ATHENS, Ga.—What's that old adage for identification sake?
If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.
The same metaphorical logic should be applied to the UGA football team, as it prepares for Austin Peay in Saturday's season opener.
As in, if quarterback Jake Fromm has reportedly been doing most of the practice work with the Bulldogs' first-team offense, and he's the incumbent from last year's fabulously successful campaign of winning the SEC championship, knocking off Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and then nearly upending Alabama in the College Football Playoff title game ... then it stands to reason Fromm will draw the home start against Austin Peay (an FCS program).
Even if head coach Kirby Smart revealed nothing juicy about that topic in Monday's press conference; and even if Fromm was likely precluded from letting the proverbial cat out of the bag, when talking to the media at UGA's football headquarters.
Which brings us to this: How many Power 5 college coaches would trot out a sophomore for media obligations on a Monday ... if he wasn't already cemented as the starting quarterback five days later?
To quote Phoebe from TV's Friends: "They don't know that we know they know that we know, you know?"
Exactly.
As a true freshman last season, Fromm (2,615 yards passing, 27 total TDs last year) seamlessly replaced injured quarterback Jake Eason early on and subsequently led the Bulldogs to an SEC title, a 12-2 starting record and to the brink of a national championship (before losing in overtime).
At the vast majority of schools, Fromm would be the redoubtable favorite to further lead his program for two or three more years—depending on the quarterback's NFL aspirations/draft qualifications.
However, things are a little different at Georgia. Coach Smart preaches competition at every position, so theoretically speaking, why would the quarterbacking spot be immune from these heated battles?
Enter Justin Fields.
Last fall, Rivals/UGASports ranked the Kennesaw, Ga. native as the country's No. 1 dual-threat quarterback for the Class of 2018; and by many media accounts, Fields already has the physical talent, savvy, charisma and expertise to be a freshman starter at the major-college level—similar to Fromm this time last year, when he lagged behind Eason (recent to transfer to the University of Washington) on the UGA depth chart.
"Last year, it was kind of like, 'Just show up and do this.' Oh, OK," says Fromm, recalling the typical pressures of a freshman hitting campus for the first time. But now, there's a comfort level at every step. "You know what's going on (with the program and playbook), so you can prepare better for it."
You might have heard about Fromm's high-profile accidents over the spring and summer—the first one involving an errant toss of a fishing line (nicked him in the leg) ... and then a small break in his non-throwing hand (separate mishap).
Well, while handling these so-called distractions, Fromm also experienced a breakthrough in his development.
Namely, for 7-on-7 drills during the spring, everything in Fromm's football world began to slow down: The pacing of the offense, the reactions of the defense, the presumptions of coaching play-calls from the sideline.
As a result, Fromm's personal confidence garnered a major boost, which likely explains his public indifference toward the so-called 'competition' between him and Fields.
"Honestly, I've kept out of the (competition) talk. I come to school, I come to practice every day. I really don't have time to read (media speculation)," says Fromm, who incidentally, ranked as Rivals' No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2017.
"Really, just coming to work (and doing my job). We're obviously getting after it (in practice), and I'm excited for the regular season."
Last year, Austin Peay surrendered 73 points to UCF (the only undefeated team in FBS action). Consequently, Fromm and Fields should both get quality reps in Saturday's opener (3:30 p.m. EST kickoff).
"He's obviously a great football player, and a great person, too," says Fromm of Fields. "We have a lot of fun together in the meeting room."
Given Fromm's level-jumping of fame, compared to this time last year, he might need Fields or another UGA teammate's help for getting around campus incognito, during non-football activities.
While talking to the media on Monday, Fromm joked that he probably wouldn't get through a seemingly routine visit to Walmart in Athens, "if (he) had to be out of there in five minutes."
The reasoning: It would be impossible to shake hands, take selfies, sign autographs and complete his shopping mission in reasonably short order ... simply because the other shoppers would want to talk about UGA football.
Can you blame the masses? The people of Athens haven't felt the rush of back-to-back SEC titles since 1982.
With Fromm (or Fields) running the offensive show, the Dawgs are likely onto something big here.
