zipsoutsider Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 With our recent additions and Tommy's nagging injury, it appears as though we might be heading for a QB competition. Here are the contenders: Tommy Woodson (Sr) (6'1") led Zips to first bowl win, played very well until injury vs App State. Kato Nelson (R-Fr) (6' 1") 3 star recruit, highly sought after by G5 schools Clayton Uecker ( 2 yrs of eligibility left, sat out 2016) 6' 5",good stats before he transferred Alex Ramart - (Fr) (6' 4") Nick Johns (6' 4" Jr) former 3 star recruit to Virignia, left for JUCO, available for spring football All but Ramart (unless he is able to enroll early), will be available for spring football. If Ramart is unable to enroll early, he won't be part of the 2017 battle, from my perspective. Summer camp is way to too short to properly acclimate a new QB, unless they are extraordinary. I would say that a lot of the battle will be determined by how healthy Tommy is. I think even if he is 100%, the coaches will be interested in competition and getting a solid 3 deep rotation ready. The reports of Nelson from summer camp were very good, so I will be interested to watch him throw at spring ball. I am not sure how realistic Uecker is - I can't compare from film and the level of competition is also pretty tough to compare. I really do hope Tommy returns, strong and healthy and that a competition pushes him harder and prepares a couple of back-ups. We have been very successful with Tommy and he is talented enough to take us to a MAC championship, should the rest of the team develop to that level. I don't see Bowden opting for a longer term pick, like Nelson, if Tommy is healthy. The program needs to win this year. If Tommy isn't better, TB may opt for a more experienced player like Johns or Uecker (if he is any good) and begin working Nelson into game situations. It might the type of situation where we run with 2 QBs for the first part of the season. We open at Penn State and with the way they developed this season, I would not want to see Nelson face them as his first opponent. Notably absent from the list is Tra'von Chapman. I don't see him back under center, unless it is run a wildcat in short yardage or for a trick play. I think it can be fairly argued that he is not able to keep up with the pace of D1 football under center. The wildcard would be 5th year transfer from a P5 school, but that would need to materialize right away as I don't see us playing a transfer who has not been to spring football unless it is a huge catch. Quote
zzx Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 in 2015 Woodson established himself as a dual threat QB when he rushed for a respectable 603 yards on the season. I wonder why through the first four games in 2016 he managed to rush for only 4 positive yards: 13 yards vs. VMI - 13 yards vs. Wisconsin - 2 yards vs. Marshall 6 yards vs. Appalachian State He seemed to lose the mobility he displayed in 2015. Even Tyrell Goodman ended up the season with more rushing yards than Woodson. Quote
Dr Z Posted January 3, 2017 Report Posted January 3, 2017 1 hour ago, zzx said: I wonder why... IMO, Woodson became more of an experienced passer, and didn't have to rely on running. The lack of his called running plays was related to his injured shoulder. If healthy, I would be a little surprised if he were not the starter for the PSU game. It's great to have some real competition at the position though. Hopefully the overall depth at the position will improve dramatically. Quote
zipsoutsider Posted January 3, 2017 Author Report Posted January 3, 2017 2 hours ago, zzx said: in 2015 Woodson established himself as a dual threat QB when he rushed for a respectable 603 yards on the season. I wonder why through the first four games in 2016 he managed to rush for only 4 positive yards: He seemed to lose the mobility he displayed in 2015. Even Tyrell Goodman ended up the season with more rushing yards than Woodson. 46 minutes ago, Dr Z said: IMO, Woodson became more of an experienced passer, and didn't have to rely on running. The lack of his called running plays was related to his injured shoulder. If healthy, I would be a little surprised if he were not the starter for the PSU game. It's great to have some real competition at the position though. Hopefully the overall depth at the position will improve dramatically. I had the same question about his rushing attempts and also decided it was because he became a more experienced passer. I also think our 2016 line provided better protection. I did wonder if he were to have rushed it a few more times if it would have opened up the pass a little more. I think it would have been a little foolish for him to rush against Wisconsin and there simply wasn't a need against App State or Marshall as they did not come close to shutting down our pass game. Like you said, after App State, he was nursing the injury and it would not seem wise to unnecessarily expose him to further injury to that shoulder. Quote
Bigmexicanwoman Posted January 30, 2017 Report Posted January 30, 2017 With the new gunslingers in town, the Sheriff better be mentally tough and check his emotions - if he wants to keep his job. Quote
72 Roo Posted January 30, 2017 Report Posted January 30, 2017 Damn right. Let's get some competition at the QB position. TW has more to give and he is capable of outstanding play. If he wants to coast I hope other guys take advantage. Quote
zipsoutsider Posted January 30, 2017 Author Report Posted January 30, 2017 9 minutes ago, 72 Roo said: Damn right. Let's get some competition at the QB position. TW has more to give and he is capable of outstanding play. If he wants to coast I hope other guys take advantage. I saw a pretty big rise in the level of his play from 2015 to 2016, before the injury. I hope he is as focused during this off-season. Quote
zipsoutsider Posted February 1, 2017 Author Report Posted February 1, 2017 In case you missed it from signing day presser, Woody had surgery (did not disclose type) and won't be able to practice until at least June. Johns and Nelson are the leading contenders to compete for starting job. Quote
kreed5120 Posted February 1, 2017 Report Posted February 1, 2017 8 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said: Woody had surgery (did not disclose type) and won't be able to practice until at least June. Quote
94zipgrad Posted February 1, 2017 Report Posted February 1, 2017 Posted he had surgery On 1/26/2017 at 3:59 PM, zippy5 said: None of the 4 road MAC games are gimmies I don't think any of them are gimmes Offense we had starting QB & RB injuries 2/3 of WR core turn over, lost best OL defense whole d line got hurt for most part, may have lost a LB & both corners good news, Woodson should return healthy after surgery, looks like Ball is gonna get another year & will see if anyone steps up at WR (IMO Chapman becomes slot with all new QB's) hopefully Boxen returns strong, need some D-lineman to step up & I think we have a better LB coming in this year from Pitt after sitting last year & maybe move Davis to a CB as safeties should be ok with everyone healthy we we have a lot of work to do Quote
UAZippers Posted February 1, 2017 Report Posted February 1, 2017 Bowden just said on Joe Dunn's show that Chapman has been moved to wide receiver. Not a surprise, but it is nice that it is official. Quote
ZachTheZip Posted February 1, 2017 Report Posted February 1, 2017 14 minutes ago, UAZippers said: Bowden just said on Joe Dunn's show that Chapman has been moved to wide receiver. Not a surprise, but it is nice that it is official. His athleticism will get a chance to shine. Quote
zipsoutsider Posted February 1, 2017 Author Report Posted February 1, 2017 It sounds like the expectation is for Ramart to RS, but it also sounds like he has a tremendous amount of talent. Good luck to all of these QBs! 1 Quote
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