As the college football playoff is fast approaching, one thing is for certain: Georgia is now the quarterback capital of the country.
The game of football has seen a vast change over the years, as spread offenses become the norm. The game is faster, and quarterbacks are required to be quicker with their movements. The position requires confidence, quick decision-making, and the ability to lead the team. Georgia has just become ahead of the curve.
The amount of young quarterback talent is staggering in the NFL and at the college level, and the state of Georgia has been a trailblazer leading the way. One of the best young quarterbacks in the country is Deshaun Watson, who came up at Gainesville High School. He broke the majority of the state passing records, including passing yards (13,077) and touchdowns for a career (218). These accomplishments led him to Clemson, where he led the Tigers to their first national championship since 1981.
Since his time at Clemson, Watson has taken the NFL by storm and is one of the top MVP candidates of the 2019 season for the Houston Texans. Watson is well on his way to becoming one of the top passers in the NFL and has the Texans among the best teams in the AFC South every year.
Right behind him is the man who broke all of his high school state records. Cartersville High School’s Trevor Lawrence has taken Clemson by storm as well, finishing his freshman season with a national championship. He is one of the top quarterbacks in college football and will surely be a top pick in the NFL Draft when he is eligible in 2021.
He has some competition, as Houston County’s Jake Fromm, now at the University of Georgia, and Harrison’s Justin Fields, now at Ohio State, are also the top signal callers for some of the best teams in college football. Fields even beat out Lawrence in 2019, finishing fourth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Three quarterbacks, all from one state as the signal callers for top five teams. Fields and the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will battle for supremacy against Lawrence and the No. 3 Clemson Tigers. Fromm is on the outside looking in this year, as the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs take on the No. 7 Baylor Bears in the Sugar Bowl.
The talent pool isn’t slowing down by any means, either. Along with the three stars, Davis Mills at Stanford and Emory Jones at Florida have shown flashes of brilliance this season. Mills will take over as the full-time starter for the Cardinal next season while Jones operates as the wildcat quarterback, but will get his chance once Kyle Trask graduates next year. And the pipeline is still hot.
In a sport where the quarterback is the star, they shine brightest in the Peach State. I’m unsure of what has led to the renaissance of quarterbacks from Georgia, but I can say Deshaun Watson has led the way to creating the quarterback factory in the state. Two things are certain: The future is bright, and the future is Georgia.
