With Jake Fromm going to the NFL, Georgia has turned to the graduate transfer market, bringing in Jamie Newman, former Wake Forest starter.
Georgia fans got their biggest wish this week when former Wake Forest starting quarterback Jamie Newman announced he was enrolling at Georgia. The question of “who will step in for Jake Fromm” is closer to being answered now.
Newman is a dual-threat quarterback, standing 6’4 and weighing in at 219 pounds. During his initial recruitment period, he was listed as the number three quarterback in the nation behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields (perhaps you’ve heard of them?).
In his three years at Wake Forest, Newman attempted 306 passes completing 506 (60.5 percent). He amassed 3,959 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He also ran 245 times for 826 yards (3.4) and ten touchdowns.
Here is a breakdown of what Newman can do from Georgia quarterback legend Buck Belue:
Jamie Newman is poised in pocket, excellent job of ID'ing best match-up/high-pointing the 50/50 balls, allowing WR to make plays downfield. Nice touch on deep balls. Dude is legit on R-P-O's. Tough Red Zone runner. Good escaping rush & throwing accurately on the run. @680TheFan
— buck belue (@buckbelue8) January 10, 2020
Newman, while not playing in many games (just 19 in fact), still brings experience with him to Athens. He joins Carson Beck, Stetson Bennett, and D’wan Mathis in the quarterback room. Which means there will be plenty of competition for the starting job. Even if Newman doesn’t win the job he will be a solid experienced backup.
Many Georgia fans will be happy to finally have a dual-threat quarterback in the fold. Having a quarterback who can extend plays and even make plays with his feet is a big advantage, as we’ve seen with the four teams who played in this year’s College Football Playoff.
The biggest question on everyone’s mind though is can Newman translate what he did at Wake Forest, a middling ACC program, to Georgia, who has been one of the top SEC teams. Given his experience and skills, it shouldn’t be a problem. Georgia ran a lot of RPOs last year, they also ran a lot of read-option. Now they have a quarterback that is a legit threat to run, not just hand the ball off.
This will allow Georgia to expand its offense and put more pressure on defenses.
Overall this was an important signing for the Bulldogs. A solid quarterback who will most likely start, but even if he doesn’t he brings a veteran presence to the position. This quarterback group needed an experienced mentor and Newman obviously brings that.
This year’s G Day game is going to be exciting with the starting quarterback position up for grabs. It should make for an exciting game. Fans may remember a few years ago when it was Eason vs Fromm and how much fun that was to watch unfold. This should be just as entertaining.