Looks like we have our QB2

[BlackSailsDawg]

AJ Swann is projected to State. Nothing has been made official.

[Todd4State]

Good back up option and the kind of player we need for that spot at this moment.

Has SEC starting experience and was also at Vanderbilt when they had Mike Wright ironically enough.

Not the fastest guy but should be solid.

[starkvegasdawg]

Glad there's QB's willing to sign now without any improvement in the OL. Seems almost like a death wish currently.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

If he signs, he will get to play.

[maroonmania]

If he signs, he will get to play.

Yep, if KT keeps using his body as a battering ram, he won't last long.

[StarkVegasSteve]

If he signs, he will get to play.

Yep. If we don't teach Kamario to run behind his pads he'll be injured by October.

I also wouldn't hate it if we got up big in our buy games next year(ULM and Tennessee Tech) and let Swann play after the 1st quarter. Keep the hits off Kamario before Minnesota Week 2 and The Egg Bowl.

[HancockCountyDog]

Yep. If we don't teach Kamario to run behind his pads he'll be injured by October.

I also wouldn't hate it if we got up big in our buy games next year(ULM and Tennessee Tech) and let Swann play after the 1st quarter. Keep the hits off Kamario before Minnesota Week 2 and The Egg Bowl.

He is so damn athletic, but he is built like a small forward. He has to trust his arm and his feet have to be secondary or the kid will not last a season. He got beat up in the egg bowl and hammered by freaking wake forest.

Unless he puts on about 30 pounds of muscle, he won't finish a season.

[StarkVegasSteve]

He is so damn athletic, but he is built like a small forward. He has to trust his arm and his feet have to be secondary or the kid will not last a season. He got beat up in the egg bowl and hammered by freaking wake forest.

Unless he puts on about 30 pounds of muscle, he won't finish a season.

He has to learn how to progress through his reads. It's been my main point of why he wasn't ready the entire year. He can't make it through a progression and he makes the wrong read a lot of times on option plays. It's not the end of the world though. The kid was a true Freshman. He will get better. It's also not the worst thing that he's trusting himself in those instances. I like the confidence, you just have to be smarter.

[Coach34]

Yep. The reads have to get better so his carries will go down. He needs to average about 12 carries- not 20 or more

[StarkVegasSteve]

Yep. The reads have to get better so his carries will go down. He needs to average about 12 carries- not 20 or more

Agreed. 10-12 carries. We don't need him trying to be 2021 Matt Corral for 12 games.

[Coursesuper]

Yep. The reads have to get better so his carries will go down. He needs to average about 12 carries- not 20 or more

So true. He's trying to do it all himself because that's what he knows and trust. Got to grow.

[SPMT]

Yep. The reads have to get better so his carries will go down. He needs to average about 12 carries- not 20 or more

This is where you could actually add value. Is it reasonable to expect to have someone, on average make the required leap to get to multiple reads and to do so at game speed in one off season?

When I break it down I see it this way:

1. See the reads in film progress through them very quickly. This is pure pattern recognition and requires many hours for most and is a form of intellect.

But it can be done anytime, anywhere and is the base for progress to on the field performance.

2. See reads at less than game speed on the field. And execute.

3. See the reads at game speed on the field.

4. See and execute reads at game speed on field. Specific intellect and athleticism can enhance this.

What can we reasonably expect?
KT looked pretty far away to me.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

He could learn his reads a lot quicker if he didn't have to concern himself that his OL will do its job.

[Todd4State]

This is where you could actually add value. Is it reasonable to expect to have someone, on average make the required leap to get to multiple reads and to do so at game speed in one off season?

When I break it down I see it this way:

1. See the reads in film progress through them very quickly. This is pure pattern recognition and requires many hours for most and is a form of intellect.

But it can be done anytime, anywhere and is the base for progress to on the field performance.

2. See reads at less than game speed on the field. And execute.

3. See the reads at game speed on the field.

4. See and execute reads at game speed on field. Specific intellect and athleticism can enhance this.

What can we reasonably expect?
KT looked pretty far away to me.

For his age KT is way far ahead of where most QB's his age are. For a comparison- Dak in his SECOND year was basically a wildcat/running QB. At the same point in their careers I think KT is ready to take the reigns and start whereas Dak was not even close to being ready.

And that leads me to this to answer your other questions. This offseason I suspect KT will have the most growth in his career. It's going to like gross anatomy for doctors but for QB's. He's going to be focusing on really understanding the offense AND he's also going to focus on understanding coverages, blitzes, and things like that. He will also be spending a TON of time with his receivers building rapport. So what can we reasonably expect from KT? I think if he stays healthy I think he will have a season similar to the one that Marcel Reed had this year for Texas A&M. He may have even fewer INT's because he takes care of the ball well which is a trait I love.

So, I think KT will know the offense and I think he will understand it but he will probably not quite have mastered it. What I mean by that is I think by the time he gets to year three he is going to have an even deeper understanding of the offense and you'll see him doing things like making more checks on his own, he will be more confident, the turnovers will continue to go down, he will be smart with his running, and his situational awareness will continue to improve. That's probably 2027 realistically that we're talking about here. Doesn't mean that 2026 will be bad. It just means that 2027 and beyond will be even better and potentially special.

I do agree with Coach that as he gains experience his rushes will go down because he will not default to scrambling quite so quickly. Our fans need to understand that this is not Dan Mullen's offense. Yes, there are QB runs in Lebby's offense but not nearly as many as in Dan's. We're not going ask KT to throw 30 times and rush 20-25 times. It's probably going to end up being more like 32-34 passes to 10 QB rushes including scrambles.

[Todd4State]

He could learn his reads a lot quicker if he didn't have to concern himself that his OL will do its job.

Yes, not having the five matadors in front of him would help immensely.

[SPMT]

For his age KT is way far ahead of where most QB's his age are. For a comparison- Dak in his SECOND year was basically a wildcat/running QB. At the same point in their careers I think KT is ready to take the reigns and start whereas Dak was not even close to being ready.

And that leads me to this to answer your other questions. This offseason I suspect KT will have the most growth in his career. It's going to like gross anatomy for doctors but for QB's. He's going to be focusing on really understanding the offense AND he's also going to focus on understanding coverages, blitzes, and things like that. He will also be spending a TON of time with his receivers building rapport. So what can we reasonably expect from KT? I think if he stays healthy I think he will have a season similar to the one that Marcel Reed had this year for Texas A&M. He may have even fewer INT's because he takes care of the ball well which is a trait I love.

So, I think KT will know the offense and I think he will understand it but he will probably not quite have mastered it. What I mean by that is I think by the time he gets to year three he is going to have an even deeper understanding of the offense and you'll see him doing things like making more checks on his own, he will be more confident, the turnovers will continue to go down, he will be smart with his running, and his situational awareness will continue to improve. That's probably 2027 realistically that we're talking about here. Doesn't mean that 2026 will be bad. It just means that 2027 and beyond will be even better and potentially special.

I do agree with Coach that as he gains experience his rushes will go down because he will not default to scrambling quite so quickly. Our fans need to understand that this is not Dan Mullen's offense. Yes, there are QB runs in Lebby's offense but not nearly as many as in Dan's. We're not going ask KT to throw 30 times and rush 20-25 times. It's probably going to end up being more like 32-34 passes to 10 QB rushes including scrambles.

We would be ecstatic if he played like Marcel Reed.

[Todd4State]

We would be ecstatic if he played like Marcel Reed.

Absolutely!

25 TD 12 INT 62% PCT with 493 rushing yards and 6 rushing TD's.

I could definitely see those numbers next year with KT. Maybe even more rushing yards because KT produced similar numbers this year in limited time.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

So I guess we will have Kamario, transfer Swann, signee McWhorter, and walk-on Puckett? Is that correct?

[Maroon Glasses]

Absolutely!

25 TD 12 INT 62% PCT with 493 rushing yards and 6 rushing TD's.

I could definitely see those numbers next year with KT. Maybe even more rushing yards because KT produced similar numbers this year in limited time.

Agreed. I actually think it will be more. I think he will have a couple games like he had against OM where he runs for 120+. Just due to the fact that sometimes that might be what it takes to win. I would love for him to resemble Reeds number this year in year 2. That would have us winning 8+ games if we have a defense!

[EdwardDrayton]

Yes, not having the five matadors in front of him would help immensely.

'<slow clap>'