Hogs’ QB a Storey of sacrifice
FAYETTEVILLE Regardless whether or not he becomes this season’s Arkansas backup quarterback to Austin Allen and the starting quarterback in 2018 and 2019 with 2017 fifth-year senior Allen moved on, nobody should doubt that Charleston’s Ty Storey has given, is giving and will give his all to be a Razorback.
From sacrificing his Charleston High School senior spring semester to graduate early and enroll at the UA in January, 2015 so he could participate in the Razorbacks winter conditioining program and spring practices to maintaining a team unifying friendship rather than a dividing rivalry with redshirt freshman Cole Kelley of Lafayette, La. also contending for the backup slot to Allen, Storey has conducted himself selflessly and admirably.
“He’s a lot of fun to coach,” Dan Enos, Arkansas’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2015 under Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema.
Storey’s rush to get to the UA might seem futile now. For after that 2015 spring he redshirted the next fall then seldom was budged off the bench as Allen’s nominal 2016 backup.
Any regrets? Particularly on missing his Charleston High spring semester?
“I definitely missed playing basketball and baseball with my friends
back in high school,” Storey said. “But they didn’t blame me for doing it. I still feel like it was the best decision for me at the time. I’m a football player now. I don’t have time for the other sports and stuff like that so I think it was the best decision for me.”
Arriving early gave Storey time more quickly to get out of some bad habits.
“He was pushing the ball so it wasn’t a natural fluid motion,” Enos said. “It was a stop and push and you can’t do that. It’s got to be quick, it’s got to be fluid and it’s got to be violent for a good throwing motion. I challenged him and said, ‘You need to change that if you want to play.’ It’s taken some time but that guy works at it extremely hard. Now the ball is snapping out of his hand. It’s coming out really good.”
Last spring Storey passed like he never passed previously
“I think that goes back to feeling more comfortable throwing the ball,” Storey said. “I got into some weird habit when I got up here. I was able to work with Coach Enos and some guys to improve my motion. I feel better than I ever have throwing the ball.”
What got him out of sorts?
Zac Robinson, a former NFL quarterback and friend of former Arkansas All-SEC quarterback Tyler Wilson, also helped correct the flaw, Storey said.
Wilson, was All-SEC starting for Bobby Petrino’s 11-2 Razorbacks in 2011 and even on the bad 4-8 team in 2012 under John L. Smith still achieved marks high on Arkansas’ all-time passing charts.
But coming out of shotgun snaps in the Spread formation at Greenwood, Wilson was unfamiliar taking direct snaps out of Petrino’s Pro-Style offense.
Wilson initially struggled getting the snap without bobbles which Storey initially would coming out of the shotgun in his Charleston days to Bielema’s ProStyle.
“It was different just worrying about that,” Storey said. “Your head really wasn’t where it should have been just trying to focus on defenses. You are thinking, ‘Oh, no! This snap is my bad!’ After that first spring I felt really natural.”
Everything felt so much better that by last spring Storey had caught up to Kelley, a big 6-7, 268 quarterback with a big arm who had impressed considerably redshirting in 2016.
Not that Storey, 6-2, is a wisp.
“He’s always been very, very bright and picks things up very, very quickly and is a football junkie but the biggest change is physical,” Enos said. “He attacks it in the weight room. I think he’s 220 now. He’s come a long way with his feet and his arm strength and quick arm speeding up his throwing motion. From last year to this year he’s like a different guy.”