fox44news
In Robinson, Texas, some high school quarterbacks can read a defense, while others can read a textbook. Robinson's Brice McCurdy apparently didn't get the memo that you're supposed to pick one. The Rockets' senior quarterback has a cannon for an arm, a 3.9 grade point average and enough college scholarship offers to make the family mailbox nervous.
And apparently, throwing touchdown passes and making the honor roll weren't challenging enough individually, so McCurdy decided to tackle both at the same time. He's doing a pretty impressive job of it, too. The 3-star quarterback is one of Central Texas' top high school football prospects, an All-District selection and a future TCU Horned Frog. But before he trades Robinson's Rocket logo for TCU's purple and white, McCurdy is adding another honor to his résumé: being chosen as FOX 44's Central Texas Weather Pros "Scholar Athlete of the Week." And while that 3.9 GPA might suggest there's still a little room for improvement, just wait until you see what this kid's been doing with the other 99 percent of his time.
If you think McCurdy's 3.9 GPA is impressive, wait until somebody hands him a football. During his junior season in 2025, McCurdy threw for 2,207 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding another 695 yards and 6 scores on the ground. That's 2,902 yards of offense and 29 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who still had homework waiting when he got home. Those numbers helped Robinson finish 9-3, reach the playoffs and earned McCurdy plenty of attention from college recruiters. And if anybody thought he'd take it easy during his senior season, apparently they hadn't met Brice McCurdy.
Against rival Lorena in September, he completed 23 of 29 passes for 457 yards and 4 touchdowns. Then, apparently concerned his throwing arm was getting all the attention, he rushed for another 127 yards and 3 scores. That's 584 yards of offense and SEVEN touchdowns. In one game. Robinson won the shootout, 55-48, and McCurdy earned the Class 4A Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week award. 7 touchdowns in one Friday night. Some quarterbacks would be thrilled to put up those numbers in a month. McCurdy apparently had somewhere else to be Saturday morning.
With numbers like those, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that college football coaches started paying attention. And we're not talking about a couple of assistant coaches stopping by to see what all the fuss was about. McCurdy attracted scholarship offers from programs including Baylor, Arizona, Cincinnati, Duke and several others. That's a pretty impressive collection of schools chasing the same quarterback. But on February 14, 2026, McCurdy made his decision. He committed to TCU. The Horned Frogs landed one of Central Texas' top quarterback prospects for their 2027 recruiting class, giving McCurdy the opportunity to play major college football without putting half the country between himself and home.
And that mattered. McCurdy liked the coaching staff, the opportunity to develop as a quarterback and the chance to remain close to the family and community that helped get him this far. And while a major college football scholarship is a pretty big deal, McCurdy sees it as something more than just a chance to play on Saturdays. He sees it as an opportunity to build a future. One that doesn't necessarily require a helmet.
For all the attention McCurdy receives under the Friday night lights, he believes some of his most important work happens in a classroom. And he doesn't think being the quarterback gives him a free pass. Quite the opposite. "I feel like leading off the field is more important .. than on the field," McCurdy told FOX 44's Victoria Samuels. "You got to lead in the classroom. You got to set an example." It's a pretty simple philosophy. Do your work. Take school seriously. Set the example. And when you're the quarterback, other players tend to notice. "They'll follow you," McCurdy explained. "They'll be doing their work just like you."
That kind of leadership doesn't necessarily show up in a box score. But it says quite a bit about the kind of teammate McCurdy wants to be. And he's quick to point out that he hasn't done it alone. McCurdy credits Robinson's coaches, teachers and the community for helping create an environment where athletes are expected to perform in the classroom just as seriously as they do on the football field. "The coaches pour into you a lot and make sure you have good grades," he said. He also credits Robinson's teachers for being willing to help students succeed. And when you're juggling football practice, games, recruiting visits, schoolwork and everything else that comes with being a teenager, having people in your corner makes a pretty big difference. Especially when your schedule looks like somebody tried to cram 30 hours into a 24-hour day.
But there's another reason McCurdy takes his education so seriously. And it has nothing to do with keeping his quarterback job. McCurdy has some pretty big plans for his future. And not all of them involve a football. He has an interest in robotics and technology, and when he arrives at TCU, he plans to study business with the goal of eventually owning a company. In other words, he's already thinking about what happens when the final whistle blows on his playing career. And that didn't happen by accident. "My whole life, they've all preached .. to be a student before an athlete because football doesn't last forever," McCurdy said of his family. "So you got to get your education."
It's a lesson that has clearly stuck. McCurdy understands that football can open doors, but a college education can help determine what happens after he walks through them. And while he's excited about playing for the Horned Frogs, he's just as interested in the people he'll meet and the connections he'll make along the way. "TCU's special to me because I meet a lot of great people," he said. "I'm going to do business, so I'll meet good people after football." He's also realistic about the adjustment from high school to college. The academic workload will get tougher. The football demands will increase. And there probably won't be many afternoons when he can kick back, grab a bag of chips and wonder what to do with all his free time.
But McCurdy already has a plan. Talk to counselors. Lean on teammates and coaches. Ask his parents for advice. And when he needs help, ask for it. It's not exactly rocket science. Which is probably a good thing, because this Rocket already has enough on his plate. There's no question Brice McCurdy has the talent to make some noise at the next level. He's got the arm, the athleticism, the awards and a commitment to TCU to prove it. But perhaps the most impressive part of his story is that he already understands something plenty of athletes don't figure out until much later. Eventually, the scoreboard gets turned off. The stadium lights go dark. And no matter how many touchdowns you throw, there's going to come a day when somebody hands you a football for the last time. That's when everything you've learned away from the field starts to matter a whole lot more.
For McCurdy, a 3.9 GPA, plans for a business degree and dreams of owning his own company suggest he's already preparing for that day. Of course, he's still got plenty of football left to play. And judging by what he's accomplished so far, opposing defenses probably aren't thrilled about that. But whether he's drawing up a touchdown play or someday drawing up a business plan, Brice McCurdy seems to have his future pretty well figured out. He's got the arm to make a living throwing footballs .. The brains to make a living without one .. And the work ethic to make sure neither goes to waste. And if that 3.9 GPA tells us anything .. It's that the only thing Brice McCurdy hasn't figured out how to do yet .. is get that last 1/10 of a point.
Originally reported by fox44news.