Florida State Spring Football Positional Preview: Quarterback
by Bud Elliott on Feb 19, 2010 8:00 AM EST
in FSU Football
89 comments
This is first in a 6-part series covering the position groups as Florida State begins Spring practice. Today we'll be looking at the quarterback position. Florida State only lost 1 starter from its record-setting 2009 offense. That lone starter was WR Rod Owens. The 'Noles also lost only 2 backups in Richard Goodman and Brandon Davis. Remarkably, FSU returns 11 of 12 starters and 10 of 12 reserves. With that returning depth, you might think that the Spring will be boring for the offense. Some off-season surgeries, however, will make things interesting and give the younger players a chance to step up and show their talent.
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| QB Coach Dameyune Craig |
Quarterback is the most important position on the field and Florida State has a history of having great quarterbacks. FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher is regarded as one of the top QB coaches in the country. He will continue to mentor the quarterbacks as head coach, but will also be joined by new quarterback coach Dameyune Craig. Craig played for Fisher at Auburn before coaching at South Alabama. He knows Coach Fisher's system. He also worked under Nick Saban for a year during Saban's brief stint with the Miami Dolphins. His bio is here. If Craig is anywhere near the QB coach Fisher is, FSU has a good one.
The 'Noles feature Christian Ponder. Before separating his shoulder against Clemson, Ponder was arguably playing better than any quarterback in the country. Ponder had shoulder surgery around Thanksgiving. He'll participate in Spring practice, but the clear goal for him will be to continue his rehab. His work will be very structured and limited as his focus is on being in top condition when Summer passing drills begin.
Backup E.J. Manuel is out for Spring after recently undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a very partial tear in his rotator cuff. The Gator Bowl MVP's procedure was done as a precautionary measure to clean out some debris. Manuel should be back for summer passing drills. Due to some bad luck last year (compound finger fracture), Manuel has not yet gone through a Spring practice.
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| Redshirt freshman quarterback Will Secord |
That leaves redshirt-freshman Will Secord as the backup quarterback. Secord is really a bit more than the backup for Spring, however, because of Ponder's limited work load. In case you don't follow recruiting, you should freshen up on the 6'3" 215 lb quarterback from Texas. Here's some film. He was rated a three-star prospect by all of the services. Rivals had him as the #32 pro-style QB, Scout as the #57 QB, and ESPN: #60 QB. Secord was heavily courted by Bobby Petrino of Arkansas. A prospect wanted by both Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino has to be pretty good. He's also the son of a coach. Secord spent his redshirt year learning the offense and refining his footwork.
The one major question here is that Secord if a lefty. How will this affect the offense? Will Fisher flip the plays for the southpaw? If he does, how will this affect the other players? Can the players adjust to the ball spinning a different way? Receivers sometimes have a tough time adjusting to that. If he doesn't, how will the non-change affect Secord? The main concern would be handoffs and progressions.
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| Freshman quarterback Clint Tricket |
The third quarterback (who is really like the #2 given the limited workload Ponder will receive) is freshman Clint Trickett. He is the son of Florida State Offensive Line Coach Rick Trickett. His brother Travis is on staff as well. Clint was probably the top quarterback prospect in the state this past year. He enrolled in January and is eligible to compete in Spring. Normally, I wouldn't expect a true freshman quarterback to do much in Spring, but Trickett has been around this team for almost 4 years and already has a good working knowledge of the offense. It will be very interesting to see how he reacts to the speed of the college game.
The Spring will serve as an excellent evaluation period for these young quarterbacks. It should also leave the pair with a taste in their mouth and wanting more. And while it would be optimal to have Ponder and Manuel fully healthy, this situation is better than last season, when the 'Noles had only Christian Ponder and two walk ons.
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i think trickett
will surpass secord
by fsufrenzy911 on Feb 19, 2010 8:06 AM EST via mobile reply actions
"With that returning depth, you might think that the Spring will be boring for the offense. Some off-season surgeries, however, will make things interesting and give the younger players a chance to step up and show their talent."
I’d guess that a chance to finally compete against a competent defense in practice will also make things interesting for the offense.
by Mr. Tito Carlos on Feb 19, 2010 8:33 AM EST reply actions
Lefty QB's
I’m a lefty and have always played QB. I have never had an issue with handoffs/option pitches in either direction or WR’s catching the ball with the opposite rotation.
The first time I throw a pass to them I usually get a comment about the spin but never hear anything about it after that initial reaction.
Aritcles like this....
get me pumped for football. Then I realize it’s only February and I die a little inside.
Maybe think of it this way
Based on the defense we saw on the field this past season, I want this off-season to last as long as possible in hopes that Stoops can turn it around.
That's true.
Hopefully he can work some magic with all the talent he’s got in place.
by Darkhorse99 on Feb 19, 2010 11:21 AM EST up reply actions
Great point
and ill drink too that!
Thank God for the men and women who stand tall in the night to protect this great country we love so much
by hntdeerliv4noles on Feb 19, 2010 5:50 PM EST up reply actions
Except you're more likely to kill yourself if you use a chainsaw.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
"But How will I know limits from lies, if I never try."
by geoffissiffoeg on Feb 19, 2010 9:34 AM EST up reply actions
As a lefty former pitcher
I go along with Bill “Space Man” Lee, former Red Sox pitcher, who said, “Since the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, only left handers are in their right mind.”
Don't group us with the gingers
Uncalled for.
by FloridaState on Feb 19, 2010 9:47 AM EST up reply actions
You forgot a ginger lefty!
" Fisher’s approach to building a winner is lifted from Saban’s playbook. Right down to the terminology such as becoming more "process oriented" as opposed to "results oriented."
" Nick and I are friends," he said. "That guy is one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around. God knows he’s brilliant. … A lot of the things he believes are a lot of things I believe. We’re very similar!
The process begins!
Do you shop at Ned Flanders Leftorium?
>-----:----:------>Spear 'em then Scalp 'em
by FrankDNole on Feb 19, 2010 11:34 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Ahh cue the "fill in the blank QB" will be better than so and so and will unseat the starter
I love these position analysis articles but I hate that they bring out the guys that always tout the backup or bench players as the best that will ever walk the FSU campus without throwing one pass. Hopefully this one will not digress into that arena
BTW: Thanks again FSUncensored for taking time out of that little thing you are doing called making a career and a future and giving us football junkies our much needed fix in this dead time. Godspeed to you in law school.
Go Noles!
Thanks also FSUn
Secord might be a lot better than many of us here think.
I have seen tape of Tricket and I thought he looked good – and I came at this issue thru Sexton colored glasses -that it is never a good idea to have the coaches kid as the starter.
How did other scouts rank Tricket in the state?- we have heard Jimbo say he was the best in the state- did any scouts who aren’t friends with Tricket’s dad agree?
Daryl Sexton??!?!??!!
I think you mean Billy Sexton, right?
TWSS.......
Thank God for the men and women who stand tall in the night to protect this great country we love so much
by hntdeerliv4noles on Feb 19, 2010 5:51 PM EST up reply actions
I believe rivals/espn/scout had him as #1
by Bud Elliott on Feb 19, 2010 11:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
rivals doesn’t have him listed as a top 50 drop back QB – and there are three FL QBs listed – hard to think he is the #1 in Fl based on that
Burton from Venice
was being touted as the next Timmah - saw him on tv a couple times and although I am not a scout, he didn’t leave me thinking he was their future - can only hope he is!
by Cigar City Nole on Feb 19, 2010 9:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You are basing that comment on the Sexton experience alone.
Just because the kid got some top level sh*t from Janikowski that he couldn’t handle (speculative and a joke) doesn’t mean he was a bad quarterback. Of course my opinion may be swayed by the fact that I was so happy to see somone under center that did not have Rix stitched on the back of their jersey. Being a Rix fan was like being a Favre fan – you loved him, you hated him, you wondered if his career was ever going to end.
"Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." - John C. Maxwell
Sexton Antics
During the summer after the season when Wyatt started a few games, before the “Lyme” disease story, he tried to convince me that my neighbor’s dog (my neighbor didn’t have a dog) gave him a chocolate bar to for me to eat, he was totally serious, he then produced this melted Hershey’s bar from his pocket. That was the most reasonable thing he said during the visit then drove out of the neighbor in reverse. Regardless he was still a better person than Rix
by NationWideNole on Feb 19, 2010 3:29 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Honestly
is there any chance Secord ever sees the field at FSU? Besides his footwork he also has a throwing motion problem. Any word on whether that has been worked out? Clint just needs size and time to adjust to the college game and 2-3 years down the road I don’t see how Secord beats out a bigger stronger Trickett. Add in the fact we will score some good recruits along the way and Secord’s playing time is limited.
Striker: "Surely you can't be serious!" Rumack: "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley."
Manuel had a throwin motion problem as well.
How quickly we forget abouut 1 3-star to favor another.
by Bud Elliott on Feb 19, 2010 11:33 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
yeah yeah I know
still lefty’s present a whole new set of problems. And Manuel still has some rough edges albeit he is a lot smoother. Also with Trickett practically living with the team since Spring Showtime last year and his film room devotion I just don’t see how he doesn’t pass Secord when he bulks up in a few years.
Striker: "Surely you can't be serious!" Rumack: "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley."
Peronally, I don’t think either Tricket or Secord were brought in to be starters – I think next year we sign a big name recruit – who will be starting after E J. – not that these guys couldn’t be solid – after Ponder’s improvement – I believe Fisher could even make me a starter for the Noles – well maybe not me…
Hopefully we recruited them as potential starters.
I understand that not all kids are superstars, but this isn’t the NFL. There isn’t room for excess baggage for a just in case scenario. We’re all well aware that each of these kids could see PT if, God forbid, Ponder and Manuel are hurt. I agree with you, 93, that Fisher could make anybody look good though. I doubt anyone hear ever believed Ponder would be a heisman contender when he was first recruited.
by Darkhorse99 on Feb 19, 2010 11:29 AM EST up reply actions
Let's all remember, Ponder was not brought in to be a starter.
Ponder was a roster filler and look at him now. I have high hopes for any recruit we bring in now due to the fact that he will recieve excellent coaching.
by diablonole on Feb 19, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Nice faith...but not everyone is as smart as Ponder. ;)
"I am not now at all sure that the tendency to treat the whole thing as a kind of vast game is really good - certainly not for me who find that kind of thing only too fatally attractive." - J R R Tolkein
hopefully it will either be
marshall or lemay
by fsufrenzy911 on Feb 20, 2010 11:14 AM EST up reply actions
So, how does one pronounce Dameyune?
Is it like Damien, just spelled differently?
I’d like to see the footage on Secord, but I couldn’t seem to make that link work out. Anyone know an alternate site?
From what we saw this season, it seems that Jimbo does an outstanding job of developing QBs and developing game plans that work for them. The Gator Bowl was a stunning example. I’ll bet that both Secord and Trickett develop into capable players over time. Probably one of them won’t see a lot of playing time, but at least we won’t be cringing at the thought of them entering the game.
preferred walk-on Ryan Becker also will be transferring to the University of Pennsylvania
SCALP 'EM SEMINOLES!
Becker Transferring?
I was wondering about what his role would be in the spring, with CP & EJ out. Becker is a good kid from the Saint Thomas football factory and I was hoping to see him in the spring game. Do you know if he got a scholarship? Can’t blame a kid for going to U Penn
by NationWideNole on Feb 19, 2010 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
I don't know this for fact,
but my understanding is that most, if not all, Ivy League schools don’t offer athletic scholarships. Of course, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t offered some form of scholarship, but I’d expect that he didn’t get an athletic scholarship from Penn.
Re-reading your question though, perhaps your question is was he offered a scholarship at FSU— I don’t know.
by IndyFSUnole on Feb 19, 2010 11:52 AM EST up reply actions
Becker:
I was asking if he got a scholarship from U Penn, I figured he wouldn’t get one from us. I’m from Ft. Lauderdale and a fan of STA and was hoping Becker would stick around, but if anyone could get a scholarship or even a partial one, to attend a top five school in the country they should do that without question.
by NationWideNole on Feb 19, 2010 12:03 PM EST up reply actions
Ivy League schools don't give athletic scholarships, correct.
They still give full rides. They give football players “academic” scholarships. I knew a guy that was 5’11 as well that got an “academic” scholarship to Columbia. He quit the football team, and the school was still liable to pay for his schooling because it is an academic scholarship instead of an athletic one.
I can’t comment if it was a full ride, but do expect for him to compete for a starting job at Penn.
SCALP 'EM SEMINOLES!
you are both right – there are no athletic scholarships in the Ivy league – but take a look at how many of their players are on scholarships compared to their entire undergraduate students who are and you start to see a picture – I had a classmate who – was really smart – and played baseball for Yale- guess if he got a scholarship – and by the way his dad was a disney executive in Orlando – so there was no “need”
Becker is transferring to UPenn
He was accepted into UPenn last year and from what I understood he was planning on attending there but he ultimately decided to come to FSU to explore his options as a possible starter. Since he’s not going to get the starting job, he’s going to UPenn. My cousin just graduated from there this year as a football player, and from what he told me, you receive things called “leadership grants” as scholarships. These grants are not always enough though to cover the cost of school, and I also heard that this is a potential reason why Becker didn’t immediately go to UPenn, although I don’t necessarily think this rumor is true. Regardless, I respect the hell out of the guy. He tried to explore his potential as D-I quarterback and is now “falling back” on a at least partially paid for Ivy League education. Good luck to him.
"What's yo' glutes?"
- LaMarcus Joyner, to a pilates instructor at STA summer conditioning
by STAquinasNole on Mar 11, 2010 3:10 AM EST up reply actions
You guys amaze me
Great stuff and once again I ask, has anyone seen Secord throw the ball and how does he look? Like they say I would not underestimate a quarterback both Fisher and Petrino were after.
I don’t think Fisher would recruit a quarterback he did not think could be a major player on a D-1 football team. It would be a waste of time on his and the player’s end. Secord’s dad is a coach and realized also Will would get the best training affordable to a college quarterback bar none. If he never starts for FSU, and that is not out of the question, he will still have the development to possibly succeed at the next level. If you don’t think that matters talk to Brad Johnson who never started at FSU.
" Fisher’s approach to building a winner is lifted from Saban’s playbook. Right down to the terminology such as becoming more "process oriented" as opposed to "results oriented."
" Nick and I are friends," he said. "That guy is one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around. God knows he’s brilliant. … A lot of the things he believes are a lot of things I believe. We’re very similar!
The process begins!
I believe that Johnson did start...
For about half a year before he was replaced by Weldon.
He did ...lost his starting job after a poor outing against Miami
And I thought BB should have left him in against UF when he came of the bench and scored a 3rd down when Casy Weldon got banged up against the Gators. He was sharp and Casey was woozy and punch drunk.
"I am not now at all sure that the tendency to treat the whole thing as a kind of vast game is really good - certainly not for me who find that kind of thing only too fatally attractive." - J R R Tolkein
oops a first on a 3rd and long.
"I am not now at all sure that the tendency to treat the whole thing as a kind of vast game is really good - certainly not for me who find that kind of thing only too fatally attractive." - J R R Tolkein
EJ missed a great opportunity
when Ponder was injured, EJ was able to go 3 and 1 with the only loss being against the Gators. I don’t think CP7 would have faired much better in that one. He played with great confidence in the bowl game and looked like he had an unlimited upside. IMO he looked a lot better at the end of this season than Ponder looked at the end of last season. If he could have gone through spring, he would have made a real charge to be the starter. Hopefully his shoulder gets 100% and he can make the most of it when he gets the call. Hopefully CP7 can show as much impovement this spring as he did last. We should be in great shape at QB then.
He is missing some opportunity to learn by doing- but he’ll still pick things up in the film room, in meetings, listening to Jimbo and Ponder, etc. Plus, with a shoulder injury, he can still work 90% of his footwork.
All in all, better to get it taken care of now and miss a spring than it would be to let it linger and possibly have a huge issue in the fall if Ponder goes down and EJ’s shoulder gets dinged. Remember, the longer he messes around with it this summer, the more scar tissue and compensation injuries build up, and it could get significantly worse.
My only issue with Manuel’s surgery is why it took them so long to get it done. I understand wanting him to be on campus for rehab and all that, but why not have it done that first Friday of the semester? Were they hoping that some time/rehab would heal it?
"I think so, Brain, but how are we going to get the bacon flavoring into the pencils?"
EJ's shoulder surgery: I raised the same issue
early on and was accused of practicing medicine and knowing more than the surgeon. I don’t think it’s wrong to question why we waited so long to get EJ the surgery we knew for a long time he needed. I guess our opinions, when it comes to questioning anything ’medical," are off limits.
He could have had it and missed the season
and we would not have had a capable backup for Ponder. They wanted to see what it did with some rest. When it got worse after the year, he had the surgery.
EJ Manuel was *NEVER* a threat to CP7's starting job.
No matter what, period………………end of story.
Oderint Dum Metuant
Ponder 2008 ≠ Ponder 2009
EJ was never a serious threat to take over the starting job for 2010. Doesn’t have the accuracy and arm strength Ponder has, at this point.
EJ works fine in our system, but he hasn’t, at least in my opinion, demonstrated a capacity to carry the team and win games. Ponder won, or at least gave us a shot at winning, games we probably shouldn’t have won or even kept it close in.
by Drew J Jones on Feb 20, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions
Ponder should by all rights be the leader for the Hieman next year...if we can find some semblance of a defense
"I am not now at all sure that the tendency to treat the whole thing as a kind of vast game is really good - certainly not for me who find that kind of thing only too fatally attractive." - J R R Tolkein
anyone think Dameyune Craig looks like
Ahmad Rashad in that photo?
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