Who Will be Georgia Tech's Backup QB? Chris Weinke Gives the Latest on Grady Adamson and Graham Knowles Development

There is no doubt about who is going to be the starting quarterback for Georgia Tech this season, as Alberto Mendoza won the job back in the spring and has continued his progression during fall camp. When you are entering the year with an unproven quarterback who has not made a college start, it is good to have a good backup in case the starter either gets injured or does not pan out.

The Yellow Jackets' entire quarterback room is inexperienced, with only Graham Knowles seeing some slight action last season, and both he and Grady Adamson are locked into a battle for the spot behind Mendoza.

While nothing is set in stone yet, QB coach and co-offensive coordinator Chris Weinke is pleased with the development of the two quarterbacks, though he did not say which player would be the backup to start the season:

“Yeah, the unique thing about our room is everybody's different. They're all a little bit different ages. You can talk about guys that have been here for a year or two, okay, that were in another offense. Now they've got to. Start all over again, right? So very proud of the way those guys are working, right? They are different styles, right? I think when you look at those guys, you look at Graham and Cole, okay, and Grady, like. They all bring a little bit different something to the table.

So that's our job as coaches that, hey, if one of those guys are playing, okay, it's our job to make sure that the game plan fits what they do best. And they've all done a great job. Listen, they've all had days where they've done really well, and they've all had days where they struggled. That's like any quarterback at any level. But they come in with the right mindset, the right attitude. They make the corrections. We've had a very productive camp.”

Who emerges?

With experience not being a factor in this quarterback battle, it will be interesting to see who seperates themselves from the pack. Adamson has an underrated arm and ability to make tough throws, while also possessing mobility and athleticism as well.

Knowles has been around the program the longest, as this is his third year being coached by Weinke and he possesses the kind of size and arm strength that coaches and coordinators love at the position.

Both players are learning a new offense though and that can bring a lot of challenges, especially when an offense is as in-depth as George Godsey's is. Weinke has been proud of the progress that Knowles and Adamson have made though and thinks they have had a great week or so of camp:

“I think what is really different for us is for them to be able to operate at a high level, you've got to be able to absorb the information, right? And then you have to be a functional thinker. So as you're learning a new language, right, we don't speak it fluently after day two, or after day three or after week two, right. So they've become more comfortable speaking that language. Last week I've really seen the biggest jump of them being able to call the play in the huddle get out operate okay and all the little nuances that come with it. They've been on an upward trajectory, especially within the last week. Going back to what you said, I've been there, right? Try to learn a new offense, man, and you're just struggling. Physically, you're slower, right? You can't operate as fast as you want to. I'm seeing the light come on. I'm very proud of those two.”

A lot of the focus has understandably gone on Mendoza throughout the offseason and into camp, but whoever wins the backup job is going to be next in line and injuries are a part of the game. Keep an eye on who performs the best and who is named the backup behind the Indiana transfer.

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