 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki 
For the last three seasons, Rocket fans watched QB Bruce Gradkowski re-write the record books at Toledo. After finishing a successful career at Toledo, Bruce was invited to the NFL scouting combine last month and performed very well. This April Rocket fans will be watching the NFL draft in anticipation to which NFL team will select him.Meanwhile, the Rocket coaching staff is currently concentrating on replacing a 3 year starter at the most pivotal position in college football. The position that was left vacant with Bruce Gradkowski's graduation. Only one returning quarterback has collegiate game experience, and even his is limited. But where experience lacks is where talent comes in, and the quarterbacks on the team have a lot of raw talent. Sophomore Clint Cochran is the lone quarterback with collegiate game experience. As a redshirt freshman last season, Cochran played in six games and started one game. He only threw a total of 43 passes, but completed 32 of them for a 74.4% completion rate. He threw one touchdown pass and one interception. His best experience was in starting for the injured Bruce Gradkowski at Fresno State in September. He was 16 of 24 (66.7% completion rate) for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He had 7 carries for 20 yards and a touchdown run, but was sacked 4 times for a total loss of 47 yards which gave him official rushing stats of 11 carries for -27 yards. When you look at a school that threw the ball 378 times last season and 399 times the year before, knowing that the above paragraph lists all of the collegiate game experience from the quarterbacks that will be competing for the starting job this year is a bit frightening. But then again, Bruce Gradkowski came into the 2003 season with just three passes in his previous collegiate game experience and he led the Rockets to an 8-4 record and an impressive 35-31 victory over 9th ranked Pittsburgh in just his 4th career start. So let's break down the quarterback position for 2006 as best as possible and keep our eyes glued to the Rocket football program to see how it plays out this fall. Clint Cochran is 6-3 and weighs 205 pounds. He is a bit taller than Bruce Gradkowski was, but not as fast of a runner. Cochran ran a Spread offense in high school at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, OH. Rivals.com had him ranked as the 46th best recruit in the state of Ohio when he signed with Toledo. He sat our 2004, gaining a redshirt and then played in six games and starting one game in 2005. He is a right-handed thrower with a strong arm. As Spring practices began last Saturday, he is considered to have an advantage in the race for the starting position because of the experience he gained last year. Sophomore John Goolsby is 6-5 and weighs 215 pounds. He did not receive any playing time last season and is still learning the offense. Goolsby is from Morris High School in Morris, IL. He's a big guy with a strong arm, but is not as mobile as some of the other quarterbacks. He is currently listed 3rd on the Spring Depth Chart. Redshirt freshman Brandon Summers is 6-0 and weighs 187 pounds. He's a bit short for a quarterback, but don't let that fool you. Summers has a strong arm and can throw the ball well downfield. He is also very mobile, and reminds me a lot of a young Tavares Bolden. Summers is from Southfield High School in Southfield, MI. He was ranked 14th in recruiting in the state of Michigan by the Detroit News' Blue Chip List and 19th in the Detroit Free Press' Fab 50 list. He threw for approximately 1500 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in high school in 2004. He also had 4 rushing touchdowns as he averaged over 10 yards per carry rushing the football. Summers certainly adds the running dimension to the quarterback position, which would keep defenses off balance. He began Spring practices as the #2 QB on the depth chart. Redshirt freshman Jarod Davies is 6-2 and weighs 189 pounds. The left handed passer is from Bluffton High School in Bluffton, OH. He walked onto the team last fall and is currently 4th on the Spring depth chart. The Rockets are also expecting one more player to be in the mix for the starting quarterback position. That player is incoming true freshman Aaron Opelt. Opelt is 6-2 and 195 pounds and played high school football at Fremont Ross in Fremont, OH. Opelt has a strong arm and is quick on his feet. Scout.com lists him with a 4.6 forty yard dash and had this to say about his arm, "Opelt has one of the quickest and most accurate releases in the Midwest. He wastes very little time and or motion on his throws. Surprisingly good arm strength for not taking a lot of time or using a lot of his body behind his throws." He was named to the AP Division I All Ohio 1st Team in 2005. These five young men will battle it out to become the next starting quarterback at the University of Toledo. Clint Cochran has the advantage coming into Spring practices, but you never know what might happen. "If you remember, Bruce Gradkowski was the #2 quarterback in the Spring of 2003 and he ended up winning the job," said Toledo Rockets Head Coach Tom Amstutz. He went on, "we have three or four quarterbacks on campus that are going to be competing for it (starting QB job). We also have a freshman quarterback (Aaron Opelt) coming in that will be in the competition for the job." No matter who wins the starting QB job, they are going to be thrown into the fire with little or no experience. The Rockets open the season on Thursday, August 31st at Iowa State of the Big 12. Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |