HOOVER, Ala. — There were many questions posed to Jake Fromm during one single whirlwind day at SEC Media Days last month.
He took at least three hours of questions. Give or take a photo opp or a sunglass pose or two.
Alabama? Yes. Mock draft white noise? Yep. Fish or hunt? Yes. Duck hunt or play football? Yessir.
DawgNation wanted to know the answer to a specific question: How does he rate his performance after games? When he turns on the film, what is he looking for?
Fromm, the quarterback known for having the clear head at all times due to immense preparation, shared a little insight into his work behind the scenes with that one.
“It kind of starts [number] one with decisions,” Jake Fromm said. “Do we make the right decisions? The right checks? Pre-snap? Before the play? Do we make the right decision after? Did I try to force a ball? Did I check it down too soon? Are my eyes in the wrong spots? So a lot of different things, you know.”
“Really just kind of seeing what kind of throws did we make. The kind of errors. Did we make really bad errors? Did we make small ones and really did we move the ball on third down? There are a lot of different things we are looking at. Really trying to critique decisions. Then we will kind of go into physically like ‘Hey is my foot off a little bit? Is my shoulder off? Am I not getting my elbow up when I throw?’ so a lot of different little things.”
“You kind of watch it once or twice. Sometimes three times and see what you see and you see something different every single time.”
Grading Jake Fromm: What does he see as his best games?
Media can point to a stat line. The metric followers can pour over his QB rating and its intricate formulas. There can be a highlight-worthy throw that goes viral everywhere. The trifecta: ESPN. SEC Network. Social media.
But that’s how Joe Media or Joe Fan gauges a good game for the Georgia QB.
Which games did Fromm feel he was at his best? The junior All-American candidate said he was closest to his standard (a likely unattainable one) at the end of the 2018 season.
“Gosh, I think the last two,” Fromm said. “The Georgia Tech game and the Alabama game last year. Kind of finished the season and kind of thought I was playing at a high level. Thought I was making really good decisions moving the ball. Those are the two that kind of jump out to me right at the moment.”
“Just moving the ball. Making good decisions and making the big-time throws when they were needed.”
Here is how Fromm fared in those games:
- Fromm versus Georgia Tech: 13-for-16, 175 yards, 4 TDs, O INTs
- Fromm versus Alabama: 25-for-39, 301 yards, 3 TDs, O INTs
The first game he played in 2018 was pretty strong, too.
- Fromm versus Oklahoma: 20-for-29, 210 yards, 2 TDs, O INTs
The junior from Warner Robins actually finished his 2018 season on a surge which saw him throw for 17 touchdowns against two interceptions. That was coming off a poor performance for the entire team, including Fromm, at LSU.
This year he is the clear starter and a team leader. There is no other 5-star peer on the depth chart to compete with for starting reps under center.
This is his team. Fromm’s name will be in the lineup every day in the same vein that a Freddie Freeman or a Mike Trout knows that one off night won’t cost him a start.
Fromm will still put in the exact same work in the film room regardless. Does he see that helping him to get better and play better in 2019?
“That kind of allows me to get back to [my] high school days and have a little more fun in practice,” Fromm said. “Really go out and try different things. For me, in high school, there’s a lot of kind of trial and error in what I did. It didn’t always make [my] coach happy, but it really kind of helped me play. Do you know? Hey, this is what I can and this is what I can’t do.”
“I’m going to have a little more fun at practice and go out and try to make some more plays and see what happens.”