How Jackson State football's spring game looked with new quarterbacks and offense
The T.C. Taylor era at Jackson State started Saturday with the first-year head coach leading the Tigers in their Blue and White game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. It was a first glimpse at life without former coach Deion Sanders and reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Shedeur Sanders.
Questions about the next starting JSU quarterback were answered by the performances of Jason Brown and Phillip Short, while transfer Zy McDonald didn't play.
White was on offense and Blue was the defense for the entirety of the scrimmage and 7-on-7 session.
Here are three takeaways from Jackson State's spring game:
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Jason Brown gets first reps at quarterback
Brown had the first chance at impressing Taylor and he couldn't have asked for a better start. Brown delivered with a 45-yard completion to help set up a 5-yard run by J.D. Martin on the opening drive of the scrimmage.
Brown finished 5-of-9 for 120 yards with an interception and three sacks. The Virginia Tech transfer had a majority of his snaps against the first-team defense.
Short had a cameo appearance with 26 passing yards but was outplayed by Greyson Thompson, the third quarterback to get snaps. The North Texas transfer went 5-of-6 with two touchdowns and looked in control of the offense.
The quarterback competition will likely continue into the fall, but Thompson and Brown look like the clear front-runners after the spring game.
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JD Martin can be JSU's lead back
Jackson State couldn't keep all of its playmakers after Deion Sanders bolted for Colorado. His departure was the first step before several notable players entered the transfer portal.
Taylor had a huge victory early in his tenure by keeping Sy'veon Wilkerson with the program. Wilkerson led JSU in rushing with 1,152 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season with the Tigers. The only issue is Wilkerson hasn't practiced with the team this spring and that victory was short lived.
"Sy'veon Wilkerson is no longer a part of Jackson State right now," Taylor said.
The sophomore hadn't practiced with the team during the spring.
“Sy’Veon is trying to figure some things out right now," Taylor said on April 7. "He’s a part of this team until he tells us he’s not. But he’s trying to figure some things out. We’ve got to focus on the guys that’s in here now.”
Martin looks to fill that hole left by Wilkerson's absence. The junior had 173 rushing yards, 129 receiving yards and three TDs in eight games last season. He had eight carries for 46 yards with one touchdown in the scrimmage.
JSU's quick-game is gone
The departure of offensive coordinator Brett Bartolone was immediately apparent. Bartolone — now with Deion Sanders at Colorado — had a tremendous connection with Shedeur Sanders and his offense was quarterback-friendly.
Bartolone's offense allowed Shedeur Sanders to pick apart soft coverage from opposing defenses, which led to quick decisions and easy throws last season.
That wasn't the case Saturday.
There could be a variety of reasons for that. Shedeur Sanders started back-to-back seasons and had a host of wide receiving talent, including former five-star recruit Travis Hunter. None of Jackson State's quarterbacks Saturday were afforded those luxuries.
The ease and quickness of JSU's offense is gone with limited snaps under first-year offensive coordinator Maurice Harris. Shedeur Sanders transferring isn't the only difference for the Tigers' offense.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How Jackson State football's new offense, QBs fared in spring game
