JSU football: Smothers shines in Gamecocks' first fall practice

JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State’s busy summer on the recruiting trail is already paying off.
Nebraska transfer quarterback Logan Smothers, who committed to JSU in late May, saw plenty of action in Jacksonville State’s first fall practice of the season on Monday.
Along with flashing his speed, the junior made a handful of impressive throws to a diverse group of receivers that included those projected to start. His strong first impression included passes to receivers Jamarye Joiner and Aghogho Eyafe and tight end Brock Rechsteiner.
Along with noting the progress from Smothers as he’s recovered from injury, Rodriguez also said that the Nebraska transfer was among the three quarterbacks who he expects to see plenty of action this season.
“He's still coming back from the labrum shoulder, and so his arm is not at full strength, but he's a really sharp guy, competitive,” Rodriguez said. “The progress he's made just in a month here, it's been really good. With him and Te’Sean and Zion, we're gonna have three guys I think we can play in a game.”
In his 11 games with Nebraska, the Muscle Shoals native totaled 413 yards and completed 33 of his 52 passing attempts He also logged two rushing touchdowns, running for 161 yards on 49 attempts.
Both of his rushing touchdowns came in his lone collegiate start against Iowa, in which he totaled 62 yards on 24 rushing attempts and led the team in rushing yards.
Rodriguez said that Smothers’ best football is ahead of him, adding that the transfer is “a fast learner too, he kind of gets it.” The coach also said that he remembered Smothers as a recruit during his stint as offensive coordinator at Ole Miss.
“I remembered him from high school,” Rodriguez said. “I was at Ole Miss and remember when he was coming out of high school and followed him a little bit when he was at Nebraska. He's intelligent, he's a competitor, he can run and throw.”
Along with competing for the starting job with seventh-year quarterback Zion Webb and talented redshirt freshman Te’Sean Smoot, Smothers will be looking to share reps as one of the nine quarterbacks on JSU’s roster.
The nine quarterbacks on the team’s roster is the most in Conference USA, with Middle Tennessee and UTEP each having six to tie for second.
Luckily for Smothers and the rest of the quarterback room, Rodriguez is confident in the practice schedule providing each quarterback the opportunity for plenty of reps.
“The way we practice with our tempo, we could give three groups probably as many reps as most teams would give if it was just their first group,” Rodriguez said. “That was a thought that you would normally think ‘Ah, how do you get three guys reps?’ But, because of our pace, and the way we go, we get a lot of plays and in practice, if we didn't have our tempo, it would be a concern, but I'm not concerned with it.”