Georgia Tech Football Fall Camp Preview: Quarterbacks
The quarterback position for Georgia Tech is going to be under a microscope heading into fall camp in 2022. Incumbent starter Jeff Sims is the favorite to start again, but for the first time since he has been at Tech, he is going to have to fend off competitors in fall camp.
One thing that all of the quarterbacks will have this season is a full-time quarterback coach. Former Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke were brought in to help coach up the quarterbacks and get the most out of them in 2022. He has coached quarterbacks at the NFL and college level and head coach Geoff Collins is hoping Weinke could be the missing piece to help the quarterbacks progress and reach a new level.
Georgia Tech Quarterback Jeff Sims
Sims has shown flashes of being a high-end quarterback while playing for Georgia Tech, but it is not often enough. Consistency and turnovers have plagued Sims since his freshman season in 2020 and Weinke is being brought in to help fix both of those.
Not only is Sims gonna have a new quarterbacks coach, but a new offensive coordinator as well. Collins brought in Chip Long to be the new offensive coordinator at Tech and he has previous play-calling duties at Memphis, Notre Dame, and most recently, Tulane.
Long emphasizes the running game and using multiple tight ends in the passing game. I think that Sims could also see more opportunities in the running game with Long as the OC as well. Sims has some intriguing skill position players to get the ball too and it will be on him to bring more consistency and playmaking to the position in 2022.
With star running back Jahmyr Gibbs transferring to Alabama, Sims is going to have to carry more of the load on offense. Gibbs bailed out Georgia Tech's offense several times last year, but Sims does not have that luxury anymore.
Georgia Tech Quarterback Zach Gibson
Zach Gibson, Georgia Tech. Source: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
After the 2021 season, the Georgia Tech staff looked to add competition and push Sims for the job and give them legitimate quarterback depth. Akron transfer Zach Gibson is back in Atlanta now after throwing for nearly 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns for the Zips last season. Gibson played at Alpharetta High School and is looking forward to coming back home to play for the Yellow Jackets.
Gibson seems to have improved in key areas over the pass couple of seasons, like increasing his completion percentage and passer rating last season. I think if either quarterback is going to push Sims for the starting job in 2022, it is going to be Gibson.
Georgia Tech quarterback Taisun Phommachanh
Taisun Phommachanh, Georgia Tech. Source: JOSH MORGAN/Staff via Imagn Content Services, LLC
The other quarterback that was brought in was Clemson transfer Taisun Phommachanh. A former four-star dual-threat recruit coming out of high school, Phommachanh did not get many opportunities at Clemson and is a bit of a question mark heading into fall camp. He is gifted as a runner and could be used in different packages in this offense. How Phommachanh looks when fall camp starts is one of the things that I am intrigued by with this quarterback room.
Overview
Sims is going to be the guy to beat heading into fall camp. Despite his inconsistencies, he is the most talented quarterback in the room. Having a better offensive coordinator in Long and a quarterbacks coach like Weinke are going to make Sims a better quarterback I believe. If he can stay healthy and cut down on the turnovers, this could be Sim's best season yet. He has to prove it in fall camp and in the season though and he is going to have a lot of pressure on him this season.
If either Sims can't stay healthy or his play does not improve enough, Gibson or Phommachanh are waiting in the wings. This is the first time that there is quarterback depth under Collins and that is important.
I am eager to see how Sims looks this season because he could be the key to Georgia Tech finally improving their record under Collins. The tools are all there, but he has to put it all together.
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