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Georgia Tech Football: The Jackets quarterback situation post spring game

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: A general view of Bobby Dodd Stadium during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 30, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 30: A general view of Bobby Dodd Stadium during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on November 30, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech’s quarterback picture is starting to look clearer following last Friday’s spring game.

Last Friday night, the Georgia Tech football program had their first spring game of the Geoff Collins era. One of the focuses of spring camp along with the spring game itself was the quarterback battle, the Jackets looking to replace two-year starter TaQuon Marshall.

The Jackets had three quarterbacks this spring battling for the starting job and with it, a good ole’ fashion quarterback battle. That being said, if last Friday’s spring game was anything like the Jackets coaching staff has seen this spring, the coaching staff’s decision may be deciding itself.

Lucas Johnson:

Johnson has to be the odds on favorite at this point after having an absolutely tremendous spring game performance. Johnson in the spring game showed off his arm strength and accuracy. The San Diego, California native was a pocket passer coming out of high school, so being the purest passer in the Jackets quarterback room isn’t shocking.

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During the game, Johnson completed 12-of-16 passing attempts in the game for 87-yards and one touchdown. It was by far the best passing performance of any of the quarterbacks in the game.

Johnson may not be much of a rusher but he won’t be expected to be so in the Jackets new offense. If Johnson plays as he did on Friday, this upcoming season, the Jackets offense will be just fine.

Tobias Oliver:

Oliver played a ton of last season as TaQuon Marshall battled a few injuries last season. Overall, Oliver looked set to be a good quarterback in Paul Johnson’s triple-option offense but his deficiencies in the passing game put him back Johnson in this spring quarterback battle.

To make things worse for Oliver, he wasn’t able to play in the spring game because of what appeared to be a shoulder injury as he was seen in a sling. It would be interesting to see where Oliver sits in the picture this upcoming fall. It’s also worth noting that Oliver was seen playing some nickel back this spring as well.

James Graham:

Graham is the biggest question mark on the roster right now for the Yellow Jackets. Last season, Graham played sparingly and then was suspended for the bowl game due to academic issues. While he does have a great combination of athleticism and does have some quality potential at quarterback, we just haven’t been able to see him show off that potential just yet.

With Jordan Yates entering the fold this summer, it will be interesting to see where Yates and Graham stack up against each other this summer and fall. It wouldn’t be shocking to see one of Oliver or Graham make a position switch in the upcoming months or even next spring.

Overall:

Entering this summer, we would have to say that Lucas Johnson has a pretty strong lead on the rest of the quarterback room while Tobias Oliver and James Graham will battle it out for the No.2 and No.3 spots. If the Jackets don’t have to use incoming freshman Jordan Yates this upcoming season, they would probably prefer not to and allow him to redshirt.