QB Magazine Athlete Feature

In the spring, Jayden Llantada crouches behind home plate for the Mt. Carmel Sundevils. In the fall, he lines up under center.

At first, catcher and quarterback might seem like very different jobs. Look closer and they have a lot in common. Both positions face the rest of the field. Both need to read what’s coming before it happens, stay calm when the pressure rises, and help direct everyone else. For the Class of 2029 quarterback from San Diego, playing both is less of a split focus and more of a year-round education in leading from the middle of the action.

Football came first. “I can’t remember a time I didn’t love football,” Jayden said. He played flag football for years, spent plenty of time watching the pros, and only recently made the move to tackle. That makes what he has already done at Mt. Carmel even more impressive.

As a freshman, Jayden won the Sundevil Award, which recognized both his leadership and his accomplishments. For a player new to tackle football, receiving an honor for leadership says a lot about how quickly teammates and coaches came to trust him.

That trust didn’t come easily. Jayden says his biggest challenge has been being undersized and overlooked. He didn’t wait for anyone to change their opinion. He went to the weight room and focused on getting stronger and faster, turning the things he could control into advantages.

He loves quarterback because it tests him in every way. “I love the fast pace of the game and the mental and physical challenges of playing QB,” he said. His list of what the position requires is mostly mental: being prepared, staying focused, making quick decisions, remaining steady under pressure, and leading well. Those are also skills a good catcher works on every inning.

His favorite quarterback is Jayden Daniels. The shared first name helps, but Jayden says the real reason is Daniels’ game. He admires Daniels as a smart, athletic dual-threat quarterback, which is a model that fits a player who has put so much work into both his speed and his decision-making.

Jayden trains with Shane Dillon of Dillon Athletics and has attended Dillon’s quarterback camp, along with the Rashid Shaheed Camp. He also gives special credit to Drew Westling. “For believing in me and putting me in a position to succeed,” Jayden said.

His goals are specific and within reach. In the short term, he wants to throw for more than 200 yards in a game. Long term, he wants to win a CIF championship with Mt. Carmel. After already earning an award for leadership, Jayden is now building the rest of the résumé to go with it.

Follow Jayden: @jaydenllantada26 on Instagram and @JaydenLlantada on X

Chasing 200 and a CIF Ring

Jayden already has a Sundevil Award for leadership from his freshman season. This year, he has two clear goals: a 200-yard passing game and, eventually, a CIF championship. An upgraded QB Magazine membership gives his sophomore season, and the seasons after it, a home where people can follow his progress.

Feature articles tell the story that numbers can’t. Practice Squad includes one article each year, and Starter includes two. Jayden’s journey is worth telling in full: a flag football player who only recently moved to tackle, won a leadership award as a freshman, answered doubts about his size by getting stronger and faster, and catches for the Sundevils in the spring. A second article can follow him as he chases his yardage goal and helps Mt. Carmel push toward a CIF title.

A custom graphic every month helps mark his progress. When he throws for 200 yards for the first time, that milestone can become a graphic designed around him. The same goes for a big win, a scramble like the ones he admires in Jayden Daniels, or new progress from his work with Shane Dillon. Each graphic gives his teammates, coaches, and family something worth sharing.

Reposts help those moments reach more people. Practice Squad includes two story reposts each month on X or Instagram. Starter includes four story reposts every week on both platforms, along with a monthly wall collab that appears on Jayden’s page and QB Magazine’s at the same time. That lets quarterbacks, coaches, and football families who follow the magazine see a Mt. Carmel sophomore’s season as it unfolds.

Starter also includes benefits that fit where Jayden is headed. Social media consulting can help @jaydenllantada26 and @JaydenLlantada show both sides of his game: the dual-threat athlete and the steady leader. Top 50 QB Mag Watchlist consideration gives a Sundevil Award winner a chance to be featured among the quarterbacks QB Magazine is watching. Priority for the QB Mag College Bus + Camps TOUR gives him a chance to see college campuses in person. Both tiers also include camp access, adding to what he has already learned at the Shane Dillon and Rashid Shaheed camps.

With three high school seasons still ahead, Jayden has time to build a strong story. His articles, graphics, reposts, and collabs will keep adding up as he grows, so by his junior and senior years, people can look back and see how he developed from a new tackle player into a proven leader.

Jayden credits Drew Westling for believing in him when he was still proving himself. A membership helps keep a lasting account of what that belief helped create: a leadership award, a quarterback who made himself stronger and faster, and a two-sport athlete who helps run the game in both the fall and spring.

More info: quarterbackmagazine.com/memberships