The LSU Quarterback Conundrum
How in the world did LSU’s quarterback situation get in such a muddled mess? More to the point, will things get un-muddled by the time the Tigers open the 2015 season Sept. 5 against the McNeese Cowboys?
The answers will come in August when LSU coach Les Miles opens what will surely be an interesting preseason camp, as once again most of the media glare and attention will be on the troubled quarterback position.
The Tigers came out of spring practice with the same two young guns battling for playing time as during the 2014 season. The two were junior-to-be starting quarterback Anthony Jennings and sophomore Brandon Harris.
Jennings and Harris combined to form one of the worst passing games in the history of LSU football and an air attack that ranked as one of the lowest among all FBS schools in 2014.
Miles stayed on point all spring saying only his two quarterbacks were showing marked improvements and he felt good about either one being the starting QB for the new season.
With no one else to choose from and little to no hope of luring a ready-to-start transfer (Notre Dame’s Everett Golson opted to transfer to Florida State and Ohio State’s Braxton Miller seems to be staying put in Columbus for now), what else was Miles to say?
What was supposed to be a quiet summer of off-season personal workouts and film study took a turn out of the Jordan Jefferson book of boneheaded decisions.
Jennings became the third LSU quarterback since 2007 (Jefferson and Ryan Perrilloux being the other two) to be either arrested, charged or implicated in illegal activities by law enforcement authorities.
As you know by now, police charged Jennings along with teammates defensive back Dwayne Thomas and defensive lineman Maquedius Bain with unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling. They allege the three players, along with three others, entered the on-campus apartment of Nicholas Anderson on June 12. The police report says Thomas broke through the door to Anderson’s bedroom and took three pairs of shoes valued at over $500 (what college student buys sneakers at over $200 a piece anyway?) and a PlayStation.
Witness and roommate Zeadrick Williams identified Jennings, Bain and Thomas and they were brought in by Baton Rouge police soon thereafter.
Miles got another one of those late night calls he must dread. I’m just wondering if he has Baton Rouge police and the parish sheriff’s office numbers in his cell phone.
After posting bond ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 (Thomas had the higher bond) Jennings became the latest LSU quarterback to be televised leaving a police station. Miles promptly put him, Thomas and Bain on indefinite suspension until the legal process runs its course.
“We are still working with campus housing and the authorities to determine what exactly took place. This is an ongoing investigation and our players will cooperate fully,” Miles said in a prepared written statement after the incident.
As expected, social media kicked into high gear with scorn and criticism of yet more LSU players arrested and suspended from the team. Jennings, as a team leader and quarterback, took the brunt of the heat from local and national media, fan message boards, Twitter, bloggers and of course former LSU players. I’m sure many of them are shaking their heads over a quarterback who can do no better at decision-making.
Nate Livings, former LSU offensive lineman who’s recently retired from the NFL, had pointed criticism of Jennings, the team leader, for not showing better judgment and in particular “involving a couple of teammates in it.”
What “it” turns out to be is still in question. It appears cut and clear the three players entered that apartment and removed those items. But Jennings has countered the charges saying a MacBook Air, three pairs of shoes and a PlayStation 4 were actually stolen from his apartment and were his property to begin with.
On June 10, Jennings filed a police report over the stolen property. Why didn’t Jennings just let the authorities handle the reported theft? Why didn’t Jennings follow up with campus police on getting those items back? Why didn’t Jennings ask team officials or even coaches for advice?
Why didn’t Jennings just stop and think about his status as the starting quarterback, his position of leadership and his future as a student athlete and enrollment?
It is mind-boggling that a 20-year-old, who must know or was warned about the past transgressions of Jefferson and Perrilloux, didn’t stop, think and clear his head before allegedly breaking and entering.
Jennings will turn 21 this October. He’s a former 4-star prep recruit from Marietta, Ga., who has undoubtedly heard countless lectures about proper conduct and keeping his nose clean. Most of those talks had to come from his father Will Jennings, who played defensive lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs in the early 1990s and must know a thing or two about the perils of playing for a high profile SEC team.
Jennings is yet another big-time college athlete who didn’t listen to or heed the warnings but who will get a second chance. This case has the makings of dropped charges and reinstatement to the team by the time fall drills begin in early August.
Jennings, Thomas and Bain have already gotten an ear full from Miles and I’m sure more is to come.
The cliché “boys will be boys” just doesn’t apply anymore in college athletics. Too much is at stake at programs the size of LSU. And in this age of instant information and dissemination, athletes can’t hide from anything or anyone.
The other side of LSU’s quarterback conundrum is the simple lack of depth and a scant talent pool not fitting for LSU’s place among college football’s elite.
Les Miles and his staff are consummate, top-flight recruiters. They’ve proven that annually with recruiting classes that routinely rank in the Top 10 in the country. At season’s end, LSU has sent more players to the NFL draft then any school in the country the last three years. The Tigers stockpile talent from top to bottom on both sides of the ball. LSU has attracted many of the top receivers and running backs in the country, including most recently Malachi Dupre, Trey Quinn and running back Leonard Fournette.
I haven’t been able to figure out why the Tigers have been unable to find and recruit a 5-star, prep All-American quarterback to build this offense around.
At present, LSU has two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Two.
One is sophomore Brandon Harris, who has one unspectacular collegiate start on his resume. And there’s freshman Justin McMillian from Cedar Hill, Texas, who at 6’1″ and 177 pounds is the smallest of all the quarterbacks — for whatever that’s worth.
LSU isn’t the only top caliber FBS team in need of quarterback talent and experience this season. Alabama, Georgia, Texas, UCLA and Florida State (before signing Golson) are all in the same boat.
Urban Meyer and Ohio State, with three legitimate starters on campus, is the only program rich at quarterback.
Despite Jennings’ anemic stats from last season, he at least gives Miles something to build on. Over 12 starts in 2014, Jennings completed 111 out of 227 passes with only 7 interceptions for 1611 yards and 11 touchdowns. For a dual threat quarterback, Jennings had 108 rushing attempts for a measly 292 yards and zero touchdowns.
A total of 1,600 passing yards won’t keep defenses from flooding the box and won’t win many games. A 2.7 yard per carry average by a mobile quarterback won’t keep defenses honest or worried.
Jennings does seem to protect the football — with only 8 picks over 256 pass attempts. He does have four fourth quarter comeback victories to his credit as well.
He’s simply not the upper echelon quarterback LSU has been searching for and needing. In fairness, those are extremely hard to find nowadays.
Case in point: Look at how many quarterbacks were drafted by the NFL this spring after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. There were not many and they were not very high in the draft order.
It’s ironic that in the midst of the Jennings mess former Purdue starting quarterback Danny Etling finalized his official transfer to LSU where he will have two years of eligibility.
Before you say “quarterback controversy” Etling won’t be eligible to play until the 2016 season but will be allowed to practice with the team this season. The former 4-star recruit is listed at 6’2″ and 216 pounds (exactly the same as Jennings) and is described as a pro style, dual-threat type quarterback who excels at throwing on the run.
His 2-10 record as a starter is not impressive but it may be more indicative of the state of Purdue football than anything else.
Etling’s stats with limited playing time already blow Jennings’ numbers out of the water. He completed 238 of 429 attempts for close to 2,500 yards with 16 touchdowns and 12 picks.
Cam Cameron has been keyed in on Etling since he worked with him while the young quarterback attended the renowned camps led by George Whitfield. Cameron was still with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens when he first laid eyes on Etling and apparently liked what he saw even back then.
So it seems 2015 will pose a quarterback dilemma unless either Jennings or Harris exceeds expectations. In contrast 2016 will offer up at least four options between Jennings, Harris, Etling and already committed Feleipe Franks, a 6’6″; 203-pound top-rated running and passing quarterback out of Crawfordville, Fla.
Look on the bright side. If this is a cyclical thing, then maybe, just maybe LSU’s quarterback questions will finally have answers for the foreseeable future.
Get Rick Sarro’s perspectives on sports on Soundoff 60, which airs Monday through Sunday nights at 9 pm on Suddenlink Channel 60 and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10 am as well.
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