Georgia Tech began spring practice Monday,and coach Paul Johnson and quarterback Matthew Jordan have the same goal.
“Well, for him to solidify the job as the starting quarterback, I guess,” Johnson said following the team’s first of 15 practices. “Like everybody, to get better each day. He needs to come out there with something he’s going to improve on every day and work to get better at, just like all the guys.”
With significantly more experience than the other three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, Jordan enters the spring as the leading candidate to follow Justin Thomas and his three-year run as the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback.
He gave a most convincing demonstration of his capability to run the Tech offense last November, when he helped lead the Jackets to a 30-20 upset of then-No. 18 Virginia Tech on Nov. 12 in Blacksburg, Va. With Thomas injured, Jordan played the entire game, leading the Jackets on six scoring drives, including one finished with a 53-yard touchdown run by Jordan on a follow play.
He played in nine games altogether, mostly as a goal-line sub for Thomas. He ran 65 times for 243 yards, scoring six touchdowns. He threw nine passes, completing three, for 111 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. In the Virginia Tech game, he threw seven times, completing two for 34 yards.
For Tech, it would be the ideal for Jordan, a junior from Jackson, Ala., to make the job his own by the time the Jackets finish the spring with their spring game April 21 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Tech could go into the summer with the matter settled, helping smooth the transition from Thomas into the next era.
“All eyes are on the quarterback competition,” wide receiver Ricky Jeune said. “They’ve all been doing a good job. They’ve really been working hard and it’ll be interesting to see.”
Jordan was not made available to media after the practice.
Jordan is competing with TaQuon Marshall, who was the No. 3 last season and appeared in two games in mop-up duty in the Mercer and Vanderbilt games, and redshirt freshmen Lucas Johnson and Jay Jones.
Having Jordan win the job in the spring is “what you’d like to have coming out of spring,” Johnson said. “Or that’s what he’d like to have, I’m sure. We’re still in the process of evaluating four of those guys.”
Jordan has served as Thomas’ backup for the past two seasons, which has enabled him to bank hundreds of practice snaps in Johnson’s option offense. Marshall moved over to quarterback last spring from A-back. Jones and Johnson ran the scout team offense last fall.
“Matthew knows the system, he’s been consistent, he’s played in games, he’s started on the road, he’s older,” Johnson said. “He understands all that. So he’s way ahead of those other guys in that aspect.”
Jordan has not shown great proficiency as a passer, but has more of a downhill running style than Thomas. In the Virginia Tech game, Jordan ran the ball 32 times for 121 yards, eight more attempts than Thomas ever had in a game.
“He can throw the ball,” Johnson said. “I’m not worried about that. He can throw the ball fine.”
Jeune has learned more of Jordan’s passing ability through throwing sessions with the other receivers, running backs and quarterbacks. Between the end of the season and the start of the spring, they went at it twice a week.
“He has a pretty strong arm, surprisingly,” Jeune said. “He can really launch it.”
Should Jordan secure the No. 1 job, the competition that would bear watching is who becomes his backup. It could be significant, as the winner would put himself in better position to eventually succeed Jordan, although Marshall is also a rising junior.
“TaQuon has got some unique things about him and the two freshmen, Lucas and Jay, are good athletes,” Johnson said. “Lucas is taller, a little bit bigger, and Jay might be as quick as anybody we’ve ever had.”
The competition will be joined in preseason camp by signee Tobias Oliver of Northside (Warner Robins) High. Johnson’s hope is that it will be for the No. 2 spot.
“We can play with Matthew,” he said. “I think he proved that last year when he played.”
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