Ex-UL starter Nixon staying at quarterback for now

[Big Poppa]

Jake wasn't known for his wheels either but Stokley showed he knew the difference between Mitchell and Delhomme and used their strengths accordingly.


Haack was about as accurate as any QB UL has had in the last 5 years

T-Bine to mention Haack and Jake in the same breath is sacrilegious. I have watched every game he's played in and more practices than most and he has never been that impressive to me. I have never seen this above average QB every one on here makes him out to be.

I would be surprised if he is the starter at NWST.

[Turbine]

T-Bine to mention Haack and Jake in the same breath is sacrilegious. I have watched every game he's played in and more practices than most and he has never been that impressive to me. I have never seen this above average QB every one on here makes him out to be.

I would be surprised if he is the starter at NWST.

I took a breath between paragraphs.

[RaisingCajun08]

JD is good enough to play at any G5 school I don't blame him or would think any less of him if he decides to leave because an SEC talent just feel into ULs lap.

You cant be serious. The JD that I have seen is not good enough to plat at UL. That is the reason why Jennings is here. Yes, JD has the athletic ability but I dont think he has grasped the offense like the coaches expected. he looks completely lost out there.

[CrazyCajun]

You cant be serious. The JD that I have seen is not good enough to plat at UL. That is the reason why Jennings is here. Yes, JD has the athletic ability but I dont think he has grasped the offense like the coaches expected. he looks completely lost out there.

Are you basing your opinion at all
Off of a spring game with no o-line, no McGuire and an extremely vanilla offense...basically nothing like the offense we will be running in the fall? Because he didn't look anymore lost last year that a normal QB would getting his first reps. Why do people put so much stock in a glorified practice? Both sides know what the other side is doing...they practice against it everyday. He made mistakes against Troy bu I didn't think he looked lost...no more lost than the entire team
Looked most of the year.

[KajunKrazy]

You cant be serious. The JD that I have seen is not good enough to plat at UL. That is the reason why Jennings is here. Yes, JD has the athletic ability but I dont think he has grasped the offense like the coaches expected. he looks completely lost out there.

I had several one on one conversations with Jay Johnson this spring at baseball tournaments. At the time he was O coordinator at Minnesota so there was no coach speak. He said JD has the best talent of any QB we've had since he has been here. Our families have become close friends over the last 3 years and he wouldn't say that unless he truly felt it. I think I'll take coach Johnson's opinion over yours I just think he may know a little better for some reason.

[SlickRick]

Are you basing your opinion at all
Off of a spring game with no o-line, no McGuire and an extremely vanilla offense...basically nothing like the offense we will be running in the fall? Because he didn't look anymore lost last year that a normal QB would getting his first reps. Why do people put so much stock in a glorified practice? Both sides know what the other side is doing...they practice against it everyday. He made mistakes against Troy bu I didn't think he looked lost...no more lost than the entire team
Looked most of the year.

He's not lost! He's no dummy, he knows the plays.

IMO, the game hasn't slowed down enough for him to make the proper reads and execute the offense. That's what I see. His talent is off the charts, so if he figures out of way to chill, he will be formidable.

Some guys have that ability from day 1, some need playing time, some need a lot of playing time and some never get it. The QB position is all about having the ability to process information under pressure to make the right decision, then letting your skill(s) do the rest.

My concern watching JD in the spring game was he still looked anxious. If you can't slow it down in a spring game......well, that doesn't bode well.

If you look at the game AJ had against Bama in 2014, it's very impressive. He had only a handful of starts (true sophomore) under his belt and Bama kept him under pressure the whole freaking game. Sure, he missed some throws, but he had more than a handful of drops and that would have moved the chains. No.4 vs. no.15, national TV and they lose to Bama in OT. Not too shabby!

[ManAboutTown]

He's not lost! He's no dummy, he knows the plays.

IMO, the game hasn't slowed down enough for him to make the proper reads and execute the offense. That's what I see. His talent is off the charts, so if he figures out of way to chill, he will be formidable.

Some guys have that ability from day 1, some need playing time, some need a lot of playing time and some never get it. The QB position is all about having the ability to process information under pressure to make the right decision, then letting your skill(s) do the rest.

My concern watching JD in the spring game was he still looked anxious. If you can't slow it down in a spring game......well, that doesn't bode well.

If you look at the game AJ had against Bama in 2014, it's very impressive. He had only a handful of starts (true sophomore) under his belt and Bama kept him under pressure the whole freaking game. Sure, he missed some throws, but he had more than a handful of drops and that would have moved the chains. No.4 vs. no.15, national TV and they lose to Bama in OT. Not too shabby!

Agree with everything here. JD is crazy talented, but what Rick describes here is exactly what I saw during the App St game last year. Anxious, unsure of himself, but plenty capable.

[cajunhawk]

I had several one on one conversations with Jay Johnson this spring at baseball tournaments. At the time he was O coordinator at Minnesota so there was no coach speak. He said JD has the best talent of any QB we've had since he has been here. Our families have become close friends over the last 3 years and he wouldn't say that unless he truly felt it. I think I'll take coach Johnson's opinion over yours I just think he may know a little better for some reason.

""Friends"

[KajunKrazy]

He's not lost! He's no dummy, he knows the plays.

IMO, the game hasn't slowed down enough for him to make the proper reads and execute the offense. That's what I see. His talent is off the charts, so if he figures out of way to chill, he will be formidable.

Some guys have that ability from day 1, some need playing time, some need a lot of playing time and some never get it. The QB position is all about having the ability to process information under pressure to make the right decision, then letting your skill(s) do the rest.

My concern watching JD in the spring game was he still looked anxious. If you can't slow it down in a spring game......well, that doesn't bode well.

If you look at the game AJ had against Bama in 2014, it's very impressive. He had only a handful of starts (true sophomore) under his belt and Bama kept him under pressure the whole freaking game. Sure, he missed some throws, but he had more than a handful of drops and that would have moved the chains. No.4 vs. no.15, national TV and they lose to Bama in OT. Not too shabby!

In the spring you saw a very vanilla offense with a very capable runner sitting in the pocket with a bunch of receivers unable to get open. If you watched the same game as me that is. A QB like JD that is not allowed to run in non contact situation is much easier to defend than if it were live. I take absolutely nothing out of what happened in that game.

In non contact practices Mike Desormeaux did not look good either and back then I saw every scrimmage in August. In practice it takes the ability to make plays with your feet completely out of the equation. We all saw the offensive records fall when he was in live action.

I am in no way saying that I am taking a side for AJ or JD. May the best man win. If AJ beats out the most talented QB since HUD has been here, according to one ex coach, then we should be OK.

[CrazyCajun]

He spent all spring learning/running a different offense then fit the spring game doesn't have half his first string players and doesn't get to run the offense he just didn't all spring running. As lost and anxious as he liked against app state he also the only person who put the ball in the endzone. The guys had been here for 2 years receiving 4th string and 3rd string reps until this spring. Im not surprised the game was a little fast for him last year...I think everyone is a littke quick to even start writing a book on Jordan Davis. I'm not saying he is the next cam newton but the talent is there, there is no arguing that. Both our redshirt juniors who took first string snaps looked rushed and anxious...that will happen when the D-line is coming from all directions .5 seconds after the snap. The game will slow down for Davis and all our QB when they trust the O-line won't get them killed.

[SlickRick]

Guys, don't get me wrong. I'm pulling for JD to win the competition over AJ!

Crazy and Bustle both make good points on the subject of his past performances....not disagreeing, just not accepting their rationale as the primary reason for what was considered less than inspiring spring game performance. Also, I'm not looking at how he played against App and Troy. Spring games do not carry the same kind of pressure as real games. Playing against your teammates is not same as against visiting team. Hell, the game even slowed down for me in the spring games, just didn't see enough PT in real games for that to happen the few times I got in. This is my main point.

Ask Coach Hud why he didn't name a starter after spring practice. Was he waiting for a transfer to make a decision? Naming a starter could have spooked someone making that decision. Or, maybe he didn't see enough from JD.

At the end of the day, if you read into Eli's comments about the competition for QB, AJ coming to UL will make JD a much better QB now and into the future. Nothing like competition to bring out the best in you. This situation has given me a big boost of optimism going into the season.

Geaux Cajuns!

[CrazyCajun]

So if JD's weakness is lack of experience like he says...how does he ever get that from the sideline? We have seen where HUD us too hard headed to pull his starter whether we up are up or down by 40....it's Huds fault he doesn't have experience. There is only one way to get experience.