Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus tried to construct the perfect college quarterback while using players from recent NFL Drafts. PFF is now trying to construct the perfect signal caller while using current college players, and the outlet used Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman for one his selected traits.
Newman is one of two current quarterbacks on Georgia’s roster that is a transfer. He’s a big, physical guy that has a strong arm and ability to be very mobile. In fact, that attribute PFF chose was Newman’s touch on the ball.
“One of the most heated debates in college football this offseason has been over who the third-best quarterback is behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. We here at PFF are among the few who have Georgia transfer Jamie Newman in that spot. The biggest reasons why we have Newman there are his under-appreciated arm talent and how he made the most of a bad situation at Wake Forest. Specifically, Newman’s touch is really the key driver in this — it’s the best in the country. Newman displayed great touch when leading downfield last year and dropped numerous balls in the bucket over his receivers’ shoulders. He had 22 such completions last year, which tied for the most among Power-5 quarterbacks.”
“Newman’s top-notch touch is going to give Georgia something it didn’t really have with Jake Fromm: A formidable deep passing attack. Newman ranked second to only Burrow among Power-5 quarterbacks in deep (20-plus yard throws) passing grade last year with his great touch. He can thread the ball into tight windows with easy zip if need be or drop it perfectly over the receiver’s shoulder. And because of that, he’s our third-best quarterback in the country and looks poised for a big year with his supporting cast at Georgia.”
Newman led the Demon Deacons to an 8-5 record last year in 2019 and it was his first season as a full-time starter. He completed 220 of 361 passes (60.9 percent) for 2,868 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also racked up 574 rushing yards and six scores on 180 carries. He played and started in all thirteen of Wake Forest’s games last season.
Newman was one of the top prospects on the graduate transfer market at any position after the 2019 season. He reportedly had interest from Oregon, Miami, Maryland, and Washington after he announced he would entering the NCAA transfer portal.
Newman was one of the top players on the graduate transfer market after the 2019 season regardless of position. Oregon, Miami, Maryland, and Washington were all reportedly aiming to gain his services after it was announced that he would be entering the NCAA’s student-athlete transfer portal and seeking to finish out his college career at another school.
It’s undeniable that Newman has a lot of talent. Per PFF, Newman is the third-highest graded returning quarterback, behind only Justin Fields at Ohio State and Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. PFF has also ranked him third highest among Power Five quarterbacks in deep ball percentage throw attempts (among players that have attempted at least 50 deep balls during the course of the 2019 season). According to PFF, 19.8 percent of Newman’s throws last season were deep balls, which means that the pass was at least 20 yards past the line of scrimmage. Fields had the highest percentage among Power Five signal callers at 21.9 percent and North Carolina’s Sam Howell was second at 21.3 percent.
When Newman takes off, he totaled 27 missed tackles last season. 164 of 547 rushing yards were scrambles last season. He also rushed for 40 first downs as a runner, which ranked as the tenth most amongst quarterbacks at the Power Five level.
If used correctly, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken could be giving opponents’ defensive coordinators a nightmare of preparation. Newman is currently on-campus and participating in summer drills after the NCAA allowed student athletes to return.
In fact, 1,159 of 2,868 yards passing yards last year were on deep balls accompanying 13 touchdowns as well. Newman was more effective when under pressure, completing just under 50 percent of his throws in those situations, according to PFF. He gets the ball out quick and in those circumstances, he completed 70.1 percent of his throws with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions when the attempt was under 2.5 seconds.