When it comes to producing major quarterback talent, Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, ranks second to none.
The school, located 20 miles west of downtown Austin, has developed a Heisman Trophy winner, one current FBS starter and nine others who have earned scholarships to FBS programs since 2005.
East Carolina has helped Lake Travis increase that latter number to nine since landing a verbal commitment from the Cavaliers’ current quarterback prospect on June 11. The Pirates added the 6-foot, 190-pound Chaston Ditta to their football recruiting Class of 2025 on that date, completing a whirlwind pursuit that just got started last spring.
ECU was tipped off about Ditta by members of the Lake Travis coaching staff, specifically offensive coordinator Tommy Mangino. Mangino, who also doubles as the school’s recruiting coordinator, formerly served on the same North Texas coaching staff as ECU offensive coordinator John David Baker.
“We had that familiarity,” veteran Lake Travis head coach Hank Carter said. “Obviously, we’re familiar with him (Baker) because he’s recruited us and been here when he was at other schools. We also know what he’s going to do offensively. So that was exciting for Chaston. He’s seen the track record coach Baker has got. It made a lot of difference.”
Ditta was offered a scholarship May 21 by ECU after members of the coaching staff watched him throw during spring practice. An official visit to Greenville followed on June 6, leading to his commitment over other offers from Arkansas State, Colorado State, Delaware, James Madison, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall, Murray State, Navy, North Texas, Sam Houston State, UNLV, Utah State and Yale.
Carter said the official visit sealed the decision for Ditta and his family.
“I think he wanted to learn more about the school and the area and get a feel for what it would be like to live there,” Carter said. “He was already pretty excited about the football program and the things he knew was going to happen on that offense. But he wanted to get a lay of the land, see the campus and the town. He and his family came back and they were excited and fired up.”
Earning a college scholarship was part of the reason the Ditta family moved to Austin from Houston before the 2021 season. Bo Edmundson, who would go on to earn a scholarship to play at UNLV, was the starting quarterback at the time so Ditta worked with the Lake Travis sub-varsity squad that season.
As a sophomore, Ditta appeared in three games, completing three of nine passes for 13 yards and three touchdowns. Carter hoped Ditta would emerge as the starter for the 2023 season. But a broken thumb that cost Ditta important experience during spring practice and the return of veteran quarterback Kadyn Leon led to a different scenario when the season started.
Carter moved Ditta to receiver, where he caught 16 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns before an injury to Leon moved him back to quarterback.
“He’s really our twitchiest guy,” Carter said. “So last year when the other kid was playing quarterback, Chaston was our No. 1 weapon at wide out. He’s an athletic kid. He can scoot.”
Ditta started the final six games of the year at quarterback, directing the Cavaliers to five straight wins before falling 21-14 to Westlake in the state 6A Division I quarterfinals. During that run, Ditta completed 92 of 166 passes for 1,286 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also rushing 75 times for 325 yards and five more scores.
Lake Travis was off to a 3-0 start this season though mid-September behind Ditta’s passing and rushing. He completed 44 of 88 passes for 663 yards and five touchdowns passing and rushed 17 times for 80 yards and a score during that span.
In a 45-42 win against Rockwell on Sept. 6, Ditta directed an 85-yard drive that set up the game-winning score.
“On the final drive we ended up sealing the win with about 25 seconds left with him throwing a touchdown pass to Patrick Colby in the back of the end zone,” Carter said. “It was a heck of a drive — 85 yards with no time outs and he just took us right down the field.”
Those type of performances by Ditta remind Carter of some of the former Lake Travis quarterback greats he has coached, including former Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and current Purdue starter Hudson Card.
“He’s kind of got some of the moxie like Baker,” Carter said. “But his athleticism at this stage in high school is a little more like Hudson Card. Hudson played wide receiver as a sophomore and then became the quarterback. He’s (Ditta) kind of a mix of those guys. He’s kind of got some of Baker’s confidence and moxie and just the way he competes. And he can run around and sling it, and that’s a little bit like Hudson.”
Mayfield, the current starter for the NFL Tampa Bay Bucs, was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2017 while playing at Oklahoma. He heads a lengthy list of Lake Travis quarterbacks who have gone on to play major college football and beyond. Others include:
*Matthew Baldwin – Threw for over 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns during career at Lake Travis before signing with Ohio State. Following a redshirt season with the Buckeyes, Baldwin transferred to TCU where he was forced to retire due to medical issues without having played a game.
*Charlie Brewer – The Associated Press Texas Player of the Year as a senior at Lake Travis, Brewer first committed to play at SMU. But he flipped to Baylor where he passed for 9,700 yards and 65 touchdowns in 44 career games. After earning his degree from Baylor, Brewer transferred to Utah and eventually finished his college career at Liberty.
*Michael Brewer – Brewer originally signed with Texas Tech, but injuries derailed his career there. He wound up transferring to Virginia Tech where he was the starter for most of the 2014 season that included an upset of Ohio State.
*Hudson Card – Initially signing with Texas, Card earned the starting job as a redshirt freshman. He eventually lost the job, however, and entered the transfer portal in Nov. 2022. Card signed with Purdue where he has started the first two games of the 2024 season.
*Bo Edmundson – A three-year starter at Lake Travis, Edmundson signed to play at UNLV. He didn’t appear in any games as a true freshman in 2023 and is not listed on the 2024 roster.
*Garrett Gilbert – After leading Lake Travis to back-to-back state titles, Gilbert played in college for both Texas and SMU. He passed for almost 10,000 yards in five collegiate seasons, then spent seven years in the NFL.
*Dominick DeLira – Earned a scholarship to Iowa State, but after redshirting as a freshman opted to transfer to Copiah-Lincoln Community College for one season. He would eventually play at Texas Southern where he started six games in 2017.
*Todd Reesing – The Texas 4A Player of the Year as a junior, Reesing signed to play collegiately at Kansas, where in 2007 he helped the Jayhawks to the best start in school history with 11 straight wins. He still owns school career and single-season records for passing yards and touchdown passes.
*Nate Yarnell – Now a redshirt junior at Pittsburgh, Yarnell has served as the backup quarterback for the Panthers the last two seasons, although he has made three starts in three seasons.
Chaston Ditta is more than ready to join that elite group, according to Carter.
“He’s a heck of a player,” Carter said. “His decision making and the way he processes what we need to do on the offense have become second nature to him. The way he throws the football, man, he can sling it. He spent a lot of time in the offseason working on his footwork and mechanics throwing the football. He’s always been a really good athlete. But he’s throwing the ball at a high level, and he’s got great command of the offense.
“I think East Carolina has gotten a really good quarterback.”
Thanks, Sammy
We really need a dual threat like this.