Garrick McGee Details Gators QB Emory Jones' Fall Development
It isn't only Emory Jones standing in the limelight as the Florida Gators replace a star quarterback in Kyle Trask this season.
New quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee bears as much if not more responsibility in ensuring UF's performance in the passing game keeps its dropoff to a minimum, inheriting the position after former Gators offensive coordinator Brian Johnson jumped to the NFL in January.
Working together as a team, McGee has offered Jones all the knowledge of the quarterback position that he has, as the rising redshirt junior is set to make his starting debut against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 4. And Jones has absorbed that information.
”His footwork. His understanding of the passing game. The ability to throw the type of ball that he needs at the right time. Understanding angles and how defenders are dropping and what their shoulders are telling him. Getting pre-snap reads of the defense and then making post-snap decisions based on what happened once you get the ball," McGee explained on Wednesday, listing off the areas of growth he's seen from Jones this fall.
"That’s what I would say."
Jones has displayed plenty of physical talent over his first three seasons with the Gators, posting 613 passing yards and seven touchdowns on a completion percentage of 64% and adding 516 yards and six scores on the ground.
McGee understands what he has to work with when it comes to Jones' athletic skill-set. By the sounds of it, Jones' offseason development with McGee has been all about the mental and technique side of the game.
"I think from spring ball to now he understands the details of our offense and he has an understanding of defensive structure," McGee said. "And I think he’s growing because he’s starting to understand the timing and how the angles work when you’re trying to move the ball down the field.”
Now, it's up to Jones to pair his physical talent and mental development to lead the Gators in a new direction following Trask's departure to the pros. Replacing a Heisman finalist is no easy feat, but that doesn't mean the expectations, outside and in-house, aren't high for Jones.
In fact, if he pans out the way that McGee envisions, Jones' new quarterback coach believes he'll be in the conversation of the nation's best quarterbacks when the year comes to a close.
“I think he can be one of those guys that we’re reading and talking about at the end of the season ... If he continues to show up with a great attitude and continues to prepare like he’s preparing, he can lead our team," McGee stated.
"We have high expectations. When you’re the quarterback at Florida and have high expectations like we do, he’ll be a guy that we’re talking about towards the end of the season.”
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