Freshman QBs make immediate impact
ATLANTA — No experience required.
Jalen Hurts came within a single second of leading Alabama to a national championship in his freshman season. Now, Jake Fromm is on the cusp of a title in his first year at Georgia.
Long gone are the days when a young quarterback needed to ride the bench for a season or two, getting up to speed on a college system much more intricate than what he ran in high school. Even the most successful programs in the land are willing to turn their offense over to an 18-year-old as soon as he steps on campus.
Hurts and Fromm are the most prominent examples of the potential rewards far outweighing the ever-dwindling risks.
“There’s a completely different mind-set now about playing young players,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
Jamelle Holieway remains the only true freshman quarterback to lead a team to the national title in the modern era, taking over at Oklahoma in 1985 after Troy Aikman was injured.
Hurts came achingly close a year ago, when Alabama lost to Clemson 35-31 on a last-second touchdown pass in the championship game. Fromm has a chance to match Holieway’s feat Monday night, but he’ll have to get by Hurts a grizzled ol’ sophomore this time around when the Bulldogs (13-1) meet the Crimson Tide (12-1) in an all-Southeastern Conference title game.
Saban points to an increased emphasis on passing games and spread offenses at the high school level, which has fastforwarded the development of top quarterback prospects.
“They’re not coming up in some hand-the-ball-off I-formation,” he said. “Their knowledge and experience is a lot greater than maybe in old-fashioned football.”
Fromm threw for 12,745 yards and 116 touchdowns during his four years at Houston County High School in central Georgia, a football hotbed that prepared him well for what he would face with the Bulldogs.
“He came in early most mornings during the offseason to throw in quarterback drills,” said Von Lassiter, who was Fromm’s high school coach. “In season, he came in and went to class, but after lunch he was with the football coaches for the rest of the day. He would watch video, lift weights, we fed ‘em, and then we practiced. Then he watched video afterward.”
During the summers, Fromm and his teammates traveled around the state to compete in highly competitive 7-on-7 leagues, a mostly passing version of touch football that had become increasingly popular, allowing prep quarterbacks to further hone their passing skills.
“You’ve got be a good decision-maker,” said Brian Daboll, the third offensive coordinator Hurts has worked 8 tonight Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta ESPN
with during his two seasons at Alabama. “What am I going to gain from this play versus what can it cost us? He’s a good risk-reward manager with the football, does a good job of protecting it in the pocket with two hands.”
Fromm has averaged just 18.5 passes per game. He’s made the most of his chances, however, completing nearly 64 percent for 2,383 yards, with 23 touchdowns, only five interceptions and the SEC’s top quarterback rating.
Hurts is more of a dual threat than Fromm, ranking second on the Tide with 808 yards rushing and eight TDs, but he hasn’t been quite as efficient through the air. The Tide has relied heavily on one receiver (Calvin Ridley) and Hurts struggled a bit with his accuracy down the stretch.
But, even though there’s been some grumbling from Alabama fans, it’s hard to complain about a quarterback who’s thrown only one interception all season and has a career record of 26-2 with a pair of championship game appearances.
“I think my overall game has improved,” Hurts said. “I think it’s helped this team.”