You know a quarterback is wired differently when he asks for a meeting with the head coach to plead his case to be cleared for full contact in scrimmages.
That’s exactly what Georgia’s Faton Bauta did before this past Saturday’s scrimmage at Sanford Stadium. Permission was granted and Bauta played without the protection of the traditional black jersey the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks wear that signifies they’re not to be hit.
“He came to my office and asked if it was OK to be live in the scrimmage,” coach Mark Richt said. “He wants to do that because he knows he can break tackles and do some things athletically that add to his game. When you go in a black jersey, if a guy gets close you, you basically call the play dead. He didn’t want that. He wanted to have a chance to do his thing, so to speak, athletically. And, I mean, he made some plays.
“He’s just a tough kid and he wants to win the starting job. That’s how he competes.”
While it’s unlikely that Bauta will unseat Hutson Mason as Georgia’s starting quarterback, he appears to be tightening his grip on the No. 2 job. A redshirt sophomore from West Palm Beach, Fla., Bauta has been splitting snaps with redshirt freshman Brice Ramsey in that role but, now into the second full week of camp, Bauta looks to be pulling away.
Physical toughness is a big reason. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Bauta was described in recruiting as “Tim Tebow Jr.” and represents a departure in the playing styles of Georgia’s more recent quarterbacks. He’d just as soon tuck it and run as to throw it.
“When Faton’s back there we know we have to watch our rush lanes because he is going to take off and try to run somebody over,” junior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “That’s his playing style. He’s going to hit you in the mouth and run out and make a play by himself if he has to.
“It’s different because each one of these quarterbacks have different playing styles. Brice likes to sit in the pocket it seems like to me and he’s confident in what he does. Faton is one of those guys that likes to spread it out and run it a good bit.”
Bauta doesn’t deny his passion for running the football, but he doesn’t want that to be the trait that defines him as a quarterback. Teammates calm him a film junkie and say he rivals Mason and recently graduated quarterback Aaron Murray with his knowledge of the playbook.
“My job is to know the offense as good as the coaches do,” Bauta said. “I’ve spent more time in the film room than I have working on the physical, but I think that’s what quarterback is. Your brain has to function better than your body. So, yeah, I definitely feel like I have a good grasp of it. Am I where I want to be? I think there are still a lot of things I need to clean up as far as the details. But that’s why I’m always looking at it. I might not get it right the first time or the second time, but eventually I’m going to get it.”
Bauta continued his cerebral development this summer. As a sports management major, Bauta was required to have practicum credit in the field. He did that b7 interning at Prince Avenue Christian School as an assistant football coach.
In an interesting twist of fate, Bauta’s mentor at Prince was coach Jeff Herron. Herron was Ramsey’s coach at Camden County High a couple of years ago. In fact, it was Ramsey who supplied Bauta with Herron’s cell number to make initial contact.
“I was just helping out,” Bauta said. “I told Coach Herron to use me and abuse me however he wanted to and I was pretty much his guy while I was there. He was incredible to work with and so understanding. I had to spend a lot of time over (at UGA) preparing for the season with weightlifting and running. So I had a very busy schedule.”
Bauta met with the Wolverines three mornings a week at 7 a.m., then worked out with his teammates at Georgia. The result is a confident and well-conditioned Bauta who feels ready to contribute.
“I’ve always prepared like I’m going to be the No. 1 guy and I still do,” Bauta said. “You’ve got to have some swagger out there. I think it’s important for a quarterback to be that way. Regardless of what quarterback you are on the depth chart, you’ve still got to have the guys around you out there believing in you. So you need to go out there with confidence and some ambition. That whole deal is important.”
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