Les Miles has a unique way of inking his prep prospects, always guaranteeing his roster features both a dual-threat quarterback and a traditional pocket passer.
This method has produced several quarterback controversies, including Ryan Perrilloux versus Matt Flynn and Jordan Jefferson versus Jarrett Lee.
When the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback, according to Rivals.com, freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings graduated early to join the Tigers last year, everyone expected more of the same: an ideological clash between Jennings and sophomore quarterback Stephen Rivers.
What they got was a totally different monster.
“He’s definitely not a run-first quarterback,” said Scott Burton, Jennings’s coach at Marietta High School. “Sometimes you get labeled a dual-threat because you’re athletic, and people automatically think that means you’re not a true quarterback. People think you’re more of an athlete that plays quarterback, and that’s definitely not the case with Anthony.”
Burton is only one member of a long line of people eager to dispute Jennings’s classification as a dual-threat quarterback. Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron were so impressed by Jennings’s natural ability and quick grasp of the playbook that they named him the No. 2 quarterback behind senior Zach Mettenberger.
“[Jennings] is not one of those quarterbacks who is like a running back; he’s a quarterback,” Cameron said. “He’s extremely smart, he’s innately accurate, he’s quick with the football. He can do exactly what Zach can do, which gives us great continuity.”
Jennings first caught people’s eyes in April’s spring game when he threw for 98 yards in the air and scampered for 26 yards on the ground in nearly a half against the first-team defense. The freshman also received the Newcomer Most Improved Award from the coaching staff, but he is no stranger to accolades and recognition.
At the back end of his junior year, Jennings was selected to participate in the finals of the Elite 11 – an ESPN-run quarterback competition for prep athletes – after being named the Most Valuable Player of the Atlanta regional. The Marietta, Ga., native also captured first-team All-State honors and a consensus four-star rating from multiple recruiting services.
“You can turn on the film and evaluate and give a guy three stars or five stars based on physical ability, but you can’t ever see on film all the preparation that did or did not go into that,” Burton said. “That’s where I think he’s really helped himself. The game is easier when you’re more prepared, and he’s always enjoyed the preparation process as much as the actual competition phase.”
Burton said Jennings was always on pace academically, making an early graduation to join a college program in the spring a viable option. When Jennings finally decided between a host of schools including Mississippi State, Wisconsin and Arkansas, he chose the school he thought would make him a better quarterback.
“[LSU] is a great school in the SEC, and one of the best schools in the nation,” Jennings said. “I wanted to play in the SEC among the best schools and practice against the best defense in the nation.”
Burton lauded Jennings’s abilities, comparing the young quarterback to the Green Bay Packers’ All-Pro Aaron Rodgers based on athleticism and subtle elusiveness in the pocket.
Junior wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry praised Jennings for his performance in the spring game and his willingness to come into the program early.
“He’s got a lot of talents,” Beckham said. “He took it to his playbook and is studying really hard. He pretty much knows the whole offense back and forth. We’ve got big expectations for him.”
Neither Jennings nor the coaching staff was explicit in discussing whether they had created a package specifically for Jennings, but the freshman was honest about his intentions and expectations.
“I didn’t come here to sit on the bench; I came here to play football for LSU, and I’m working hard for that,” Jennings said. “I can throw the ball with the best in the nation. All I’ve got to do is study the offense, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to grasp it and do well in it.”
LSU freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings (10) responds to questions from various media outlets Sunday, August 11, 2013 during LSU Football Media Day in the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
