Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft: No. 6 Jake Fromm, Georgia

History

There was some debate after the 2019 regular season whether Jake Fromm should return to the Georgia Bulldogs for one more season in 2020. Last year Fromm led the Bulldogs offense to a 12-2 record and barely missed the College Playoffs, ranking fifth in the AP Poll. Still, some fans wondered if Fromm should abstain from joining the 2020 NFL Draft and work on his craft one more season.

Recruited by Kirby Smart, Fromm was initially slated to play for Alabama out of high school. When Smart, then Alabama defensive coordinator, became the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Fromm followed him to Athens, Georgia.

When asked about why he followed Smart to Georgia, the Georgia native replied in an interview:

"“I’m a relationship guy…Coach Smart, he was kind of my head recruiter (at Alabama). Really fell in love with him and what he had to offer… when he went to Georgia, it opened up a lot of doors for me. And being a Dog, it’s what I grew up watching. It’s where I always wanted to be, and just really thankful that he went over there and believed in me. And being a Dog is just where I always wanted to be.”"

Fromm came out of high school in Houston County, Georgia and was considered a pro-style quarterback. According to 247 Sports, Fromm was the second-best pro-style quarterback to come out of the 2017 recruiting class.

Fromm was a prolific talent, having played in games all four years of high school. According to MaxPreps.com, Fromm really took off from a production level in his sophomore season, playing in all 13 games that season, with 3,629 throwing yards, for 31 touchdowns and a 63 percent completion rate.

By the time Fromm had finished high school, he had thrown for 12,745 yards, 116 touchdowns and had a 123.6 quarterback rating. He was the second-highest ranked quarterback recruit in all of Georgia that year.

Coming to Georgia, Fromm was expected to sit behind Jacob Eason as the primary backup. However, it did not take long for Fromm to see action, as Eason suffered an injury in the first game of the 2017 season against Appalachian State. Fromm was named the starter for Week 2 against Notre Dame.

Replacing Eason as the quarterback in his freshman season, Fromm was originally protected by the play calling, as Smart opted to limit his exposure in games by asking him to throw less. That all changed in October against Missouri, when Fromm threw for a 69-percent completion rate, 326 yards and two touchdowns.

That game ended up being Fromm’s best game of the season for yards thrown, and afterward, Fromm was to be taken seriously as he continued to play even after Eason was healthy.

He played well the rest of the season, eventually defeating Auburn in the SEC Championship game. Fromm helped lead the team to the College Football Playoffs, ranking third in the country and defeated Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Rose Bowl, leading the Bulldogs to a victory in double overtime, 54-48.

While Georgia running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were the main engine of the Bulldogs offense that game, Fromm still made important throws when he had to in that thrilling playoff game, sending Mayfield to the NFL with a loss in his final game.

Next, Fromm and Smart took the Bulldogs to the doorstep of a national title, but lost in an overtime thriller to freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide.

While the Bulldogs had fallen short of the ultimate accomplishment of winning the national title, the team still overperformed expectations with their freshman quarterback playing most of the games. Eason eventually transferred and Fromm was considered the starter going forward.

2018 would prove less productive for Georgia, as they went 11-3 in total games and lost the SEC championship game against Alabama, effectively ending their chance at a playoff spot that season. Georgia does deserve some credit, however, as they played six ranked teams in 2018. Not exactly a cupcake schedule.

In 2019, the same thing happened: They played another six teams that were ranked and only lost to LSU and South Carolina, despite a slump in scoring after October. Excluding Georgia’s 52-7 victory over Georgia Tech, Fromm had a dip in scoring drives and didn’t put up more than 26 points on ranked opponents.

Fromm was able to finish his time in Georgia on a high note by defeating Baylor in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.