College football season is officially over, and other than keeping up with NFL playoffs, the only thing football fanatics like myself can do is reflect on the highs and lows of the past season. There is so much we can learn from quarterbacks, whether it be learning to follow our passion, accepting criticism or working as a team.
One of the most influential players in my opinion is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He reminds us that, despite winning back-to-back games and practicing every day, football (or whatever our hobby is) should not be everything. Instead, he is more focused on his faith and character. Football is just a sport that he plays; it is what he does and not who he is. In the game, a player faces many difficult situations and must consider the solutions when making each decision, but these situations in the game should not be the thing to express that player’s character.
“I just know no matter how big the situation is, it won’t define me,” Lawrence said.
Additionally, in a media conference interview with Lawrence, he emphasized the importance of being an example both on and off the field. His high school coach Joey King said: “We do a lot of different stuff to where the kids understand that their value doesn’t just come from their performance on the field.” If a player is a leader wherever he or she goes, he or she will be able to set an example for others and be an encouragement for generations to come.
If I am going to bring up Trevor Lawrence, it is a given that I am also going to bring up Joe Burrow, the senior LSU quarterback that went head to head with Lawrence in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Burrow brought up some important things to consider about teamwork during his Heisman Trophy presentation. He focused a great deal on putting trust and confidence in his coaches and teammates. He thanked his O-line (offensive line) for being unbelievable, the rest of the team for welcoming him as a brother, his family for supporting him and the state of Louisiana in general.
With tear-filled eyes, Burrow said: “Coach O, you have no idea what you mean to my family. I didn’t play for three years, you took a chance on me not knowing if I could play or not. I am forever grateful for you … He just means so much to me and my family and to LSU. I sure hope they [LSU] give him a lifetime contract, he deserves it.” Burrow goes to show that forming bonds with his coaches and the other players is crucial when working as a team. Starting off the season, he was the new guy coming from Ohio. Thankfully, the team welcomed him with open arms, helped him learn to love crawfish (obviously) and Burrow is now able to do the same to other new people he runs across in his life.
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback, talked about what it takes to become a champion — especially emphasizing the fact that one’s work should do the talking. Even during his time playing for Alabama, he let his success speak for him. Through dedicated practice and hard work on the daily basis, he was able to face adversity, trust his abilities and preparation, and was able to finish the game out well each time. Hurts went on to say: “I think it shows true character and true heart, trying to fight to the finish.”
Another player we can learn from is Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. After beating Indiana with a 51-10 win, Fields opened up and was brutally honest with himself; he was not happy with his performance. Saying that he didn’t play up to his potential and “missed way too many throws,” he was open with his mistakes and used them as fuel for games to come. By acknowledging that he did not do his best during this game, he was able to learn from his mistakes so he wouldn’t make them again. This is something that we can all do in our lives whether it be with our academics, relationships with others or everything in between. It is so important that we are honest with ourselves so we can be honest with those around us as well.
Obviously, I have to end with Kyle Trask, who is our very own quarterback at the University of Florida. After being thrown into the starting quarterback position when Feleipe Franks dislocated his ankle in the second half of the Kentucky game, Trask showed the Gator Nation that he was able to work well under serious pressure and was able to move us to victory. We can learn from Trask that it is all about the journey getting to wherever we need to be; it does not matter how far we are in comparison to others. Everyone is on their own journey finding their passion, and in Trask’s case, he wasn’t meant to start out playing every game since recruitment; his time to shine was four years later at that Kentucky game.
“What a story,” Gator football coach Dan Mullen said. “You don’t see stories like this now in college football.” Trask’s story is unique in the way that it highlights patience, perseverance and persistence (especially by the time it came down to Trask passing for 305 yards and leading to a 36-28 Orange Bowl victory over No. 24 Virginia, with the help of running back La’Mical Perine of course). Post-Orange Bowl news conference, Mullen said, “Maybe life wasn’t going the way he thought it would go, but he worked his tail off and, when he finally got that opportunity, he was completely prepared for it. In today’s instant-gratification world, it’s always, ‘I want it now, I want it now, I want it now!’ People forget that the path to success isn’t a quick, short trip; it’s a long journey.”
College quarterbacks face many obstacles on the day-to-day basis. From literally facing obstacles on the field (aka the other team’s defense when trying to run the ball) to the struggles of being a member on a team, there is a great deal of life lessons to learn from it all. It is so neat to see where college quarterbacks draw their inspiration and use their talents to create themselves to be the best version possible. We are all on our own journey finding our passion, and if we take the time to understand our strengths and weaknesses, form bonds with the community around us and be an encouragement to others everywhere we go, it will all unfold nicely in the end.