This summer, Vad Lee wanted to learn more about the shotgun offense. Naturally, the Georgia Tech quarterback got in touch with a practitioner — North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner.
Renner, a friend of Lee’s who will lead the Tar Heels against Tech Saturday as both teams compete for the ACC Coastal Division title, happily complied. When Lee returned home to Durham, N.C., over the summer, he stopped by Chapel Hill to talk shop with Renner and throw together at Kenan Stadium, the same field where Lee administered a historic torching of Renner’s Tar Heels last November.
Neither gave a second thought to their relationship, which some might interpret as aiding the enemy. Lee also shared with Renner some ideas about running the ball. Renner compared it with helping a co-worker.
“I think anytime you want to get better, it doesn’t matter where you are,” Renner said by phone Monday.
Through recruiting and camps, college quarterbacks like Lee and Renner have allies and confidants across the country. Lee counts Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and Renner among friends. He made acquaintances by training for a week with famed quarterback tutor George Whitfield in the spring and then working as a counselor at a Nike camp in the summer. A camp run by Eli and Peyton Manning where college quarterbacks serve as counselors is another annual event that fosters relationships.
“The main thing I accomplished this summer is stacking myself up with top draft picks for next year,” Lee said in August. “I was able to learn a lot from them.”
Lee described it as a fraternity.
“It’s a hard position to play,” he said, “so there’s no secrets or anything like that.”
Renner said he trades text messages with fellow quarterbacks across the ACC, like Miami’s Stephen Morris, Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas and Wake Forest’s Tanner Price. Renner has gotten to know some of those players through the ACC media-days event, which he has attended twice. Social media and the increased ease of communication have undoubtedly broken down barriers, also.
When Lee went to San Diego to work with Whitfield, he saw him soaking up the wisdom shared by Boyd. Whitfield speaks with pride of the community that he has helped build. Being a starting quarterback is, in a way, a solitary calling.
“Coaches know what he’s trying to learn. Teammates know how hard he’s working,” said Whitfield, speaking specifically of Boyd but making a broader point. “(But) no one else knows what it’s like to captain a ship.”
Said Renner, “When you can rely on that and bounce ideas off opponents that you play throughout the year, it’s only beneficial to make friends with those guys.”
They may have taken cues from the pros. So many NFL players maintain residences in Atlanta that several players from across the league have converged on Tech in the summer to work out together.
College coaches do something similar, going to visit with counterparts to learn about different schemes, though they will usually do so outside of their conference.
Lee was mostly interested in Renner’s footwork out of the shotgun, which the Jackets have incorporated more this season. He asked questions and observed as the two threw to receivers, some from Carolina and other local players from different colleges whom Lee invited.
“That’s why I went to Carolina, to try to see how he’s getting coached, try to see how he does his footwork, especially in a game,” Lee said.
It may turn out that better footwork by Lee will be part of the difference in Saturday’s game. Or Renner might put some of Lee’s ideas to use and scramble for a crucial first down.
Said Renner, “I think that happens more around the country more than people know.”
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