Penn State staff member<\/a>s, including quarterbacks coach Danny O\u2019Brien, who has followed his development closely across two schools. Jarrard previously attended North Cobb Christian before transferring this spring to North Cobb High School.<\/p>\n\u201cCoach O\u2019Brien has seen me throw at my previous school, North Cobb Christian, and during spring ball this year at North Cobb High School, where I transferred,\u201d Jarrard said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a really good connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about his overall impressions of the campus and the facilities in Happy Valley, Jarrard didn\u2019t hold back his enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the nicest facility I\u2019ve seen, it\u2019s all big and brand new,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a program that is well off across the board from both a facilities and a coaching staff standpoint. They\u2019ve got something going that not a lot of programs have. That\u2019s what I saw immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penn State\u2019s coaching staff offered the rising junior after seeing him run and throw in person during the camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked out, ran, and threw at the camp, and then hung out with Coach O\u2019Brien and Coach McSorley,\u201d Jarrard said. \u201cThey offered me after the camp.\u201d<\/p>\nPhoto courtesy: MSN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA Fit with Penn State\u2019s Long-Term Vision<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhile the visit did not include a full scheme breakdown, the coaching staff gave Jarrard a glimpse into how he might fit in long term.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t talk much about the scheme or fit,\u201d he said. \u201cThey said we would save some of that for the next trip. They showed me some base stuff to dip my toes into the water. Next trip, we will plan on doing a deeper dive review. The coaches will scheme up the offense for my playing style,\u201d Jarrard said. \u201cI want to be around coaches and players who I\u2019m comfortable being around, where I\u2019m developed and where I can thrive on the field and outside of football. I want to be a place that offers stability and doesn\u2019t go to the portal often, and Coach Franklin and the entire staff have shown they have the ability to offer all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Jarrard did take away, however, is how much he values the developmental culture in State College.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Penn State would be a great fit for me,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat they\u2019ve done with QBs in the past is great. Obviously Drew Allar has thrived. They\u2019ve had big guys, they\u2019ve had small guys, and they\u2019ve developed them all really well. That\u2019s another trait that stands out to me is their ability to develop guys. They haven\u2019t taken a portal quarterback in the last five years. To me, that\u2019s a huge positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparing for the 2025 Campaign<\/h3>\n Jarrard, who transferred schools earlier this year, said he is embracing his new environment with leadership and energy both on and off the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is a great opportunity for me coming into a new school,\u201d Jarrard said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in my new school for two months now, and I want to come in and change the culture as a leader, and keep building relationships with my teammates on and off the field. I\u2019m a good teammate, fun to be around, and I feel like I can be a light that people can follow and gravitate toward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lead by example. I try to build trust through my play, my personality, and the vibe I bring to the locker room. I\u2019m going to try to continue that throughout the summer and into the fall, and work hard to get my teammates to rally around me, and we\u2019ll get it done in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside the Quarterback Profile and What Penn State Fans Should Know<\/h3>\n Based on both full game film and highlight film from the 2024 season, Jarrard profiles as a rhythm-based, pro-style quarterback with high-end accuracy, functional mobility, and exceptional poise under pressure.<\/p>\n
\nAccuracy:<\/em> Jarrard\u2019s ball placement defines his game. He throws to spots, not just to open receivers, placing passes where only his intended target can reach them\u2014whether on a slant through traffic, a fade in the red zone, or a back-shoulder throw along the sideline. His accuracy holds across all platforms, including clean pockets, off-schedule situations, and throws on the move. He consistently leads receivers in stride, delivers to the correct shoulder based on leverage, and fits the ball into tight windows.<\/li>\nPoise and Pocket Presence: <\/em>Jarrard remains calm and composed under pressure. He maintains quiet feet, climbs the pocket against edge pressure, and escapes through interior lanes with ease. He resets quickly with minimal wasted motion and keeps his eyes downfield through chaos. He looks to throw before resorting to his legs, a hallmark of a polished, pass-first quarterback.<\/li>\nTouch and Velocity Control: <\/em>Jarrard adjusts his velocity and trajectory with advanced feel. He layers throws with either pace or touch depending on the situation, feathering passes over second-level defenders or driving the ball into tight zone windows. His ability to alter arm speed and launch angle reflects natural arm talent and situational awareness.<\/li>\nFunctional Mobility and Escapability:<\/em> Though not a dynamic athlete, Jarrard moves well enough to escape pressure and extend plays. He displays more quickness than expected for his size and uses smart instincts when flushed from the pocket. He runs with purpose, embraces contact, and competes physically when yardage is on the line. His ability to reset on the move and deliver accurate throws mirrors traits found in advanced pocket passers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nJarrard\u2019s Upside and Long-Term Projection<\/h3>\n Jarrard\u2019s playing style shares similarities with early-career Jared Goff coming out of high school, particularly in his rhythm, poise, and anticipation-based passing. His ability to lead, communicate, and rally teammates is evident on film and brings added value beyond his physical tools. While any quarterback making the jump to Power Four football will require development to navigate complex post-snap coverages, Jarrard\u2019s combination of elite accuracy, quick release, leadership, and toughness makes him one of the top quarterback prospects to monitor in the 2027 class.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Penn State may have added a major name to its future quarterback board following the program\u2019s Elite Showcase this past weekend. Teddy Jarrard, a 6′-3″, 190-pound quarterback from North Cobb High School in Georgia, left Happy Valley with a scholarship offer in hand after working out for the coaching staff in person. North Cobb (Ga.) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5544,"featured_media":70110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,17,35610,7316],"tags":[35168,837,35169,309,225],"class_list":["post-74442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-news","category-penn-state-nittany-lions","category-recruiting","tag-danny-obrien","tag-james-franklin","tag-north-cobb-football","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-trace-mcsorley"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5544"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74442"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74452,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74442\/revisions\/74452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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