Can Georgia football quarterback Jamie Newman live up to the insane hype?

Georgia football fans are hoping transfer quarterback Jamie Newman can be the savior and lead the Dawgs to a national title, but can he live up to the hype?

From the team that brought you a 4-4 record in the ACC comes the next savior of the Georgia Bulldogs! Gone is fifth round pick, Jake Fromm. In comes Jamie Newman, the new Golden Boy, bringing an almost decorated history to helm a UGA team in need of a quarterback. Get ready for the dawning of a new era.

Needless to say, the mood in Athens is upbeat. And in some corners of the internet right now, Newman is poised to rocket up draft boards for 2021. He looks like a Madden character. He can sling the ball all over the field. He even made it look like Wake Forest had a competent offense.

But c’mon. Let’s be real here. He has some tools, but we need to pump the brakes on this first-round talk. He’s good, but he’s not a “generational talent.”

To be clear, any quarterback who is able to muster any sort of production at Wake Forest deserves a medal. He had the Demon Deacons rolling in the first half of the season.

But, uh, well. Then the second half of the season happened:

“Now wait,” you say if you’re among the throngs of Georgia fans and/or one of the dozen or so Wake Forest fans, “he put up monster numbers before he lost his best receivers!” He sure did. He also put up those numbers against Utah State, Rice, North Carolina, Elon, Boston College and Louisville.

The second half featured teams like Virginia Tech, with the inimitable Bud Foster defense, and Clemson Tigers, who just happen to have the only ACC defense comparable to one you might find in the SEC. Then Wake Forest went on to lose to a floundering Syracuse and Michigan State.

All-in-all, this drop-off was most likely a mix of things. Wake Forest did, indeed, lose its best receivers. Newman and company also run into better-coached defenses and more talented squads. Let’s not forget that his backup threw for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns against Louisville. Not to mention that goofy, lets-hold-hands-for-a-minute mesh point on the option read probably won’t work in the SEC.

Now that the stats have been presented, what about the prospect?

The dude has a hose. He can fit the ball into tight windows and drop in back-shoulder lobs. But he can get a little reckless, as his 11 interceptions will show. He threw two interceptions against Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Clemson. Some of the interceptions weren’t entirely his fault. One of the interceptions against Louisville was off of a deflection. He was bothered by Virginia Tech’s pass rush for both of his picks in that game. But he looked awful against Clemson. He completely missed a safety on one interception and underthrew his receiver on the second.

He also had four games where he completed less than half of his passes. And while some might consider him a true dual-threat, he doesn’t really have a high-end spend that one would look for in an elite quarterback. Think of him as a slower, shorter Cam Newton. He might truck-stick a flat-footed defender or two, but he absolutely will be caught from behind.

But look, maybe the coaching staff at Georgia will unlock the next level for Newman. Kirby Smart‘s Pass Game Coordinator has been in-house since 2018, but only mustered 233 passing yards per game. And that’s with Georgia’s last savior, Fromm!

Not to worry. Georgia’s new offensive coordinator has experience working with two (!) recent Heisman winners. Sure, they’re Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, but it counts! (In all seriousness, Todd Monken might be a wonderful coach, but he is horrible at resume name-dropping. Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon, and Dwayne Bowe.)

There is still plenty of reason to be excited, e.g. the aforementioned canon. Georgia also has loads more talent than Wake Forest. The Bulldogs play in the SEC East, which is better than playing in the SEC West. And the best news of all is that Jamie Newman will only have to play against the best defense in the conference when he practices.

Joe Burrow showed the world that anything is possible. The reality is, Georgia’s next great quarterback is about to lead the Ohio State back to the playoffs.

It is completely natural to hope that Jamie Newman will be the next surprise under center. Just don’t bet on it.

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