by Lilburn Nole for Chantrant

I’ll be honest from the start here, I don’t think who ends up starting at quarterback in 2013 will make a huge difference. The reason I say this is that I foresee this being a run-oriented team that isn’t going to require the QB to shoulder the load. However, as the “sexy” position and leader of the offense it will grab the most attention from the majority of Nole fans, myself included.

There are already some intriguing stories to consider heading into spring ball. First, Jacob Coker (RS Soph.) has been spotted on campus in a walking boot. There is little to no information on the severity of the injury so it could be a non-factor in his preparation for spring and ability to compete. Second, how much will a commitment to the baseball team prevent Jameis Winston (RS Fresh.) from being on the football field getting reps in his attempt to earn the starting QB job?

Spring opens with Clint Trickett (RS Jr.) as the #1 QB as he has spent the past two seasons as the backup to EJ Manuel. Trickett has an adequate arm, a bit of “gunslinger” mentality, is rumored to do a good job taking on a leadership role, and makes quick decisions. Having been in the system for 3 seasons and around the game all his life as a coaches son (his Dad is the OL coach), Trickett has an excellent grasp of the offense and could be an excellent game manager. He is the smallest and least athletic of the 3 QBs and has shown the tendency to force balls on occasion. Though he is far from a statue in the pocket, Trickett will not be a QB that uses his legs often and makes a defense respect the threat.

Jacob Coker has good size and athletic ability, but we don’t know much about him. He played in a predominantly run first offense in high school, though Coach Fisher was high on him. At 6’5″ 230 lbs he is just about how you would design a QB. Word from fall camp in 2012 was that Coker gave Trickett a pretty good battle to be the back up, so obviously there is not a huge gap in terms of the coaches confidence in Coker.

Jamies Winston is the highly sought after dual threat QB whose potential has Nole fans salivating. Winston has size, arm strength, and athleticism. He has only been in the system for the fall, however, and it will be interesting to see how he does in the mental aspect of the QB position. A valedictorian candidate in high school, Winston possess the intelligence required to grasp Fisher’s offense, though academic ability doesn’t always translate to the mental requirements on the football field. Winston certainly has the most potential of the three QBs, but as Bobby Bowden use to say, “Potential means you haven’t done anything yet.”