Authored by: Ed O'Brien, @EdOBrienCFB
Class of 2025 quarterback and Youth1 Top450 athlete Davi Belfort had two FBS offers before finishing the eight grade. Arizona State gave him his first offer on Aug. 29, 2020. Since then, he’s received offers from Florida Atlantic (Jan. 14), Alabama (Jun. 7), Florida State (Jun 13), Miami (Jun. 23), and Oregon (Nov. 11). Outside of the Oregon offer, the rest came before Belfort had a chance to play a varsity down of high school football. Judging by his team’s overall record and his individual statistics, he is off to a great start.
Belfort, a 6-0, 180-pounder, plays for Cardinal Newman High School in Florida. He completed 106-of-176 passes for 1,619 yards, 19 touchdowns, and four interceptions in nine games this season. He also carried the football 33 times for 203 yards (6.2 npc) and six touchdowns. Cardinal Newman finished with an 8-3 overall record.
I had the opportunity to evaluate Belfort back in early January of this year at one of the NextGen All America Regional camps in Florida. This was right before he received the offer from Florida Atlantic. Belfort participated in the The VI QB College event which featured two-days of class and field sessions for quarterbacks. I had an opportunity to talk with him during the event and was impressed with how mature he was with his answers to my questions. Belfort’s responses were well-thought and he was able to articulate his thoughts in a way that didn’t make it seem like I was talking to an eight-grader. It’s worth noting that his father is Professional MMA fighter Vitor Belfort. One of the more intriguing scenes at the camp was Vitor Belfort talking with The VI QB lead coach Sione Taufoou. The two discussed how important it is for him to generate torque with his lower body as a fighter and how that relates to the quarterback position. Davi’s Belfort’s understanding of the importance of generating torque while throwing the football as his age is not common.
It was clear, during The VI QB College, that Belfort was advanced for his age. He put in a lot of hard work to put himself in a position to compete with high school athletes while still in eighth grade and never looked out of place. Belfort’s mechanics, competitiveness, accuracy, and poise were on display throughout the weekend. He finished as one of the top performers from that weekend out of 100-plus quarterbacks that competed in The VI QB College and NextGen All America Camp. The only question I had was how would he fare once he started playing varsity football at the high school level? Judging by his freshman season highlights, Belfort has met the lofty expectations that his early success in recruiting has brought upon him.
Belfort’s first throw goes 50 yards in the air and shows how strong of an arm that he has and how accurate he can be as a quarterback. He finds a receiver downfield on a post-pattern for a 55-plus yard completion. A few plays later, Belfort showcases how dangerous he can be as a runner as he executes a ball-fake to the running back that turns him loose for a 65-yard touchdown run. I’m also impressed with the touch and accuracy of Belfort’s fade balls in the red zone. He does a great job throwing the football the the outside shoulder of the receiver making it impossible for the defensive back to defend. Another thing that makes Belfort hard to defend is how quickly he releases the football after the snap. He quickly recognizes the coverage before the snap which enable to him to make quick and correct decisions with the football. Belfort is also effective on rollouts and sprints as he showcases his foot quickness and stride at the throwing point.
Belfort may be undersized as a quarterback but the other intangibles he brings to the table have made college coaches overlook it. He’s built a solid foundation during his 2021 freshman season and has solidified his status as one of the top prospects in his class.
To see our exclusive list of the top 450 freshmen in the country check out the Freshman 450, available now.
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