Collegiate Times

jujuCenter04102009

Right now, Ju-Ju Clayton is getting a crash course of what it's like to be an active quarterback for a major Division I-A football program.

After redshirting his first year on the Tech squad and hardly practicing at all, it is now time for Clayton to step in after the departure of two senior quarterbacks - Sean Glennon and Cory Holt.

"He doesn't exactly have to be ready to play, but you've got to feel good about your No. 2 understanding what the team's trying to do," said Mike O'Cain, the Hokies' quarterbacks coach. "You want to feel good about his abilities both physically and mentally."

But as of now it's not certain what role Clayton - soon-to-be a redshirt freshman - will play on this team in 2009. While he'll likely be the primary backup to the projected starter, junior Tyrod Taylor, fellow redshirt freshman Marcus Davis has impressed during the spring and has made it a battle for the No. 2 position.

"Right now it's a competition between Marcus and I, but it's a friendly competition," Clayton said. "We both know that we're competing for a very important spot on this team."

Clayton, however, has also been impressive and given his coaches a starting point. He's not ready yet, but there's certainly potential.

During his senior season at Richmond's Hermitage High School in 2007, Clayton threw for 2,117 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 27 yards and five more trips to the end zone.

"He's got to get a real good understanding of what we are doing," O'Cain said. "That starts with call plays in the huddle then goes to snap count, then it moves to all the little parts of actually executing the play and knowing what's going on on the other side of the ball. He's pretty far along at this point, but he still got a long way to go."

Much like Taylor, Clayton's mobility is something to behold, specifically.

"I've been pleased with the way he's moved around, found secondary receivers, and his release which was pretty quick and accurate," O'Cain said.

But Clayton insists that he's a quarterback first and a runner second.

"I've always been a passer first, but I also have the ability to run when I have to," Clayton said. "I always look to pass first, though. I'm just working on making my reads and going through my throwing progressions."

Coincidentally, mobility is why Clayton will likely have to remain on-call at all times during the upcoming season.

Continue Reading: 12 Next »