Todd Monken details the most important traits he’s looking for in UGA’s quarterbacks

Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken will be tasked with getting the most out of Georgia’s quarterbacks not just in the 2020 season but in future seasons to come.

So when speaking to the media on Tuesday, the first-year Georgia offensive coordinator shared the traits that he finds most important when evaluating the quarterback position.

“Well, first of all accuracy is No. 1 because if you’re gonna throw the football you have to be accurate with the football,” Monken said. “So that would be No. 1. How accurate are you when it comes to throwing the football?”

Between Jamie Newman and JT Daniels, the two have a similar completion percentage. In his 12 career starts, Daniels completed 60.7 percent of his passes, while Newman’s completion percentage comes in at 60.5 percent. Monken did add though that Newman was a better thrower than they had perceived with him entering the program in January.

The second trait that Monken values is mental toughness.

“I think that is up there, that’s gotta be a big part of it. How they handle it,” Monken said. “Quarterbacks are as closely aligned with winning and losing as coaches. They’re the closest you’re going to get in terms of your players as far as winning and losing.

“So those guys have to be able to handle the ups and downs of the position. The mental toughness ability to sustain through the ups and downs of playing the position and the media scrutiny.”

Daniels has been under the microscope a little bit more compared to Newman, with the former being a 5-star quarterback in addition to a freshman starter at USC. The Trojans went 5-7 in his freshman season. Daniels has also had to overcome a knee injury that ended his sophomore season in the opening half.

Newman meanwhile has won a quarterback competition of his own and battled through his own injuries. Newman has also dealt with greater expectations this offseason, as many assumed he would be Georgia’s starting quarterback.

Newman also figures to have a big edge in the final trait that Monken really values within quarterback.

The next part is the athleticism, being able to move and extend plays,” Monken said. “The game has become that so much more in terms of your athleticism.

“It’s tough to be a statue anymore and be consistently explosive and be able to move the football.”

Newman ran for 574 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns last season for Wake Forest in addition to his deep passing ability. His athleticism is one of the reasons many in the media find his skillset so intriguing.

As mentioned before, Daniels is still working his way back from an ACL injury. But as Monken did with Newman as a thrower, the Georgia offensive coordinator said that Daniels is a better athlete than Georgia had anticipated.

So what does all that mean for Georgia’s quarterback battle in 2020, as well as how Monken will recruit the position going forward? DawgNation’s Connor Riley goes into detail on those topics in the video below.

Among other topics discussed by Riley:

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