wins that competition. Ceiling as a multi-year SEC starter is legitimate; the floor is a quality Group of Five or FCS starter if the passing refinement stalls.

NFL Outlook

A genuine but not premium draft prospect at this stage. Ivins' evaluation projects him as a potential Day 3 selection, which is the honest read on a 0.9414 composite quarterback whose athletic traits are ahead of his throwing precision. The frame (6-4, 215 with room to add), the sprinter's speed, and the quick release are all NFL-viable ingredients, and the pressure poise is the trait scouts value most in mobile quarterbacks. Rounds 4-7 is the current projection band. The path up that board runs entirely through accuracy and full-field reads — if the intermediate ball placement tightens and he shows he can win from the pocket in an SEC offense, a two-year run of starting production would move him into the Day 2 conversation. If he remains a create-first athlete, he profiles as a developmental backup/QB2 at the next level.

Best Fit

A modern gun-spread offense that keeps a live quarterback run element on the call sheet — zone read, RPO, quarterback counter — paired with a quick-game passing menu that lets him throw on rhythm to defined reads while the deeper concepts develop. He is a poor fit for a rigid under-center, drop-back-only pro-style system that neutralizes his legs and puts the burden entirely on intermediate accuracy he hasn't yet mastered. He also needs a program willing to sit him for a year or two: he is a developmental four-star whose value compounds with reps, not a plug-and-play freshman. South Carolina is a defensible landing spot on both counts — the offense has been built around a mobile quarterback in Sellers, so the run-game infrastructure and QB-friendly concepts already exist, and the depth chart forces the patient timeline he needs. Mike Shula's involvement in recruiting him signals the staff sees a passer to develop, not just an athlete to package.