One goal that Georgia Tech coaches had going into spring practice was to set a depth chart to take into preseason practice in August. In some cases, three weeks of spring practice has allowed that competition to unfold.
At quarterback, it will have to wait. Coach Paul Johnson said that the competition for the No. 2 job behind TaQuon Marshall probably will carry into preseason practice. Sophomore Lucas Johnson and redshirt freshman Tobias Oliver are competing.
Asked if there was any separation between the two, coach Paul Johnson replied, “Not really. Lucas, he missed a lot of practice.” He spoke Monday following the team’s 13th of 15 spring-practice workouts. Spring practice concludes Friday evening with the annual spring game.
Lucas Johnson has an extra year in the system and backed up Marshall last season with Jay Jones (who has since transferred) as Oliver redshirted. However, Johnson suffered an undisclosed injury early in spring practice and missed the second week. When Tech scrimmaged Saturday, Johnson was allowed to participate, but ran only pass plays.
Oliver would stand to benefit from the consistent practice time he has received this spring as he tries to catch up to Johnson. As Paul Johnson put it, the two have completely different skillsets. Lucas Johnson’s strength is in his passing, Oliver’s more in his running.
“They’ve done a great job,” Marshall said. “’T.O.’, he’s coming along well. He’s always asking questions. I’m trying to help him out as much as I can. He’s a great runner. He can put the ball in the air. Lucas is coming along well, also. He’s progressed a lot since I’ve seen him there. Just everybody’s really been progressing, trying to work on their craft.”
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