Nick Kongolo has already done enough on the field to earn recognition.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Alief Taylor senior quarterback completed 134 passes for 1,497 yards and 14 touchdowns during his junior season. He was a 20-6A First Team All-District selection, but entering his final high school season, scholarship offers and significant recruiting attention have remained elusive.
Rather than let the silence become a distraction, Kongolo has responded the only way he knows how: By putting in more work.
“After receiving my First Team All-District selection, I was proud, but I told myself it wasn’t enough. Entering my senior season, I’m shooting for District MVP,” said Kongolo. “I believe that after that, the offers will come. I was never the type of kid to get mad because I didn’t have any interest or offers. It’s all God’s timing.”
That mindset has kept Kongolo focused on what he can control.
“Instead of becoming frustrated or distracted, I just maintained my off-season work because I knew I still had one more season to show my skills,” said Kongolo.
During Kongolo’s junior season, Alief Taylor head coach Shawn Gray saw a quarterback capable of creating opportunities even when the original play broke down.
“His junior-season performance demonstrated his ability to extend plays and make something positive happen when the original play broke down,” said Gray. “He showed strong athleticism, poise, and creativity outside the structure of the offense.”
Kongolo’s ability to keep his eyes downfield, avoid pressure, and continue making plays under difficult circumstances is one of his greatest strengths. Gray believes those traits could make Kongolo an intriguing option for college programs.
Week 2 Game Highlights vs Dobie ‼️ 22/33 cmp/att 343 pass yards 3 TDs in the air 4 rushes for 29 Yards‼️ https://t.co/HNncEVCGUv
— Nick Kongolo (@nickkongolo_5) September 7, 2026
“I believe college coaches may be missing an opportunity to see the type of playmaker Nick Kongolo can be at quarterback,” said Gray. “He has the size and physical tools that coaches look for at the position, but he missed some opportunities to showcase his talent this summer because he was unable to attend many camps or receive invitations to some of the elite quarterback camps. I feel those environments would have given him an opportunity to compete against other top quarterbacks and show college coaches what he is capable of.”
Instead of letting the lack of attention define his senior season, Kongolo used it as motivation to focus on what he could control and find ways to become a better quarterback.
“I wanted to improve my pocket awareness because during my junior season I was taking unnecessary sacks,” said Kongolo.
During the offseason, Kongolo worked with quarterback coach Milton Holmes II to refine the technical aspects of his game and become a more complete quarterback.
Week 4 vs Elsik ‼️ 14/17 cmo/att (%82.4) 242 Pass Yards 3 Touchdowns 8 carries for 65 yards 3 Touchdowns 6 Total Touchdowns 4-0‼️ https://t.co/4DNChl2A9f https://t.co/fLVK86obLg
— Nick Kongolo (@nickkongolo_5) September 20, 2026
“He’s got real talent, so this was about sharpening, not overhauling,” said Holmes. “His footwork wasn’t consistent, so that’s where we started. He’d hang on his first read a little too long, so we worked through progressions to help him move through the field faster. And under pressure, his instinct was to escape rather than climb the pocket, usually the last thing to come together. By the end, he was composed and still delivering on time.”
Kongolo’s work with Holmes went beyond simply throwing more passes.
“Foot placement and mechanics go together,” said Holmes. “His lower half wasn’t syncing with his upper body, especially on rollouts, so that’s where we started. For pocket awareness, we worked on feeling pressure through his feet rather than needing to see it, so he could climb instead of drift. Accuracy came from that same foundation, plus focused rep work on ball placement, route timing, and back-shoulder throws, that kind of precision.”
Holmes, who has worked with many quarterbacks in the area, saw something in Kongolo that went beyond his physical tools.
“His athleticism is the separator,” said Holmes. “He can extend plays that should be dead, buying time with his legs without losing his eyes downfield. The athletic ability to keep a play alive and the poise to make the defense pay for it are what stand out most.”
For Kongolo, the value of that offseason work would ultimately be measured when he stepped onto the field.
Through five games this season, Kongolo has completed 65 of 109 passes for 1,033 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 233 yards and six touchdowns, with only two interceptions.
Alief Taylor has scored 244 points while allowing only 89, with multiple games featuring a running clock.
“Nick has shown that he can be a playmaker and give his team opportunities even when things don’t go according to plan,” said Gray. “He allows us to play 11-on-11 football against every opponent we face each week. He is a dual threat who can make plays with his legs while also being a capable pocket passer.”
The numbers reflect another strong performance for a quarterback who already has an All-District season on his résumé. But for Kongolo, the bigger goal remains proving he belongs at the next level.
“He can extend plays that should be dead, buying time with his legs without losing his eyes downfield. The athletic ability to keep a play alive and the poise to make the defense pay for it are what stand out most,” said Milton Holmes II.
Kongolo wants college coaches to see beyond what appears on a recruiting profile.
“I want college coaches to know I’m a team player who will do whatever it takes to win,” said Kongolo. “If recruiting attention doesn’t come until later, I want to keep putting up good numbers to show they’re sleeping on me. But when the opportunity does come, I want college programs to know they’re getting a DAWG.”
Holmes sees a quarterback whose ability to create outside the structure of the play could translate to the next level.
“Nick plays like he refuses to let a broken play be the end of the story,” said Holmes. “He’s not scrambling to survive; he’s scrambling to create, and he still delivers on target when he does. That’s a quarterback a program builds an offense around, not just plays around.”
