He is still raw in terms of skillset, but Logan Smothers could be the quarterback Nebraska Football needs for life after Adrian Martinez.
The first real scouting report came out earlier this week on 2020 Nebraska Football quarterback Logan Smothers. I will say this, the overall consensus is that he is still a bit raw with his skills. However, they are things that can be fixed, and that is certainly a good sign.
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Clint Brewster of 247Sports gave a detailed scouting report of Smothers and what skills he brings to the table. What is apparent is his athleticism, and that is encouraging for Nebraska Football. Adrian Martinez has certainly shown a high level of athleticism during his time in Lincoln to this point. It seems as though head coach Scott Frost needs an athletic quarterback in order for his offense to work properly.
That is certainly not uncommon, as Boston College head coach Steve Addazio has always wanted an athletic quarterback as well. Particularly in the beginning of his tenure with Florida graduate transfer Tyler Murphy under center, Addazio found tremendous success. With Addazio’s offense being so run-based, the speed of Tyler Murphy worked well with run-pass options. So far, the type of quarterback that Nebraska Football is looking for reminds me of that.
It does not seem like athleticism is a problem for Smothers. It was the highlight of Brewster’s scouting report. That certainly bodes well for the future and should allow for Nebraska’s offense to be multi-dimensional. Especially in the Big Ten conference, points are crucial and if you can have players you can count on to lead the way in that department, that is certainly a great thing.
"“There’s no doubt you can see he’s an elite athlete right away,” Brewster wrote. “His body type and frame really show that as well. As a passer, he definitely needs to clean up his footwork and get his feet more in tuned with his arm. At times he took took a hitch in the pocket when he should have hit his back foot at the top of the drop and got rid of the ball. His throwing motion is good and compact and he’s able to flick it out there quickly. At times he didn’t fire the ball though and put more air under it then he should have. He’s raw as passer.”"
The skill set of Smothers sounds similar to many high school quarterbacks. Many cannot throw the ball with a ton of accuracy, and those skills are often refined in the college game. Smothers should be able to get that corrected as he works with Nebraska Football quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco.
If throwing the ball was a problem as he entered his junior year of college, I would be a bit more concerned. However, he is only an incoming freshman so I wouldn’t worry about that at all.
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The fact that he is so athletic is promising. I will definitely be interested to read what other analysts say at different camps he goes to. This is only one view of Smothers as a player. However, it’s something that we should take note of. if he can become a proficient passer and hone that skill in conjunction with his tremendous athleticism, Nebraska Football can have another stellar quarterback in no time.