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Georgia football: How does the program move forward after Jake Fromm?
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Georgia football: How does the program move forward after Jake Fromm?
Jake Fromm is now an NFL prospect. The DawgNation Cover 4 guys break down what that means and what it should mean for the Georgia football program going forward.
Comments
First Jake thanks for your dedication and good play the last 3 years!!!!
Second people it’s time to move on!!!! Players come and go. And it’s always one play away from a career being over.
Easy - You've got (3) quality scholarship QBs that are eager to compete. Why recruit these guys if you aren't really going to try and use them? Add in a graduate transfer possibly with some experience and playing time and you are set for Spring. The competition will make all these guys better. I'm pretty impressed with all these QBs after everything that has been written about them. We'll be fine.
Fields was able to come off virtually no playing time at UGA to a whole new offensive scheme and he has thrived in his first year at OSU. It can happen here as well. Coaching, player development, and which QB best fits and performs in Kirby's offense will determine who will start on September 7th vs. Virginia.
Our defense next season will be as good or better than this year's squad. Our offense has got more quality WRs than we have seen in years. And we'll have a new spark with a new QB leading the charge. Kirby's goal has NOT CHANGED. Make the playoffs!!
GO DAWGS!!
Agree it is time to move on. Not a big deal guys. 5 minutes into the 2017 season UGA had a roster with NO QB's with any experience. Basically where we are now and happens to most every team in college football every 3-4 years. No panic people. This is the new normal with early declaring and invention of the transfer portal by the NCAA. Pick up another if possible and they compete in spring. Best man wins the job.
It is revolving door football. The problem at QB is the starter seldom allows underlings any playing time...unless he is injured, etc. Active on-field time is critical to QBs for obvious reasons. There are exceptions such as Justin Fields. And, if you take on a one-season QB, you are essentially back to square one in 2021....or close. It is a Catch 22. As you fellas say, this is NCAA football.
Had Fromm stayed, my bet is that Mathis would've transferred and/or maybe Carson Beck. Don't forget that Georgia and Smart have a long history of getting Top grade QBs and I have no doubt that they are lining up wanting the position. Looking at 247 and I noticed there was a 3 star QB transfer (Austin Kirksey) that I wasn't even aware of. We had a solid chance of getting Lawrence (probably would've if we hadn't been loaded at the time), we got Fields (who shouldn't have chosen us), we got Eason (across the country), we got Fromm (from Bama), etc, etc.
I count thirteen 4-star QB in the Transfer portal now with lots with immediate eligibility. I trust Smart to get us who is going to work best with whatever our offensive strategy will be.
I feel these things are less about UGA's offense and more about an individual player's opportunity.
I believe UGA has already landed Jamie Newman. He has said he has decided on the school. If that is true, our offense will most certainly be more dynamic than it was in 2019; and, I believe our offense will graduate to the realm of exciting with an experienced dual threat QB. UGA fans are going to have renewed excitement about the 2020 season very soon.
Despite the major attrition on the offensive side of the ball, our offense will be better next year. Jones and Van Pran will sign with UGA. Our depth and talent on the OL will be as good or better and the coaching by Matt Luke will produce better results. Pittman was an elite recruiter and salesman but an average coach. Our TE room will arguably be more talented or at minimum has more potential (Washington, Seither, Fitzpatrick, Goede). Charlie Woerner had only ONE TD his entire career at UGA! ONE! Our receiving corp will be overflowing with talent, experience, depth and speed! We will have the deep threats that will keep our opponents from stacking the box so frequently. Our running back room, with or without Evans, is indicative of a true RBU and as promising as any in the nation. The last piece is the QB. With a talented graduate transfer we will have depth and talent galore with a dash of experience. The ONLY thing missing is offensive chemistry. There will be far too much talent for it not to be explosive from game one. The experience and chemistry will build quickly. No need to mention the defense, you already know they will be lights out! Special teams...the only weak link...Hot Rod won't be here for the first time in five years. A special freshman leg will need to emerge.
2020 is going to be very fun indeed for every UGA fan. Even those mourning the departure of one Jake Fromm will be excited about our new offense after GDay.
Go Dawgs!
BA asks, do elite offensive players want to play at UGA. While we definitely need to make offensive changes, I think the 2020 recruits answered the question: Beck, Evans, Milton, Washington, Burton, Rosemey, Smith, Robinson, Tate, Lindburg, and hopefully Jones and Von Pran-Granger.
Not as easy as you say. Texas football has never recovered from Colt McCoy getting hurt in the NC against Bama. Been looking for a QB ever since. For that matter and closer to home Florida has been looking for a QB ever since Tebow graduated. We were in the wilderness for several years after Murray graduated.
Same as they always do when a player leaves, next man up..GoDAWGS!
I don't know that this Cover 4 concept really works for DawgNation, but I will say that I don't agree with Brandon Adams' take at all. In my mind, the Fromm "era" didn't end "prematurely," no more than the Anthony "Ant Man" Edwards era will be end prematurely when he declares for the NBA draft after one year with the basketball Dawgs. Fromm was eligible to turn pro and he decided to take his shot.
As for elite players not wanting to stick around, look out at the NCAA. Most junior skill players who are worth anything, turn pro. Devontae Smith at Alabama is a surprising exception, but Ruggs and Jeudy are gone. So is Tua. And Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are going to get out, too. It used to be the line of demarcation was whether a kid got drafted in the first round or early in the second. Other than that, they stayed in school. That's no longer the case. Now, if they think they'll be drafted AT ALL, they declare. I'm not saying our offense doesn't need to be upgraded, but I don't think that's going to keep elite players from leaving school early.
And as for elite recruits, what are you talking about? We brought in four, count 'em, four (4) wide receivers that many experts would say are elite, certainly more talented as a group than what was on the 2019 roster. Also, we signed two top-notch running backs. I know, one of them isn't coming but that still doesn't take away from the fact that he WANTED to be at UGA and he did, in fact, sign a letter of intent.
So the UGA brand is still solid. Yes, we will need to produce this upcoming year, but I somehow think we will. Bring in a QB with just more natural ability than Jake and let that natural ability take over. We want be sitting there now thinking that hey, "just hand the ball to Swift and we're good." No, we're going to have to play. And teams won't be able to say, the only receiver they have is George Pickens. No, we may have 2,3 or even 4 guys out there at the same time who might strike fear in the hearts of a defensive secondary. If Matt Luke can coach up the O-line, UGA can do great things in 2020. I'm ready. Go Dawgs!
Didnt really mean to suggest easy. More correctly put, is it is normal for most every team to deal with the situation of replacing a QB with one of little or no college experience.... Every 2-3-4 years.. not easy at all but, .... build a QB room, coach em up, let em compete.....this is life in college football.
Yep... answer to that question is obvious.
Barring major injuries to key players our defense will carry the day. No reason why any Eastern SEC team should score more than 20 against us. The question will be, can the once 2nd stringers on the O-LINE along with maybe a super freshman at least be as good as the O-line was last year?
A Couple of ways to look at that. One is that under Pittman's coaching they under performed in the run game( I believe that). They didn't push anyone around, and if they did it was late in the game where there size did come into play. Weren't many long runs created by superior blocking, especially up the gut. Most long runs were by improvisation. I understand Luke will coach more of an attack style run blocking scheme(can anyone confirm that?)
Another way is that you can't lose 3 starters on the O-line , your best receiver and tight end, a 3 year starter at QB, and a 1st round RB to the draft and be as good as you were on offense. It just doesn't happen.
Maybe everything works out better than can be expected. The answer perhaps lies in the receivers. Can we find in the new guys a consistent deep threat? Can we find a true speedster who we can just drag over the middle like Bama did with Juedy and Ruggs?
If we can keep the other teams safeties and linebackers from loading the box, give the linebackers a QB who is a threat to takeoff (they have to respect) and run, then that could open things up more than this past year.
If we get the kid from Wake Forrest that could be the game changer we need.
Sometime it's just a crap shoot. You can do all the research in the world, seldom does it work out and live up to your best laid plan. It's not a significant life event for most of us, Jake's gone, next man up, if he doesn't work out, next man up. Pretty simple if you ask me. If I were a worrier, coaching up what we have would be my biggest worry.
Apparently the coaches we had last year, from the results we saw, didn't do a good job, OC, OL, Receivers Coaches, didn't mesh, or didn't do their job, or could be Smarts philosophy forced on them. Either way we will see what next year brings, I expect this year was an anomaly and it will be fixed.
Kirby Smart has been planning for this eventuality for months. He has a proven track record of quick reaction to sudden changes. He will probably get somebody that can play immediately but our future is already in our QB room. In this era of the NCAA league acting as a minor league for the NFL, every school is in the same boat. All the leading teams in SEC are in the exact same situation this year.
Want change- get the NCAA to set a uniformly fair transfer policy. Pay checks for the players will only make the situation even worse. Each player receiving a power 5 scholarship gets a package worth about a million+ dollars or more. What would it cost an individual to employ a football coaches, mentors on par with the current coaches? The education, general and FOOTBALL, the conditioning and sculpturing of the body, the best medical treatment and rehabilitation for injuries available, individual nutrition plans for growth and development. A package of tutors, educational coaches and mentors to assist each player get a degree in their chosen field [this student assistance is better than anything available in private or Ivy League schools].
I predict players leaving early for a potential pro career will continue to grow, they will press to leave earlier and earlier. Part of the problem is the huge bonuses paid first tier players. If the NFL cared they could lower these bonuses and make them the same from team to team. But they will not. I wonder how many players leaving early finish their degree? Bet the number is shockingly low. Fine for the players who make millions but for the others? Another possibility would be to have the NFL "buy out" the players last year[s] for players who leave early. This would compensate the schools for all their development costs. Pipe dream yep, but.....
It will never happen as the barn door was opened long ago but these athletic scholarships should be considered binding contracts on both parties. A player who refuses to play in any team game and is cleared medically to play should be in violation of the above contract and should no longer be a member of the team and no longer have access to the above benefits. A player who wishes to transfer violates said contract. I certainly understand there are valid reasons for compassionate exceptions but their should be a penalty to paid for player violating their player agreement. A year pause in their football career is very acceptable minimum. Answer the question does key players leaving a team damage the team?
I understand we live a very permissive time without any real accountability for anyone and we all suffer for it.