I agree. People tend to forget how important Intelligence is, behind center. Fromm has that. His ability to process pre and post snap was highlighted several times in the games I saw him play in 2019. Most fans view athletic ability, arm strength and accuracy as the main ingredients to a great QB. But more often it's his intelligence that sets him apart.
Review the file of Jake Fromm and one thing you’ll discover is that the discipline that so inherent in this place has filtered into the life of its favorite son. A common narrative among those who knew Fromm growing up was that his wisdom and maturity were uncommonly “beyond his years.” While other kids were indifferent, callow, Fromm was the outlier, approaching life with an elevated degree of devotion and gusto. His teachers share that he seemed deft, if not ecclesiastical, in his ability to know when to cut up and when to be serious, and he separated himself from the flock by working harder than everyone else. When others went home, he put in a little bit more. When others said, “I’m done,” Fromm possessed the mental toughness to persevere. While others trailed, Fromm trail-blazed. Dr. Douglas Rizer, principal at HOCO High School, says that Jake led the entire weight room, a rare thing for a quarterback, and was often the last to walk off the field after drills. “It wasn’t your freshman or sophomore or somebody maybe who doesn’t start,” Rizer said. “It was the star quarterback staying late to go pick up the cones from practice.”
That discipline bled over into his studies. One of the more understated aspects of Fromm’s vast wheelhouse of talent is his intelligence and academic propensity. As his mentors reveal, this wunderkind is not just good at throwing a football; he is, as they say in the movie
Good Will Hunting, “wicked smaht.” Tammy Strickland, who taught Fromm at Mossy Creek Middle School, underscores the quarterback’s mathematical chops. “In the thousands of students I’ve taught over 24 years, he is probably in the Top 10. Not top 10 percent, Top
10 of those students,” Strickland stresses.
Describing Fromm as “erudite,” his former math teacher said he has been gifted with an intellect and an ability to make mathematical and intuitive leaps years beyond his peers. “He is so smart he sees, not only how to solve the problem but why the problem works the way it does,” Strickland added.
That gift wasn’t simply reserved for the classroom, as Fromm soaked up everything like a sponge and assaulted every life discipline with interest and vigor. Many in Warner Robins — coaches, teachers — testify how Fromm used to come into their offices and just sit, hoping to peck some pearl of wisdom he could place in his back pocket for use later. “There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t come into my office,” said Fromm’s high school football coach, Von Lassiter. “He would always want more. He had that devotion.”
And often, while others were out partying and socializing, Fromm would invest his discretionary time by studying film.
Saturday, Jake Fromm and Georgia take on Notre Dame. A nation will be watching. Including those in his hometown, who saw this rising star from the beginning.
www.saturdaydownsouth.com
--- WINNER
