Donovan McNabb Jr., the son of the former Eagles quarterback, is making a name for himself

Bowling nights with the McNabbs aren’t quite like the average family game night. They get competitive, maybe a tad too competitive — and it makes sense considering who they are.

Donovan McNabb, the former Eagles quarterback who holds the franchise record for career passing yards, and his wife, Raquel, once a standout point guard at Syracuse, have four children who grew up playing sports in their hometown of Phoenix, Ariz.

Alexis, the eldest, will be a senior guard on the Syracuse women’s basketball team. Twins Sariah and Donovan Jr. are 16. Sariah plays softball and basketball, while Donovan Jr. plays football and basketball. The youngest, Devin James, is a 15-year-old hockey player.

“It definitely keeps me and my wife busy.” McNabb said. “We’re traveling around with club sports as well as high school activities. … It’s been impressive to watch. We’re on our way to becoming empty nesters in about three years, so we’re just enjoying it while it lasts.”

He’s especially enjoying his time with Donovan Jr. on the football field. Recently, McNabb became the quarterbacks coach at Brophy Preparatory School in Phoenix, where his son plays wide receiver alongside rising seniors Daylen Sharper and Devin Fitzgerald, who are the sons of former NFL stars Darren Sharper and Larry Fitzgerald.

Brophy’s football program is ranked sixth in Arizona and 16th nationally by MaxPreps. It just saw graduate Benjamin Morrison, a cornerback out of Notre Dame, get selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The younger McNabb is a three-star college recruit in the class of 2027, looking to carve his own path in the sport. He finished with 226 all-purpose yards, nine receptions, three carries, and a touchdown last season, and has hopes of doing more in his junior year.

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“Going into my sophomore year, a lot of college coaches would come out and not only talk to my teammates but also to me,” McNabb Jr. said. “Being able to talk to some of the big Power Four colleges with the coaching staff coming to our school, it really gave me the feeling that I want to take this to the next level and try to play college and possibly in the NFL.”

The scholarship offers have started to roll in this offseason. McNabb Jr. has shown off his development in seven-on-seven camps. He also had an impressive performance at the Under Armor Next camp in Houston last month when he snagged a one-handed touchdown catch.

And some of the colleges that are interested in the 6-foot, 175-pound receiver are quite familiar with the McNabb family. In March, Syracuse, his parents’ alma mater, and Michael Vick-coached Norfolk State gave him scholarship offers. He also holds Division I offers from Temple, Arizona, Minnesota, and Iowa State, among others.

“I’m looking for a college who’s not just offering me to offer me,” McNabb Jr. said, “but a school that’s interested in my abilities to play wide receiver, and also a school outside of football [that] has a great business program and education.”

He can’t deny, though, that it meant a lot to get an offer from Syracuse, a campus he’s gotten to know well over the years. He’s had the chance to attend a couple of practices and chat with coach Fran Brown in person.

It was special for the elder McNabb to see his son get the opportunity.

“They got an eye on watching the young talent and obviously it just so happens to be our son,” McNabb said. “Syracuse football is something that’s near and dear to me, and I love to see the progress. I love to see what Fran has done just last year and focusing on where this is going to go for the next four or five years.”

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McNabb Jr.’s recruiting process also has reunited his father with a former teammate. Vick and McNabb played one season together with the Eagles, and before the NFL, McNabb hosted Vick on a recruiting trip to Syracuse.

They remained friends after McNabb retired following 13 years in the NFL, including 11 seasons in Philadelphia. He last played in the NFL in 2011 with the Minnesota Vikings.

“It’s kind of full circle,” McNabb said. “Everybody knows that we played together and that I was a mentor to Mike, and for Mike to reach out an olive branch, to provide a scholarship offer to Donovan was very big. It also says great things about Mike.”

Each of McNabb’s children was born at Virtua hospital in Voorhees. During the offseason, he would travel to Arizona to train and became fond of the area. He and his wife decided that’s where they would settle to raise their family.

Although, McNabb Jr. doesn’t remember much about his time in the Philly area or his father’s playing days, he said by age 12, he had a good grasp of McNabb’s impact with the Eagles — such as being a six-time Pro Bowler who led the Birds to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2004 season.

Maybe Junior will find himself back in the city at Temple, which has remained in contact with him under new coach K.C. Keeler, he said.

And you might be wondering: Was McNabb Jr. ever a quarterback? He started off at the position when he began tackle football in the seventh grade and stuck with it before entering high school.

“Freshman year is when I made the switch to wide receiver,” McNabb Jr. said. “I wanted to try a new position, make a name for myself. Right now, I feel very comfortable and happy with the progression that I’ve made.”

His father’s thoughts?

“I would have loved him to stay at quarterback, but he made the decision himself, and I respect that,” McNabb Sr. said. “As a dad, you just have to be very supportive of your kids, but I also told him, with that move comes a lot of sacrifice and hard work. When you make a move like that, you have to be willing to put that extra time and effort in to now get up to where everyone else is.”

McNabb Jr. is OK with that, If there’s one thing he has learned from his father, it’s his work ethic.

For the most part, McNabb Sr. has taken a hands-off approach in his son’s training, but with his involvement on the high school team, Junior certainly has received some feedback during practice and film sessions together.

He doesn’t take that for granted. McNabb Jr. is aware of the pressure that comes with carrying his last name, but with his father‘s help, he hopes to carry on the legacy.

“I would say I carry myself pretty well with all the pressure,” McNabb Jr. said. “But he’s also guided me through ways to just block out all the pressure and just focus on my route in life, with football and everything else.”