Quarterback for next year

Novajacket

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
220
Both are EE. I can see any of the 4 playing this year. With CGC system, all four will be getting plenty of reps in spring and fall practice. Hopefully one will separate themselves, but I could see us play multiple QB’s this year as the OL is developing and getting better. It may be the QB that gives the line a chance to gel is starting first.
 

InsideLB

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,915
Also folks, young QBs can develop on a steep curve. Grahm for example had focused hard on academics and less on football the past year. Was he even in spring practice? Good chance he and Yates at the beginning of the season were a mess and didnt give you much chance to win.

Then when QBs are ready and do play and do some good things people say "well he should have been the guy all along".

If Grahm continues to develop he could be the guy. Joe Ham was not Joe Heisman till his jr and sr years. But if he plateaus it is likely he is surpassed.

Weird IMO how college fans expect PROSPECTS to be these finished products out of the box. Some guys need to develop more than others, and do so at different rates for different reasons. Who thought Joe Burrow would win the Heisman this year? Like nobody.

I have no earthly idea who will be QB next year. But we do have several good prospects who will be competing. Should be fun to watch.
 

Lurkerjack

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
53
Location
Atlanta
I would normally bet the qb will be anyone but graham/Johnson. However, coach patenaude is the X factor here. Remember before the season started the knock on him was that he can’t pick a qb (or more importantly from the temple fans perspective, he doesn’t pick the right qb to start the season). That’s EXACTLY what happened here. So in the last three seasons he started the season with a different qb than he ended with. That concerns me. A lot.

Yeah, yeah I get that we had a unique situation without any passing QBs but how do you explain the two seasons at Temple?
 

iceeater1969

Helluva Engineer
Messages
9,776
I would normally bet the qb will be anyone but graham/Johnson. However, coach patenaude is the X factor here. Remember before the season started the knock on him was that he can’t pick a qb (or more importantly from the temple fans perspective, he doesn’t pick the right qb to start the season). That’s EXACTLY what happened here. So in the last three seasons he started the season with a different qb than he ended with. That concerns me. A lot.

Yeah, yeah I get that we had a unique situation without any passing QBs but how do you explain the two seasons at Temple?
in 17 we picked a rb to be qb and he got almost every snap.
in 18 he played about the same amount.
 

GTBandit22

Helluva Engineer
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1,332
The thing that worries me about Graham, is that there were games where he was just “off”. Pitt, VT, and uga come to mind. Not coincidentally, all three of those defenses are good and they were blowing up the LOS on most plays. But even when he had a pocket he misfired.
Other than the NC State game, he was pretty pedestrian in the zone read game too. Hesitant and lots of wasted steps. It was jarring coming from Taquon and Oliver, who put their foot in the ground and turned upfield hard. That’s the difference between 3 yards and a first down, which when you struggle, is a huge deal.

That being said, we’ve seen Yates only in mop up, and the other two are true freshman, so I don’t know if they are bringing more to the table right off the bat.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,113
Is 2021 a developmental year also?

What do you want me say? You want me to blow smoke and pretend we have a chance to win the ACC next year? Until we find a QB and build the roster I’m not worried if we win 3 or 6 games. I could care less about a bowl game in Detroit on the duece at 2:30 on Dec. 28. I’d rather our coach be out recruiting and closing deals. The day will come soon when we can stand up to top 20 teams and then all that will matter are wins. Rightnow we have walk ons getting valuable playing time and kickers who can’t kick, so yes I’m more concerned with stopping the bleeding than running a marathon.

By 2021 we will have a roster that will feed optimism and to competitive games. But we gotta find a real QB who can do it CONSISTENTLY which is why I want to see what Yates, Sims, and Gleason bring to the table before they portal out. With the portal no QB is going to wait to develop like the old days. The new reality is that parents spend too much money on camps, travel, and private coaching to have their child sit for 2-3 years. And the success of Hurts, Burrows, and Fields feeds that mindset.
 

IM79

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
440
I would normally bet the qb will be anyone but graham/Johnson. However, coach patenaude is the X factor here. Remember before the season started the knock on him was that he can’t pick a qb (or more importantly from the temple fans perspective, he doesn’t pick the right qb to start the season). That’s EXACTLY what happened here. So in the last three seasons he started the season with a different qb than he ended with. That concerns me. A lot.

Yeah, yeah I get that we had a unique situation without any passing QBs but how do you explain the two seasons at Temple?
Because fans everywhere, including lowly Temple, always think the backup QB should be starting.
 

jojatk

Helluva Engineer
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1,620
Yeah, yeah I get that we had a unique situation without any passing QBs but how do you explain the two seasons at Temple?

Let me start by saying I actually agree that there is some concern about how long it could take for CDP to settle on the right QB based on what he did at Temple and GT. But I’ll also point out that he didn’t seem to have that problem at his previous stop. And I’ll also point out that at Temple in his first year they were having to replace a 4 year starter and the two MOST experienced guys on the roster had, IIRC, 5 pass attempts combined. During that year neither really distinguished himself from the other. Year two they had more experience but neither really had established himself as “the guy” and finally Russo got a chance (possibly due to injury? I can’t recall) and took the job finally. And last year, IMHO, is not a fair year to judge him on specifically in reference to choosing a QB due to the unique circumstances around the players from whom he had to select.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Gtswifty81

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
435
The best two QBs we basically had in spring practice last year were Lucas Johnson and Tobias Oliver since Graham had to regain academic eligibility. I think Tobias ended up injured as well. At the end of the season the two who weren’t at spring practice (Graham/Yates) ended up 1/2 on the depth chart. This year we should have Graham/Yates/Gleason/and Sims at spring practice. Whoever wins the job in the fall, should be in a significantly better position than where we were starting the season last year, but multiple QBs will likely get a shot during the season if no one separates themselves from the pack.

While it is unlikely a freshman QB will come in and turn our offense around, look at what Sam Howell did at UNC:

3347 yds, 60.3%, 35 Tds, 7 int

Now Compared to Tech:

1607 yds, 46.1% completion, 14 TDs, 10 int

Now 1996 Georgia Tech Stats (Joe’s first year, 1 less game):

1862 yds, 55.6%, 9 TDs, 16 int

The Tech QBs threw less interceptions than I expected this year but it’s the completion percentage that needs significant improvement. The O-line should be much better staring next year which will help, but our QBs need to hit at least 55% of the passes to help sustain drives. I think all four of our QBs have the tools to get it done. I personally have liked Gleason since he committed but Yates and Graham should have the edge with their experience.
 

WreckinGT

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,196
What do you want me say? You want me to blow smoke and pretend we have a chance to win the ACC next year? Until we find a QB and build the roster I’m not worried if we win 3 or 6 games. I could care less about a bowl game in Detroit on the duece at 2:30 on Dec. 28. I’d rather our coach be out recruiting and closing deals. The day will come soon when we can stand up to top 20 teams and then all that will matter are wins. Rightnow we have walk ons getting valuable playing time and kickers who can’t kick, so yes I’m more concerned with stopping the bleeding than running a marathon.

By 2021 we will have a roster that will feed optimism and to competitive games. But we gotta find a real QB who can do it CONSISTENTLY which is why I want to see what Yates, Sims, and Gleason bring to the table before they portal out. With the portal no QB is going to wait to develop like the old days. The new reality is that parents spend too much money on camps, travel, and private coaching to have their child sit for 2-3 years. And the success of Hurts, Burrows, and Fields feeds that mindset.
It’s the find a QB part I have a problem with. We seem to be the only program that needs to rotate several guys for several games before we can find one. This apparently is going to happen again next year and possibly the year after that. Why does our program require so much evaluation over so many years before they can make a decision? What is so wrong with the pick a guy and if he doesn’t perform well try someone else mentality that every other program in history has been fine following? The coaches know plenty about Graham and Yates. They will see Gleason and Sims all spring and fall. That should be plenty of time to pick a guy.
 

GTHomer

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
928
The new reality is that parents spend too much money on camps, travel, and private coaching to have their child sit for 2-3 years. And the success of Hurts, Burrows, and Fields feeds that mindset.

There are more HS QBs coming out every year than starting QB positions on college teams. Not everyone has the skill set of Hurts, Burrows, and Fields. Unless they are willing to play at a lower level, it may be best for some to stay put and compete as more HS QBs will be added to the roster every year.
 

orientalnc

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Retired Staff
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While talent throwing a football is a key part of being a QB, I am not certain it's most important. We began the season with Johnson because he was the best passer. We switched to Oliver because he was the best athlete. Finally we settled on Graham because he was the best QB. But Graham was never the best passer. I am not sure we had a decent passer on the roster last year, and that includes Yates.

When I look at the guys coming in, I think Sims is similar to Graham. Maybe he is a better passer, but that still needs to be determined. Gleason looks like a big step up as a passer, but he knows nothing of our current offense and will have show his high school talent can transition to the college level defenses he will face. This will take time and I am not sure there is a clear distinction that separates these four guys from each other. The bottom line is that the Spring QB contest should be very interesting.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,113
It’s the find a QB part I have a problem with. We seem to be the only program that needs to rotate several guys for several games before we can find one. This apparently is going to happen again next year and possibly the year after that. Why does our program require so much evaluation over so many years before they can make a decision? What is so wrong with the pick a guy and if he doesn’t perform well try someone else mentality that every other program in history has been fine following? The coaches know plenty about Graham and Yates. They will see Gleason and Sims all spring and fall. That should be plenty of time to pick a guy.

We don’t disagree on that. I’d love for a QB to take the job and keep it. I’m just not that upset if it takes time since all these guys are so young. I’d rather the coaches give them all playing time to figure it out. In my opinion it would be horrible if they pick a guy and then we lose our next Joe Ham or Godsey to the portal.
 

GTsports1819

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
69
I'd like to see everyone get the same shot at it as well, but at the same time that's part of the staff's job. To find out (ideally during preseason) who gives us the best chance to win in specific situations or otherwise and make adjustments as needed. It seems like offenses are generally more stable/successful with one main QB rather than a platoon.

Another aspect to consider is how the timeshares could impact recruiting. Some of these top recruits aren't going to want to be in a timeshare at their position. This isn't unique to the QB position. If we recruit a high level 4-star recruit, at some point that player is going to want to be featured - whether as a freshman or a couple years later.
 

SOWEGA Jacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,113
There are more HS QBs coming out every year than starting QB positions on college teams. Not everyone has the skill set of Hurts, Burrows, and Fields. Unless they are willing to play at a lower level, it may be best for some to stay put and compete as more HS QBs will be added to the roster every year.

What you post is true. But, the high caliber QB’s being recruited by P5 schools are a small subset of HS QBs. And those players aren’t thinking about sitting. I agree with you it’s best to stay and develop but no one does that any more. The factories recruit from starter to starter because the backups transfer out. You really think our newest QB signee will stay at GT if he doesn’t see the field the next two years? Recruiting continues into college these days due to the portal. I can guarantee you that Yates, Gleason, and Sims have plenty of options if they choose to portal out. I just don’t want to lose the wrong QB.
 

Gtswifty81

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
435
It’s the find a QB part I have a problem with. We seem to be the only program that needs to rotate several guys for several games before we can find one. This apparently is going to happen again next year and possibly the year after that. Why does our program require so much evaluation over so many years before they can make a decision? What is so wrong with the pick a guy and if he doesn’t perform well try someone else mentality that every other program in history has been fine following? The coaches know plenty about Graham and Yates. They will see Gleason and Sims all spring and fall. That should be plenty of time to pick a guy.

I don’t think we will see the rotation of QBs that we saw at the start of the season this year where it varied by series at times. I do expect it to be similar to the second half of the season where if our starter struggles you could see a half time replacement or the starter will become the backup for the next game.

Of course I hope I’m wrong and someone wins the position and dominates during the year. Once the program develops this pattern should go away but we don’t have a proven QB or an experienced back up to take the reigns.
 
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