This is the 11th in a series leading into SEC media days next week.
Everything about Jacob Eason is long. His hair is long. His body is long. He throws the long ball. His bio in the Georgia football media guide is long. Twenty-three lines, in fact, more than any other freshman in there. It takes a lot of space to list all those accomplishments and accolades.
The Bulldogs expect Eason to a have a long and productive college career, too. The only question is when it will get started on the football field. That has become a matter of great debate.
If the Bulldogs are to get back to where they traditionally have been offensively — that is, atop the SEC in points scored and total yardage — they have to resurrect the passing game. And Eason represents the best option for doing that.
2. Jacob Eason
Freshman
Quarterback
WHY HE'S VITAL: Few programs can boast two veterans already in the fold who have been on the field as much as Greyson Lambert and Brice Ramsey, so Georgia has depth at the quarterback position. Even the Bulldogs' two walkons at the position are impressive. But what those players possess in pragmatic skills, they lack in the area of dynamism. All indications are that Eason's cup runs over in that department, especially when it comes to passing the football. And if Georgia wants to get back to being the scoring juggernaut it was from 2007-13, it has to get back to passing for 2,500-plus yards. Eason represents the best option for doing that, especially in light of recent negative developments at tailback.
QUOTABLE: "I don't think he knew there was 93,000 fans out there, because he sure didn't act like he cared. He executed the offense, went out and did what he had to do. He's a very level-headed kid. So for him to do that was good." – Georgia coach Kirby Smart after Eason's 244-yard passing performance in the G-Day Game.
BEST CASE: Eason is as good as advertised, which would qualify as something bordering on other-worldly. Zeier and Stafford were each wildly hyped before they ever took a snap for the Bulldogs, and perhaps Quincy Carter to a lesser extent, and each eventually lived up to it. Eason becomes the latest prolific passing quarterback rip up the UGA record book and lead the Bulldogs back into the national spotlight.
WORST CASE: Eason gets thrown into the fire early, becomes overwhelmed by his situation and then loses his confidence for the rest of his freshman year. As a result, the quarterback competition resumes and lingers throughout the season, which in turn impacts the team's belief and confidence in whichever quarterback ends up being on the field the most.
FINAL WORD: Jacob Eason is going to end up as Georgia's starting quarterback this season, the only question is when. The Bulldogs' schedule is not exactly conducive to breaking in a rookie starter. They open against what was an 11-win team last year in North Carolina at the Georgia Dome and play four of the first six games and six of the first nine away from Sanford Stadium. So it's not ideal. But Eason has done nothing but live up to his hype at each stage of his career to date. He's the most talented quarterback Georgia has and, in the end, talent always wins out at this level.
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No. 5, the backup quarterbacks
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