Jacob Eason's performance highlights Georgia's G-Day scrimmage

His third pass in his first scrimmage couldn’t have been any better.

Jacob Eason, the five-star phenom of a quarterback, dropped back and lofted a 35-yard pass to fellow freshman early enrollee Riley Ridley. Fans were already on their feet cheering for Eason when he first entered Saturday’s G-Day spring game in the second quarter.

They were even louder with their applause and approval following the perfect pass, which those in attendance will hope to see in seasons to come.

“I guess that’s what happens when you’re such a highly recruited guy, especially at the quarterback position,” offensive lineman Greg Pyke said. “He was making a lot of good players out there.”

While there were a lot of aspects about the game that stood out, including head coach Kirby Smart getting his wish of 93,000 people in attendance and a receiving group that caught just about everything thrown its way, Eason is the one topic that will be discussed throughout the offseason.

It was the type of performance that could even suggest Eason could be the front-runner for the starting quarterback job. Smart was not at all willing to go there yet.

“Really? Why would people say that?” Smart asked in reply to the question of if Eason separated himself in this scrimmage. “To me, he ended up (66) percent. Brice (Ramsey) was (64) percent. And Greyson (Lambert) had two drops and one bad decision, but he was right at 50 percent. For people to say that, maybe they should go to ‘Coaching 101.’ I don’t see that being that the case. What I see going into fall camp is three guys that have three different traits. All three of them got some growing to do. I want to see them improve.”

Yes, the Black team defeated the Red team 34-14 in a scrimmage that was ultimately a watered-down display of the offensive and defensive schemes for the fans. Smart even admitted that he didn’t want to put anything on the ESPNU broadcast that North Carolina, Georgia’s first opponent in 2016, could take away.

Schematics or not, however, Eason was the main draw for the 93,000 fans who attended the intrasquad practice. He didn’t disappoint.

Eason, as much as Smart, represents the future of Georgia football. Eason’s 35-yard pass to Ridley, followed in the fourth quarter by a big-gain completion down the right sideline to receiver Reggie Davis, showed off the arm talent that earned the national recognition from colleges all over.

Eason, who was not made available to speak with reporters after the scrimmage, finished 19-of-29 passing for 244 yards and a touchdown. His scoring pass went to freshman tight end Isaac Nauta in the second quarter, which could be a preview of future plays to come.

But Eason is also just a true freshman who has made plenty of mistakes in practice and will continue to have those occur as he grows into being an SEC quarterback.

While teammates have said Eason possesses a leadership quality, outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter said he makes the true freshman handle his “laundry strap” since he’s a rookie on the roster.

And as well as Eason was the other quarterbacks had plenty of shining moments throughout, too. 

Lambert and Ramsey had some solid throws, too. Ramsey threw a 38-yarder to Jayson Stanley in the second quarter, and Lambert was his usual steady self when playing within the realm of the game plan. Lambert did throw an interception in the third quarter, which he was visibly frustrated with quickly after releasing the ball.

“The quarterbacks did well; they’ve been going through a quarterback battle since last year,” running back Sony Michel said. “I think they handled everything pretty well.”

Ramsey finished the scrimmage 16-of-25 for 224 yards, and Lambert was 11-of-22 for 140 yards.

As well as the offense looked in Georgia’s annual scrimmage, Smart was right about the first-team defense not being up to speed where the first-team offense is. The offensive line pushed back the defensive front in the running game and allowed plenty of time for the quarterbacks to throw — granted it wasn’t like the defense blitzed all too often.

Eason will be the big talking point through the summer and into August, when the quarterback competition heats back up. And it won’t be until then, when a grasp on who truly leads for the job will show.

“I didn’t hide anything when I said he’s got an elite arm,” Smart said. “He’s got great arm strength and great arm talent. He makes good decisions most of the time, and he’s got to communicate better. So again, I’m glad everybody got to come out and see Jacob Eason. The welcoming and warming in the stands, with everybody clapping, that felt great. But the guy that starts the game against North Carolina will be the guy who gives us the best chance to win the game. If that’s Jacob Eason, it will be Jacob Eason. But it may not be.”

This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Jacob Eason's performance highlights Georgia's G-Day scrimmage."