I’m hearing very positive things about how Cole has been looking while working out with the receivers and his grasp of the playbook.
Austin will be the man, but the future sounds bright.
It’s interesting to me the positive news that seems to keep popping up about Kelley. Not necessarily that it’s unexpected but that some of the more experienced guys (and guys, frankly, that were much higher thought of coming out of HS) who are in front of him aren’t getting the love he is. The depth at qb right now is something I didn’t see coming when we hired Bielema
CBB not only has a knack for bringing in and developing RB’s, Linemen, and TE’s, he also has a knack for QB’s as well.
Doesn’t hurt we may have the best QB coach in the land with Enos.
I have always thought Cole Kelley would be a factor in the depth chart even as a first-year player. He may have the biggest arm on campus. Just how quickly he learns the playbook – quite extensive – is the key. Making checks at the line and knowing adjustments of the defense can befuddle a young quarterback and is the thing that holds them back. I’ll be interested to see how he handles the first two weeks of camp and if he is still advancing. That first period of installation generally decks a young QB. We’ll see.
Clay, I know Cole and have watched him play, my son now attends the same High School - and I have been saying to anyone that will listen what former pro QB Jake Delhome (also a Teurlings alum) told me. “Cole is the best HS QB I have ever seen when it comes to reading defenses and checking down thru his progression (3rd or 4th receiver) on a given play”. I believe that he has the capability to play as a freshman…
I believe that it bodes well for Hog fans!
[quote=“Bayouhog”]
Clay, I know Cole and have watched him play, my son now attends the same High School - and I have been saying to anyone that will listen what former pro QB Jake Delhome (also a Teurlings alum) told me. “Cole is the best HS QB I have ever seen when it comes to reading defenses and checking down thru his progression (3rd or 4th receiver) on a given play”. I believe that he has the capability to play as a freshman…
I believe that it bodes well for Hog fans!
[/quote] These are very encouraging words to hear from people who would know and are close to the situation!
That’s fine and very, very promising for the future. But it’s still a stretch to think he’d leapfrog everyone in front of him with just a few weeks on campus; checking down in a HS offense he’s familiar with is a lot different than being ready to do so in a much more complicated system that he’s new to. I’m not doubting the he will eventually shine as a line-of-scrimmage QB; just saying it’s not realistic to expect it this soon.
He’s almost certainly headed to a red-shirt year unless we have a rash of injuries at the QB slot. That way, it works out well for him to compete for the starting role in 2018 as a RS soph with 2 years in the system and 3 left to play.
My conjecture is that if Peavy is not ready by 8/31 QB2 is wide open.
I was under the assumption that Peavy was the clear #2 the only thing holding him back was decision making. He has a stronger arm than AA and is by far the most athletic QB on campus.
I think he’s referring to Peavey’s recent back surgery. All indications are that it went well (seems to have been a simple discectomy) but recovery is not a given with these things (remember I used to work for a spine surgeon, hence my board handle).
Goodness, everything that I’ve read and heard says that Austin has a very strong and accurate arm. Why do you think that Peavey has a stronger arm? And if it is stronger, how accurate is he?
Thanks for dropping that insight Swine Fusion,
I was skeptical when Richard reported this “Rafe had minimally invasive back surgery and walked out of recovery and is expected to be full speed in 2-4 weeks.”
Back surgery seems fairly serious to a QB.
Austin’s got a pretty whippy arm from what I’ve seen. I think we are going to be very pleasantly surprised by his arm, grasp of the offense and leadership. Kelly’s got the tools for sure. With that size, he’s going to be throwing “down” to most receiver rather that “over” linemen, like Mallett. That’s a huge advantage. All about the eyesight, the view of the field. Still, he comes out of a NHHU offense so it’s got to take some time.
He had a stronger arm than Brandon did in high school.
If Cole is as good as advertised, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move ahead of Town and Storey on the depth chart and at least challenge Peavey. As a true freshman, that would be a successful year for him.