Who’ll be QB1 for Georgia Tech in 2020? A closer look at the four candidates
The most frequently asked question around the Georgia Tech football program doesn’t concern the expected number of wins or the color combinations of the uniforms — or coach Geoff Collins’ latest idea to create a cool culture.
It’s about the quarterback position. Specifically, who’s going to start when the Yellow Jackets travel to Florida State for the season opener on Sept. 12?
Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude admitted, “Everybody is asking that question.”
Collins, who went 3-8 in his first year in Atlanta, has tried to downplay the conversation, sometimes asking why people aren’t as concerned with who’s starting at right guard or free safety. He’ll typically default to the answer that the starting quarterback will be whoever can help the Yellow Jackets win games.
It was a problem last season when Collins tried to make the transition from coach Paul Johnson’s option offense to his up-tempo spread attack. Tobias Oliver and Lucas Johnson each got two starts before the staff settled on James Graham. Oliver was moved to wide receiver and used effectively as a kick returner. Johnson could never get healthy, saw the writing on the wall and transferred to San Diego State.
That leaves Graham (6-1, 190) as the incumbent, although that carries little weight these days. He started eight games, threw for 1,164 yards and 12 touchdowns — despite seven interceptions and a 45.1 completion percentage — and ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Although his growth at the position was evident, he faces strong competition to hang onto the job.
“James had a huge learning curve and he got thrown out there and had to learn on the fly,” Patenaude said. “It’s cool that he was able to do that.”
In addition to spending more time in film studies and learning the system, Graham focused on his footwork.
“I believe my biggest downfall was footwork and I’ve been working on that all summer,” Graham said. “My feet, being on time with throws, reading defenses, checks ... just developing and learning from my mistakes.”
Patenaude said Graham has developed better timing on his short routes. There was never an issue on deep balls last year, but he often threw behind runners or sailed the ball over their heads on high-percentage throws.
Graham will be challenged by Jordan Yates, who played three games last year but retained his redshirt status, and true freshmen Tucker Gleason and Jeff Sims, a pair of highly recruited players from Florida.
Because of the youth and inexperience across the board at the position, Patenaude spent hours working in video meetings and later in the classroom with his candidates over the summer.
“As tough as it’s been (to have limited practices because of COVID-19), it’s been very good for the young guys to sit back and learn football,” Patenaude said. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the basic concepts of football. It’s really helped in their development. You can see that all the guys are going to the right spot most of the time and that wasn’t the case last year.”
Yates (6-0, 200) gets high marks for his intelligence, but isn’t helped by his height. He’s got a live arm and a never-say-die attitude.
“He’s got a little savvy to him,” Patenaude said. “He’s able to frame throws and throw around people and find throwing lanes. The other day in practice he threw an old-school jump pass. He’s good at improvising and he’s very smart.”
Sims (6-3, 215) is a four-star recruit who was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation among dual-threat quarterbacks. Patenaude has been impressed by his work ethic, as well as his skills.
“He didn’t come in here as a privileged kid. He’s a worker,” Patenaude said. “He can spin the ball and he can do things in the run game we want to do.”
Patenaude said Gleason (6-3, 225) brings a strong understanding of the game. His size is an advantage and Patenaude said: “He’s very athletic for a big guy, has a good feel for football and understands the concepts. He has handled things well.”
The Yellow Jackets still have time to make a final determination. Patenaude is willing to give it time and let the situation play out.
“We have guys who can really play,” Patenaude said. “It’s going to be a continual work in progress. I’d love to be able to settle on one guy and we’re going to give all those guys ample opportunity to figure it out.”
What time is the Georgia Tech-Florida State game?
Who: Georgia Tech vs. Florida State
Where: Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: ABC
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 8:54 AM.