Rivals.com, a recruiting service, lists UA-bound Matt Scott as the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback and the third-best scrambler in the nation.

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Matt Scott has yet to enroll at Arizona, but he already has the Wildcats in a New Year's Day bowl game. Sort of.

Scott, Arizona's top offensive recruit, is one of seven finalists for the Joe Montana Award, given annually to the nation's top high school quarterback.

The winner will be announced at the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day.

A national award would only reinforce what those close to the Arizona program have known for nine months — the 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pound quarterback from Corona, Calif., can be a star. The Rivals.com recruiting service lists Scott as a four-star recruit.

"He can run and he can throw — and what's crazy is how much he has really developed from last year to this year," said Matt Logan, Scott's coach at Centennial High School.

"He's very good running the ball, and his arm strength is unbelievable — he can throw any deep ball or any ball you need. I don't think he is done growing and developing."

Scott has verbally committed to the UA and will not likely play for the Wildcats until 2009. Here are five things you need to know about Arizona's quarterback of the future:

1. He is one of the nation's best high school quarterbacks. Rivals lists Scott as the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback and the third-best scrambler in the nation, and why not? Scott threw for 2,494 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 1,091 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior while leading the Huskies to California's Division I state championship game.

Scott has a good chance to become Arizona's first mobile quarterback since Keith Smith, who shredded defenses in the late 1990s. Scott should also bring an added element to the Air Zona offense: elusiveness. He lists the Tennessee Titans' Vince Young and West Virginia's Pat White as two of his favorite players.

Both thrive in the spread.

"The spread offense is made for mobile quarterbacks, and (Arizona) hasn't had one yet," Scott said. "I feel like I can be a good contribution to this offense."

2. … And he's still getting better. Scott played wide receiver until his sophomore year of high school, when coaches decided his strong arm — he was a pitcher and third baseman on Centennial's baseball team — would be a good fit under center. Scott moved to quarterback during "hell week" before the season; soon, he was starting on the junior varsity team. Scott played two seasons of varsity quarterback, and is admittedly still learning the position.

He has learned to take a little bit off short passes as a senior. As a result, he completed 175 of 283 passes. Scott was intercepted just eight times.

3. He's a winner. Scott's teammates marvel at his ability to prevail in tough situations. He went 24-3 as a starter in two seasons at Centennial; two of his three losses came in championship games. Scott finished with 355 all-purpose yards (176 rushing yards, 179 passing yards) in a loss to Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei earlier this season, and rallied Centennial to a second-half comeback in last week's CIF state championship loss to Concord De La Salle.

"It was a good all-around season. We had a very hard schedule," Scott said. "We didn't win a state championship, but it was a great game."

4. He's part of a family tradition. Scott is the youngest of four boys, all of whom played football at Centennial. Robert Scott Jr. and Chris Scott both played quarterback — Chris holds most of the Huskies' school records — while Nick Scott was a linebacker. Matt said he always tagged along with his older brothers.

"I think it made me stronger and taught me a lot," Scott said. "Even though I was the smallest, I could still do things. My brothers were pretty rough on me sometimes, but they always taught me lessons."

Scott's father, Robert Sr., also is a part of the Huskies' program. He was the president of the Huskies' booster club for eight years, and has implemented a high-tech video scouting system for the coaches.

"We were kind of old-school when it came to film before that," Logan said.

5. He's aiming high. The Wildcats' next quarterback figures Arizona will play in bowl games in the next four years. He wants to do even better than that.

"My goal is to win a national championship with the Wildcats," he said. "I think we can do it."