Ron Veal thought Teddy Jarrard would be a good fit at a number of places, but now that the 2027 Georgia quarterback has made his commitment to Notre Dame, his personal quarterback coach says it is indeed a good match.
“I think it's going to fit him well,” Veal tells Irish Sports Daily. “His skillset works well with the offense and the more he learns and the stronger he gets, he will play well for them.”
Veal believes Irish fans will be impressed with the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder.
“I think once he learns the offense, they're going to see a very accurate kid who can drive the ball down the field, make the throws outside the hashes,” Veal says. “He can read the coverage really well, and anticipate well. He has a very quick release and makes great decisions.”
Veal says Jarrard has the confidence to push the ball down the field and the accuracy to complete a large share of those deep attempts along with the understanding of when to take what the defense is giving him.
“He's top-of-the-line in that category,” Veal says. “He has a sneaky strong arm, but his accuracy and his ability to see and anticipate before things happen is what makes him really good in my opinion.
“I think he just cuts it loose, but the advantage of it is he'll see it early and if he doesn't like it, he'll go to his check down or his second progression, whatever it may be. But his ability to push the ball down the field is there.”
Veal, who has trained guys like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields in the past, also notes Jarrard’s athleticism is strong enough to both make plays and extend plays with his legs.
“He has the ability to do that when needed,” says Veals. “He can get you five. I think he can get you seven yards on boot-action plays, scramble plays. He's not a statue. He's very mobile. He can get to his spots.
“He can create space in the pocket and find a soft spot and throw the ball down the field or like I say, check the ball down, whatever it may be.”
Veal is confidence Jarrard’s ability to see things before they happen will only increase as he continues to the college level.
“I can't really explain it,” he says. “I think a lot of times kids with great anticipation just have it.
“The more film he watches and the more he learns to watch film with the purpose, that's just going to increase his anticipation. I think that's a growing space for him as far as the mental part, to continue to learn and grow and understand defense more and more as he gets into this game deeper.”
Jarrard is becoming a more vocal leader, but his work ethic and attitude allows him to lead without saying much at all.
“The thing about him, he's a gritty kid. He plays hard, he'll fight you. He's tough and he leads by example more than anything. He's not a big rah-rah guy, but if need be, he can step into that role too and just lead.
“I believe his strongest ability is to lead in a quiet manner and just show you from doing. That's my opinion.”
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