Georgia Tech Spring Football Review: Quarterbacks
There has been a good amount of change on the Georgia Tech Football staff, especially on the offensive end. A new coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and running backs coach are going to try and turn the offense around. The main focus on this offense is going to be on the quarterbacks.
For the last two years, Jeff Sims has been the starter for the Yellow Jackets most of the time and it has been up and down. Last season, Sims played hurt and was not able to build on the good things that he did during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Sims came to the program as a heralded four-star recruit who stepped in to take the starting job immediately.
The first start for Sims earned Georgia Tech a surprising victory over Florida State, a game in which Sims showed his talent, but also his penchant for turning the ball over. It has been much of the same for Sims in his two years in Atlanta, but he is going to have a chance to take a step forward under new offensive coordinator Chip Long and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke.
The question for Sims this spring was how quickly he would pick up the new offense. The answer to that question is incomplete for now. There were things that Sims did that were good, but he also seemed to struggle with accuracy as well. Sims has not been the most accurate quarterback in two seasons, with a completion percentage of 55% his first year, but he did improve that number to 60% last fall.
Another thing that was interesting to watch in the game was how the offense was not operating exclusively out of shotgun. The Yellow Jackets were a shotgun formation-heavy team during the previous three seasons, but this spring there were more looks under center and more multiple tight end sets. Sims has talent but has to put it together this season, but adjusting to the offense will be a big key in doing so.
The other big question the quarterback position had this spring was who would be the backup quarterback. Jordan Yates was the other quarterback on the team and filled in some games during the 2021 season, but he is now in the transfer portal.
However, it seems that there won't be a lot of controversy for the backup quarterback position, although Georgia Tech coaches and fans did not get to see early enrolled Zach Pyron, as he was sidelined with a thumb injury for the game. Pyron is talented and one of the recruits from the 2022 class that enrolled early.
The guys that did take the backup snaps behind Sims were Brody Rhodes and Zach Gibson. Rhodes is a former preferred walk-on and Gibson is a transfer from Akron. Gibson is going to go into the season as the backup quarterback and is going to be a good insurance policy in case Sims were to get injured. Gibson looked like the better quarterback, as one would expect, and should be a solid backup this season.
Overall
Sims is going to be the unquestioned starter going into the 2022 season, as he is the most talented player on the offense. The quicker he learns the offense, the better, and he will need to take care of the football as well. There is not a lot of talent around Sims for the upcoming season and that could impede his progress as a quarterback, however. Overall, it was a solid spring for Sims, but not spectacular.
Gibson will be fine as the backup quarterback and he was Akron's best quarterback in 2021, so he has the experience, just not at the power-five level. Pyron is likely going to be the future at the position, with Rhodes as a career backup.
