Either Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude’s strength is not in estimating, or he feels significantly better about how his quarterbacks are faring after two sessions of spring practice than he did a year ago.
“We’re – I don’t even know what the percentage is – 2 million percent better than we were at this time last year,” Patenaude said Thursday. “Just from an understanding of what we’re doing and where to go with the ball and what defenses are doing and how to manipulate the defense and those types of things.”
A year ago, as coach Geoff Collins’ tenure was just a few months old, Patenaude was teaching the scheme to his quarterbacks and the offense as a whole.
“Teach coverage, fronts, how to adjust coverages, how to adjust protections,” he said. “What does this formation do? How do people align to this formation? It was like ground-zero grassroots football at this time last year.”
As sophomore James Graham and redshirt freshman Jordan Yates took snaps of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 Thursday, the level of understanding and confidence was greater than it was even compared to the end of last season.
“I feel so much better when I come out and put my helmet on,” said Graham, who started the final eight games of the 2019 season. “I know what I’m doing. I know to point the (middle linebacker) out. If we have a motion on, I’m not looking this way when he’s supposed to be coming from (the other) way. I know everything. It just makes it way more easy to know what you’re doing.”
With Tobias Oliver and Lucas Johnson – both competing at quarterback last spring – now out of the picture (Oliver is playing cornerback and Johnson will leave Tech as a grad transfer), Graham and Yates are now the mentors to early-enrollee freshmen Jeff Sims and Tucker Gleason with the help of walk-on quarterbacks Liam Byrne and Ryan Lantz.
“(Byrne and Lantz) are uber-smart football guys, so all six guys are kind of chopping it up going back and forth,” Patenaude said. “Now those guys have much more understanding of what we’re doing.”
Gleason did not take part in the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills Thursday, having rolled his ankle at the end of Tuesday’s practice running down the field after completing a long touchdown pass to wide receiver Kalani Norris.
“I was like, dude, you need a better story than that,” Patenaude said.
Other than that, Gleason and Sims have passed the first tests. Thursday, Sims looked in control of his 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 snaps, throwing with accuracy and completing deep shots down the field.
“They’re sponges,” Patenaude said. “They want to absorb as much information as they possibly can. They’re in there all the time. I’m at the point where I’m like, dude, do you ever go to class? What are you guys doing?”
While Graham and Yates are positioning to compete for the No. 1 job, Gleason or Sims making a bid as the spring progresses may not be out of the question. Patenaude does need a quarterback who can make the throws. Last year, Graham progressed over the course of the season, but still completed only 45.1% of his passes.
“James’ ability to throw in the pocket is way better than it was last year just simply from an understanding standpoint,” Patenaude said.
The issues go deeper than Graham’s accuracy – protection has to be better, as does route running and receiving – but the passing game will be a focus this spring.
“We did not throw the football well at all,” Patenaude said of last season. The Jackets’ passing efficiency rating was 121st in FBS.
Thursday, Yates had one of the highlights of the practice, a deep ball to wide receiver Jalen Camp for a touchdown in a two-minute drill near the end of practice.
“He is really, really smart,” Patenaude said. “He’s a football guy. He loves football. I could see him being a football coach. That’s how his mind works. He wants to know all the nuances.”
It’s one play out of hundreds that the quarterbacks will log this spring, each in pursuit of the top spot.
“We’re all competing, we’re all learning from each other and we all get along, so it’s a fun competition,” Yates said.
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