BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Alabama quarterback Jake Coker was a regular on the field in his hometown of Mobile once the Tide's spring practice was over, working with longtime quarterback coach David Morris in preparation for the fall.
To Morris, the Tide's senior quarterback "looks good" and "looks ready" going into a fall he enters as the favorite to replace Blake Sims as Alabama's starting signal caller.
"I really feel good about where he is," said Morris, a former Ole Miss quarterback who has trained high-profile quarterbacks such as Eli Manning, AJ McCarron, Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow. "I'm really excited about the way he looks right now. He looks twitchy. It's not really a word, but that's how I would describe it. He's a great athlete. He's got his step back. I think his motion is a little quicker, and I think he's going to be in position to react fast and play fast.
"People don't realize that that doesn't happen overnight. That's a maturation process and an experience thing, and I really think he's in a position to hit his stride right now. I really believe that. I've had him for a long time and have always known his potential, and I'm really excited about where he is right now."
Jake Coker, Alec Morris throwing during scrimmageAlabama quarterbacks Jake Coker and Alec Morris throwing to wide receivers and tight ends during the Tide's scrimmage April 11, 2015.
Coker transferred from Florida State to Alabama last year after serving as the backup behind Heisman Trophy winnerJameis Winston as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.
The expected starter entering the fall, Coker was beaten out by Sims for the Tide's starting quarterback job.
With Sims gone, Coker consistently worked with Alabama's first-team offense this spring.
"You're always trying to be consistent," Morris said. "That's one of the challenges of this position is being steady and being consistent and being a high completion percentage guy, being a steady leader and being a balanced kid. All of that is really important at this position, and I think he is in a position now to be more consistent now than he was this time last year."
Coker was the first-team quarterback during the Tide's A-Day game in April.
The day was a microcosm of Coker's spring.
There were great moments. A 30-yard completion to wide receiver Robert Foster on a rollout to his right on the first play from scrimmage. A perfectly-placed 40-yard touchdown pass to ArDarius Stewart deep over the middle of the field on a 4th-and-14. And a strike down the seam to Foster for a 35-yard gain down to the 1-yard line.
There were also bad moments, most notably an interception defensive back Maurice Smith returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
Coker was just 4 of 12 with the interception during the second half after completing 10 of 16 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the first half.
Consistency was a problem for all of Alabama's quarterbacks during the spring. CoachNick Saban routinely mentioned the inconsistency whenever discussing the quarterbacks.
Still, Coker felt he had a positive spring, Morris said.
"He feels like he has a lot of getting better to do," Morris said, "but he feels like he had a good spring. The challenge is just to always be on the same page and really grow the chemistry with the guys up front, the guys behind him and the guys out-wide. I think that's always evolving."
Coker has worked with Morris since he was a junior at St. Paul's High School in Mobile.
Coker spent a lot of time with Morris in May following the conclusion of the Tide's spring practice. Coker also worked with Morris at times during June when not in Tuscaloosa.
"I just think the ability to have ball control and to have touch [is impressive] - he's a big-armed guy - so the ability to have touch and to take some miles per hour off the football and place it well," Morris said. "I think his accuracy looks better in general. I think his touch really looks good right now, whether it be a close-quarter throw or a deep ball. I think he has good ball command right now."
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To Morris, the Tide's senior quarterback "looks good" and "looks ready" going into a fall he enters as the favorite to replace Blake Sims as Alabama's starting signal caller.
"I really feel good about where he is," said Morris, a former Ole Miss quarterback who has trained high-profile quarterbacks such as Eli Manning, AJ McCarron, Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow. "I'm really excited about the way he looks right now. He looks twitchy. It's not really a word, but that's how I would describe it. He's a great athlete. He's got his step back. I think his motion is a little quicker, and I think he's going to be in position to react fast and play fast.
"People don't realize that that doesn't happen overnight. That's a maturation process and an experience thing, and I really think he's in a position to hit his stride right now. I really believe that. I've had him for a long time and have always known his potential, and I'm really excited about where he is right now."
Jake Coker, Alec Morris throwing during scrimmageAlabama quarterbacks Jake Coker and Alec Morris throwing to wide receivers and tight ends during the Tide's scrimmage April 11, 2015.
Coker transferred from Florida State to Alabama last year after serving as the backup behind Heisman Trophy winnerJameis Winston as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.
The expected starter entering the fall, Coker was beaten out by Sims for the Tide's starting quarterback job.
With Sims gone, Coker consistently worked with Alabama's first-team offense this spring.
"You're always trying to be consistent," Morris said. "That's one of the challenges of this position is being steady and being consistent and being a high completion percentage guy, being a steady leader and being a balanced kid. All of that is really important at this position, and I think he is in a position now to be more consistent now than he was this time last year."
Coker was the first-team quarterback during the Tide's A-Day game in April.
The day was a microcosm of Coker's spring.
There were great moments. A 30-yard completion to wide receiver Robert Foster on a rollout to his right on the first play from scrimmage. A perfectly-placed 40-yard touchdown pass to ArDarius Stewart deep over the middle of the field on a 4th-and-14. And a strike down the seam to Foster for a 35-yard gain down to the 1-yard line.
There were also bad moments, most notably an interception defensive back Maurice Smith returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
Coker was just 4 of 12 with the interception during the second half after completing 10 of 16 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in the first half.
Consistency was a problem for all of Alabama's quarterbacks during the spring. CoachNick Saban routinely mentioned the inconsistency whenever discussing the quarterbacks.
Still, Coker felt he had a positive spring, Morris said.
"He feels like he has a lot of getting better to do," Morris said, "but he feels like he had a good spring. The challenge is just to always be on the same page and really grow the chemistry with the guys up front, the guys behind him and the guys out-wide. I think that's always evolving."
Coker has worked with Morris since he was a junior at St. Paul's High School in Mobile.
Coker spent a lot of time with Morris in May following the conclusion of the Tide's spring practice. Coker also worked with Morris at times during June when not in Tuscaloosa.
"I just think the ability to have ball control and to have touch [is impressive] - he's a big-armed guy - so the ability to have touch and to take some miles per hour off the football and place it well," Morris said. "I think his accuracy looks better in general. I think his touch really looks good right now, whether it be a close-quarter throw or a deep ball. I think he has good ball command right now."
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