Clemson football QB Trevor Lawrence and several other QBs were beaten by Jake Bentley in the Manning Passing Academy throwing contest.
Jake Bentley vowed just a couple of years ago that Clemson football wasn’t that much better, if better at all.
He still hasn’t proved that statement, but he did finally get some hardware.
Around 40 quarterbacks from around the nation took part in the Manning Passing Academy’s ‘Air it Out’ challenge that consisted of passers throwing footballs at moving golf carts. Trevor Lawrence, Kelly Bryant, Justin Herbert and several other elite QBs were on hand, but the winner of the competition was none other Jake Bentley.
Bentley hit all three golf carts and then won a tiebreaker over App State’s Zac Thomas, first reported by the Greenville News.
Thoughts:
This is one of those ‘non-news’ stories that still grabs attention. It’s always interesting to see when quarterback compete head-to-head, but those competition still never point out variables that make elite QBs elite.
For example, it’s a lot easier for Bentley to hit a moving golf cart with no pressure rather than with defensive backs guarding receivers. Also, the golf carts aren’t in the same place each time, so one quarterback may have an easier throw to make than another.
Either way, I think it’s fair to say that Bentley has improved in his passing game over the past few years, but I woudn’t lean too heavily on a competition trophy if I were a Gamecock fan.
As far as what it means for Clemson football, the answer is not much.
Trevor Lawrence is the best quarterback in the nation and that’s not going to change just because he didn’t have a great outing in a fun competition. Gamecock fans can brag about their summer feat, but things likely won’t be the same when November comes around.