Drew Devillier is the fast-rising quarterback prospect he is today because of the work he puts in during lunch breaks.

Devillier knew he would need to take a larger role in Plano East's offense as a junior after the Panthers lost a stud running back who buoyed the offense while Devillier got used to Varsity football in his sophomore year. So every day during lunch period he'd take his meal into his quarterback coach's classroom and study film. The midday video sessions worked wonders. Devillier improved his completion percentage by a whopping 10% and threw for over 1,100 more yards than he did as a wide-eyed sophomore, posting 2,210 yards and 18 touchdowns on a 66% completion rate en route to earning 6-6A first-team all-district honors.

"My preparation before the game became a lot more important, and just kind of going through reads and progressing a little bit more,” Devillier said.

Now, ahead of his senior year, Devillier's poise in the pocket has gifted him a decision for his athletic future. The 6-foot-5-inch gunslinger is also a dominant pitcher on the diamond who originally committed to TCU on a baseball scholarship in the fall of 2021. But with each touchdown pass, more college attention for football came his way. He decommitted from TCU to explore his options, which include a number of in-state offers from North Texas, Sam Houston, Rice and Incarnate Word to play quarterback. 

He says he's hoping to have a final decision on his college by the end of his summer. That way, he can focus all his attention on piloting Plano East to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. While the Panthers did lose Devillier's top target from last year in wide receiver Rushil Patel, who put up 1,148 yards and 14 touchdowns before signing with Sam Houston, Devillier is confident he'll have plenty of options in 2023. 

Wide recievers Caden Warner and Josh Palma both return at wide receiver with multiple years of Varsity experience, and the Panthers have some intriguing track stars taking over at running back in Jaylon Hatcher and Ezra O'Neil. Hatcher's speed propelled him to 438 yards last season on six yards a tote.

"I would definitely say our offense is our strength," Devillier said. "I think we can put points on the board no matter who the team is. I think our defense is getting better. We have really good coaching and I think if we can just stay disciplined there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be in the playoffs.”

Plano East head coach Tony Benedetto signed on in the winter of 2022 after compiling a 16–5 record and two playoff appearances in his final two seasons at Woodrow Wilson. His first season produced a 3–7 record, which matched Plano East's win total from the three previous years combined. After wrapping up his second year of spring football, his culture is starting to set in and he has a budding star quarterback at the helm to speed up the rebuild process. 

"I think he’s done a really good job of making good relationships with the players," Devillier said. "He always checks in on you. He’s always texting me making sure I’m doing ok. And the way he runs practice, you can just tell he loves football and he loves Plano East."