blackvern
All-ACC
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“Me and Jarren have been talking throughout fall camp, about what’s going on, how is practice. And he anticipated prior to the (second fall) scrimmage that he’d get the starting job just how things were playing out.”
Of what Williams did to win the job, Avery said, "He just thought it was about being consistent. And for him that’s the biggest difference between this year and last year. He got to understand what’s needed as a college quarterback this year so he can constantly do everything that was asked of him. That was his biggest thing, he wanted to be as steady as anyone and that the coaches would know what they’d consistently get out of him.”
Avery spent spring break and a decent chunk of the summer working with Williams back in Georgia, and he said during those periods “Our big thing was just being consistent with our footwork because that leads to a lot of success for Jarren. Jarren has come such a long way. He’s one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever had the opportunity to be around. He’s always been a tremendous athlete, but he’s really, really mindful of coaching tips and tactics. He learns so quickly.”
Avery, a QB guru who has worked with numerous top quarterbacks including the likes of Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields, was asked to compare Williams to a current college or pro QB.
He couldn’t think of one in particular, but sees Williams as a combination of two different guys.
“He’s very athletic, so I would say as a runner he’s in terms of a Deshaun (Watson),” Avery said. “He won’t blow you away with the measurables, but he’s very elusive, will be able to gain a lot of yards, move around in the pocket.
“Passing wise? To me he’s a more talented version of Dak Prescott throwing the football.”
A year ago, of course, Williams only saw limited backup action in the Savannah State game even though he could have played three more games and maintained his redshirt.
“Jarren has always been able to throw well, the progress he made (from last year) is just being more mature, being a leader, doing all the things expected of him, just being in the classroom, being a student of the game,” Avery said. “Not that he didn’t love football, but it’s hard as a freshman. Last year he had a lot going on.”
Todd Wofford-Jarrens High school coach
Todd Wofford, who coached Williams as a junior and senior, and Williams’ personal QB coach Quincy Avery.
“I’m not surprised because I know everything he brings to the table,” “The only disappointment I ever had was that he didn’t get a legit opportunity last year. That got a lot of people questioning his abilities and whatnot which shouldn’t have happened. But everything happens for a reason.”
Wofford, who has remained in regular contact with Williams ever since he graduated, added “I respect coach (Mark) Richt for a long time, his philosophy sometimes is you don’t want to send someone out there too early. These days Manny (Diaz) is just putting the best talent out there. “The frustrating thing for Jarren and myself, the way the position was going [with uneven play from Perry and Malik Rosier] and they had the new rule of four games (in which to play and still redshirt), that was the biggest frustration. He knew he had the talent but wasn’t given a chance.
At one point last year the rumor was Williams was considering transferring.
“Jarren wasn’t going to transfer,” Wofford said. “I had schools all over the country checking to see what he was going to do. Top 5 teams in the country were checking to see what he’d do. And he wasn’t going anywhere because that’s the type of kid he is. He’s a competitor. That’s not him, to give up. He believes in his talent.”
Wofford reached out to Williams after the decision was made and weighed in that “He’s excited, obviously. It was a deal where as a kid you hear all these critics try to explain the situation from last year. He said `Coach, thanks for believing in me.’ I told him `Thank yourself.’ He bet on himself.”
So what can Cane fans expect to see from Williams in the opener vs. the Gators?
“You can’t see somebody’s drive, but they’ll see a kid that is very well polished in the pass game, incredibly accurate to the point where for the two years he played for me, he threw well over 600 passes and threw eight interceptions - I forgot what interceptions were, he just protects the ball like that,” Wofford said. “And something that will surprise people is how athletic he is running the ball. He plays in the pocket well, but people will be shocked at him running because they think of him as just a pocket guy. He can really, really move.” Avery weighs in that against UF “You’re going to see somebody who is very, very, very prepared. You’ll see him make quick decisions and when things break down he’ll be able to do much more with his legs than I think people are aware of.
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