Coaching Breakdown: Joey Labas
As of now, Joe Labas stands as the lone quarterback in Iowa football’s 2021 class.
247 Sports lists him as a four-star dual-threat quarterback and the 11th-best player at that position in the country.
As a junior with Brecksville-Broadview Heights (Ohio), Labas threw for 2,355 yards and 26 touchdowns, tossing just two interceptions. He completed 65% of his passes.
HawkeyeMaven caught up with Brecksville-Broadview Heights head coach/quarterback coach Martin Poder to break down Labas’ game.
The best mechanics his coach has ever seen
Poder raved about Labas’ mechanics.
“Mechanically-wise, his feet and his release are some of the best that I’ve coached or been around,” Poder told HawkeyeMaven. “He’s got great feet and his release is quick; it’s compact and it’s good. Everything mechanically is good.”
On film, Labas can place the ball nearly anywhere on the field. He’s just as consistent hitting out routes as he is floating a ball over a defender’s arms to a wideout sprinting downfield.
“His ball placement… you put your hands at a certain spot, it doesn’t matter where on the field, eight out of 10 times it’s going to hit,” Poder said. “He has a good knack of anticipating defenders. I use the term throwing kids open - he’s very good at that.”
His ability as a dual-threat quarterback
Watch some of Labas’ film, and it’s evident that he can move, both as a passer and as a runner. Originally listed as a pro-style signal caller, 247 Sports now lists Labas as a dual-threat quarterback.
Labas ran for 486 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior with Brecksville-Broadview Heights.
Right now, Poder said Labas is around 4.7 in the 40-yard dash, but he thinks that time will go down.
“He’s never done speed training,” Poder said. “I think that he can be a mid 4.6 kid with just technique in his 40… his best football is yet to come.”
Looking to improve his velocity
It’s hard to nit-pick Labas’ game, and rightfully so.
Poder said that the “last piece” in Labas’ game would be top-end velocity. As of now, it’s “above average” for high school, but he feels as though year-round quarterback work can improve that aspect.
“Coaching quarterbacks, if i had to put my mortgage up, I am very confident that the moment he’s not playing three-sports and in a year-round lifting program and can actually throw a football three-four times a week year-round, there’s no doubt (velocity) will be there,” Poder said.
Labas had to learn a new offense in high school
Prior to Labas’ sophomore season, Brecksville-Broadview Heights hired Poder to be the new head coach. Poder brought over a new system, and it just so happened Labas dealt with a fractured right hand for most of the season.
Labas wasn’t able to throw from then on out (Poder still used him at punter, though), so seeing his progression as a junior in the relatively new system was a huge plus.
“He had grown up in a four-wide, five-wide system,” Poder said. “Then I came in, and it’s very quarterback-centric. He had a lot on his plate. His only sophomore film was a preseason, a game, and a quarter of him trying to do everything. That’s why that junior year was such a big jump for him. He felt comfortable in the system.”
You can follow Adam Hensley on Twitter @A_Hens83.
