Kyle Tucker Blog Update

KT is back again, this time with an interview with Chris Drager, Marcus Davis, Ju-Ju Clayton, Rock, and Cris Hill. Enjoy.

Ju-Ju Clayton Wins The Backup QB Job

Many, many links on this so I will consolidate:

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch, with some quotes from Davis and some odds and ends along with it.

From Kyle Tucker at the Virginian Pilot, another with quotes from Davis, some from Beamer, and more odds and ends

From Randy King at the Roanoke Times, with quotes from Ju-Ju and O'Cain, definitely different than the first two.

BREAKING NEWS

Randy King is reporting that Ju-Ju Clayton was named Tyrod's backup for the Fall. Maybe not a surprise to most, but a good call by the coaches in my mind, so Davis can focus on WR (I think he'll make an incredible impact there).

Ju-Ju Clayton

Here is a good article from Darryl Slater at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Here is an exerpt:

But because Clayton spent last season on the scout team, running the opponents' plays, he never actually did any of the things in his notes until Wednesday. And for all the film sessions and the times O'Cain quizzed Clayton and Davis in meetings about a formation, the coach said it is "impossible" to prepare Clayton for the on-field experience until he does it.

"You can read it on the paper, but it's different when you're out here on the field," Clayton said. "There's no paper. Being thrown out there, it's like being thrown into a pack of wolves, basically."

He calmed down as Wednesday's practice proceeded. O'Cain noticed fewer errors and liked how Clayton looked when he threw passes. Clayton almost didn't have this chance to contend. Sixteen months ago, during his senior year at Hermitage, his only Division I-A scholarship offer was from Army.

More on the Backup QB Race

Some good quotes from O'Cain this time, thanks to our friends at PilotOnline.com. Funny that the writer is Randy King, who I could have sworn read my post yesterday and is churning out VT stuff like its his job --- wait, IT IS. Again, here is a tidbit:

Clayton has confidence that he can be the guy that Tech needs.

"Last year, I came in here and took a peek at the highest level of competition, so this is what I'm getting right now," he said. "I'm still young, but I'm not going to always use that as an excuse. I'm ready for this."

Tyrod and the QB Crew

Bill Roth has a FANTASTIC new article for his column "The Kroger Roth Report" on hokiesports.com. It goes into Stinespring's thoughts on TT and all of the potential backups (Boone, JuJu, Davis). Here is my favorite portion:

“He doesn’t have to worry about the senior quarterback [Glennon] anymore,” offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring said. “He doesn’t have worry about ‘Is he the starter? Is he not? Is it dual QB?’ He doesn’t have to worry about the youth part of it. He fully understands that, right now, he’s assuming the role that he’s the leader. And it’s a good time for him to assume that role on this football team.”

Going back to January, it’s been a different Taylor inside the Merryman Center. He’s played two seasons of college ball, played in two ACC championship games and two Orange Bowls, but now, coaches sense he’s ready to step his game up to a much higher level.

“Tyrod is excited about this spring,” Stinespring said. “His whole demeanor and approach to this spring. In the weight room, he set a couple of records. He’s stepped it up there. At the 6 a.m. workouts, he’s been setting the tempo. He’s been a leader. It’s the first time he’s stepped on the field and it’s his offense. You can see the leadership come to the forefront. You can see it in everything we do.”

Ladies and Gents, Your Backup QB

Read the interview with JuJu on a blog that I have just recently found, vt.fanfoc.us. Pretty sweet reading. JuJu sounds like a guy that I'd like to have around.