Sanford Stadium 2016Photo by Abby Hellmann
January 8, 2018. Georgia finished the season with just one loss and the SEC title trophy. The team played for the national championship and was just one play away from winning it all. They were one of the few teams led by a freshman quarterback and certainly the most successful. Jake Fromm didn't play like a freshman though. He looked so comfortable and poised. It was something that Georgia fans weren't really accustomed to because Jacob Eason seemed to always be just a little bit rattled.
Jake Fromm showed that he was one of the best quarterbacks in the country after an unexpected turn in the first game of the season. Starting quarterback Jacob Eason went down with a knee injury early in the opening minutes of the first game and was forced to miss multiple weeks because of it. In comes the freshman quarterback from Warner Robbins, GA, who everybody thinks is in over his head. He goes on to win that game and then an even tougher one on the road against an especially talented Notre Dame team the very next week.
There were always questions about his ability to take over a game by himself, but he was never really put in a position where he was asked to go out and win without help. The team around him was just that talented. This year is a bit different though. The defense lost the majority of its starters and two of the most dynamic running backs in the country have moved on to the NFL. This is where the questions start to arise. Is he just a typical "game manager?" "Is he a product of the system?"
Sanford Stadium 2018Photo by Sarah Callaghan
Another year brings another top quarterback recruit to UGA. But this one is a bit different. This is the top dual-threat QB recruit in the nation. It has been a long time since Georgia has seen a field general like this. His name is Justin Fields. Questions about Fromm's job security immediately arose with the commitment of Fields to the university. People practically talked a QB controversy into existence but both players handled the situation with the respect and poise that they should have.
Fields is often compared to Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and a former Auburn Tiger. Newton is a physical player who can affect the game both with his legs and through the air and that constantly keeps defenses on their feet. Fields is expected to do the same thing and during the first bursts of playing time in his you collegiate career, he has done just that.
Fromm and Fields bring vastly different skill sets to the game of football, and from the beginning of the season, there has been a gameplan designed to include both of them and play to their strengths. There isn't necessarily a concrete answer to the question: Which one? If one is struggling, play the other. If a change of pace is needed, make a substitution. Both players deserve a shot in every game. If you need an example, look at the way Clemson is handling a similar quarterback situation with Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence. Each player has sets that play to his specific strengths along with the strengths of the team.
Both players have a place on this team and both players can certainly help the team when called upon. It can really benefit a team as good as Georgia's to have two vastly different players at that position because it provides something that not many programs can say that they have: flexibility.
This season will be a true test for both players and an even bigger test for Kirby Smart for how he handles the situation. One wrong comment and one of them are liable to transfer. Kirby is walking a fine line with his quarterbacks but has been nothing short of spectacular while navigating through the dilemma.
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