For Georgia Tech’s returning quarterbacks, the competition to be the successor to TaQuon Marshall has been a derby of many turns, and now it has taken the most severe curve yet.
The hire of coach Geoff Collins means that the competition between Lucas Johnson, Tobias Oliver and James Graham has been re-set. The participants (including two possible signees) are now vying to win a new race whose demands are different from the one they’d been running.
“I think it’s going to be a 180-degree turn philosophy-wise, so I’m interested to see how that’s going to transpire over the next year or two because it’s a totally different kid as far as athleticism that you have to recruit,” said Washington-Wilkes High coach Chad Alligood, who was Oliver’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northside High in Warner Robins.
The numbers help explain the impending change. This season, Temple had a 54/46 run/pass ratio and threw 33 times per game. Quarterbacks ran 64 times. Meanwhile, Tech’s run/pass ratio was 86/14 with 9.5 passes per game. Yellow Jackets quarterbacks ran 342 times.
Were coach Paul Johnson returning, Oliver would have seemed the clear leader going into 2019. He was perhaps the surprise of the season, rushing for 807 yards and 12 touchdowns as the No. 2 behind Marshall. That included leading the Jackets to a 49-28 win at Virginia Tech in his lone start of the season.
With the accumulation of experience and his decisive and slippery running style, Oliver seemed poised to be the Jackets’ starter for the next three seasons. However, with Johnson stepping down and Collins arriving with what he has described as an “NFL-based offense,” it shakes up the quarterback position group and the offense as a whole.
“I think that’s kind of the biggest question he’s got is what they are going to do offensively, and can they fit in that mode,” said Alligood, speaking of Oliver. “But, shoot, Tobias is a team player. I think if it was a change of position to receiver or somewhere else, I think he’s all for whatever.”
Oliver was recruited by other schools to play receiver or defensive back. Graham had a similar experience. Miami wanted him as a running back. Michigan and Alabama saw him as a defensive back.
Both chose Tech in part for the chance to play quarterback. But the other interest speaks to the athletic ability both possess. For a brief period in the preseason, Graham actually was moved to wide receiver before Johnson’s season-ending foot injury brought him back to quarterback to be the No. 3 behind Marshall and Oliver.
“The kid’s a freak,” said Jason Strickland, Graham’s coach at Fitzgerald High, now at Pierce County High. “He’s a special dude.”
Both Oliver and Graham threw the ball plenty in high school. At Fitzgerald, Graham was in charge of calling out protections and running run-pass option plays. Strickland said that, having looked a little bit at Temple’s offense, the new scheme is “probably going to be a little bit more in James’ wheelhouse.” Oliver holds the career passing yardage record at Northside High in Warner Robins.
“(Oliver) can stand back there and throw it, but it’s just going to take some work,” Alligood said.
Johnson may be the most capable of fitting into the new offense. He is considered to be the best passer of the three. He was a prolific passer in high school in San Diego and committed to play for San Diego State in its pro-style offense before switching to Tech close to signing day in 2016. Further, at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he’s closest to the body type of the quarterbacks that signed with Temple in 2018 (6-5, 216) and committed to Temple in the 2019 class (6-4, 215). (Graham is 6-1, 185 and Oliver is 6-2, 182.)
“I know it’s a great opportunity for Lucas to showcase his arm and his legs,” said John Anderson, Johnson’s coach at Mount Carmel High.
Johnson is recovering from a tear of the Lisfranc ligament in his foot this past preseason. Anderson said that Johnson expects to be 100 percent by spring practice.
“He’s looking forward to the next chapter,” Anderson said. “He’s got a really positive outlook.”
Additionally, two quarterbacks are committed in the 2019 class, Milton High’s Jordan Yates and Strong Rock Christian’s Demetrius Knight. Wednesday night, with Collins in attendance, Yates led Milton to the Class AAAAAAA state championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in an upset over Colquitt County, ranked No. 10 nationally by USA Today. Yates (5-11, 186) is a playmaker on his feet and can throw with accuracy. Knight (6-2, 210) can throw with some zip.
That’s five quarterbacks, a number that would seem to make the possibility of a position change for one or more even more likely. It wouldn’t be a surprise if another arrived as a graduate transfer.
While Collins did say the offense will evolve around the talent available, the Jackets face a transition.
But perhaps a gift that Johnson is leaving Collins was one advantage of Johnson’s offense and its use of athletic quarterbacks. If they couldn’t get on the field at quarterback, they could be converted to another position.
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