Georgia football: calling Fromm ‘Aaron Murray 2.0’ is not an insult

Many have attempted to negatively compare Jake Fromm to Aaron Murray, but if Fromm can produce as well as the SEC’s all-time leading passer, Georgia football will be in great shape next season.

It is no secret that the quarterback situation in Athens has been one of the most talked about topics in college football since the beginning of last season. When Fields committed to Georgia, many envisioned a scenario where Fields would earn a significant amount of playing time. Some even believed that he would end up earning the starting job over Jake Fromm at some point during the season.

As you probably know, neither of those scenarios happened. Kirby stuck with Fromm and Fields transferred from the program. As a result, many fans are furious that Georgia let a “generational talent” in Fields get away because of “Aaron Murray 2.0″ in Jake Fromm. Although that comment is meant as a shot at Fromm, can it honestly be considered as such?

It seems as though people have forgotten just how much Murray produced during his time in Athens. He became the first quarterback in SEC history to have four consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons, and no other quarterback in conference history even has three. He also holds the conference record for career completions, career passing touchdowns, and obliterated the conference record for career yards.

In addition to the conference records he holds, Murray also owns a plethora of school records as well. He holds four of the top five spots in program history for passing touchdowns. Each of his four seasons rank in the top-eight in terms of passing yardage. He also holds the record for highest passing efficiency rating in program history, as he finished with an astounding 158.61 rating.

Murray holds the program record for most passing yards as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. In addition to all of those records, he’s also the program’s career leader in completions, yards, and touchdowns. Murray finished his career at Georgia with 1,638 more yards and 49 more touchdowns than David Greene, who finished second in both categories.

While Murray is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in college football history, there are some statistical similarities between him and Fromm. In Murray’s freshman season, he recorded 3,049 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and completed 61.1 percent of his passes. In Fromm’s first season, he accumulated 2,615 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and completed 62.2 percent of his passes.

Although Murray attempted 51 more passes than Fromm, both quarterbacks posted an almost identical touchdown-interception ratio and remarkably similar completion percentages. The similarities don’t stop there, as Murray passed for 8.9 yards per attempt and posted a passing efficiency rating of 154.15. Fromm passed for 9.0 yards per game and posted a passing efficiency rating of 160.1.

While the two quarterbacks didn’t post sophomore numbers that were quite as similar to one another, they both had incredibly productive seasons. Murray passed for 3,149 yards, 35 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and completed 59.1 percent of his passes. Fromm proceeded to pass for 2,761 yards, 30 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and completed 67.4 percent of his passes. Murray attempted a grand total of 196 more passes than Fromm, which explains the huge gap between the two in passing yards. Fromm’s 9.0 yards per attempt and 171.3 passer efficiency rating actually trumps Murray’s 7.8 yards per attempt and 146.4 passer efficiency rating that season.

Murray had a truly magical season during his junior year. He threw for 3,893 yards, 36 touchdowns,10 interceptions, and completed 64.5 percent of his passes in 2012. He also passed for 10.1 yards per attempt and a 174.8 passer efficiency rating that season. If possible, Fromm will have even more talent surrounding him on both sides of the ball than Murray did at that point in his career. If Fromm can post numbers that are even close to Murray’s this season, Georgia will be virtually unstoppable.

It’s worth noting that Murray led the Dawgs to two division titles during his four seasons starting in Athens. Fromm has already accomplished that feat, adding an SEC title to his resume as well. Murray also went 3-1 against Florida, while never losing to Georgia Tech or Tennessee. Fromm is well on his way to accomplishing those feats as well, as he is undefeated against all three so far in his career.

Calling Jake Fromm ‘Aaron Murray 2.0’ is far from an insult. Both quarterbacks are incredible leaders and extremely talented. If you want to insult someone by comparing them to another player, you might want to pick someone other than one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the SEC.