The national spotlight is shining brightly on Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, and the conversations are not only about his potential Heisman Trophy chances this fall, but also his positioning near the top of NFL draft boards next April.
Lost in that pundit dialogue, but prevalent in Liberty circles, is the understanding that 2021 likely represents Willis’ final season at Liberty and therefore the backup quarterback position is one of great interest for the future of Hugh Freeze’s program.
Behind Willis, and do primarily to the 2020 COVID affected season not affecting player’s eligibility, there are five freshmen or redshirt-freshmen jockeying for position to solidify themselves as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart in Johnathan Bennett, Will Bowers, Sean Brown, Nate Hampton, and Kaidon Salter. Bennett is entering his third season with the program and he has separated himself from the others early in camp.
“JB is clearly the backup right now,” Liberty quarterback coach Kent Austin said. “He’s throwing the ball well. He has a great understanding, a grasp of the offense.”
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise as Bennett is the only quarterback on the roster other than Willis with any significant playing experience. He has competed in six games during his first two seasons on campus as he studied under Buckshot Calvert first and now Willis. Bennett, the native of Summerville, South Caroina, has completed 6 of his 11 pass attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown.
He was third on the depth chart during the 2020 season behind Willis and Chris Ferguson. It’s not just his grasp of the offense, but also his improvement as a passer, which has helped Bennett to seize hold to the backup role.
“JB is definitely further ahead in his understanding of the offense and making great decisions,” Austin stated. “He has improved a lot as a passer. He doesn’t spray the ball around as much. He’s making a lot more accurate throws. JB works really hard at his fundamentals. The understanding aspect, the mental aspect, comes a lot easier for Johnathan than most quarterbacks. He’s really bright. He can absorb a lot of information over a very short period of time, but if you can’t complete the football, it doesn’t matter your understanding of the offense. He needed to improve as a passer and he has, and I think that’s what has set him apart right now in the number two position.”
Will Bowers and Sean Brown were both part of the program last year while Nate Hampton and Kaidon Salter have joined the Flames with 2021 being their first season on the team. Salter was a highly rated prospect out of high school that signed with Tennessee before transferring to Liberty this summer. These four youngsters are still learning the offense and hoping to have things slow down for them as camp progresses.
“The young guys have talent,” Austin said of the four behind Willis and Bennett. “They all have talent. Things still move a little fast for them. We try to give them enough reps to help them to grow. It’s tough to mimic game situations in practice. You really don’t get better as a quarterback, truly get better and really grow as a quarterback, until you are playing live. We try to mimic as much as we can, put pressure on in practice and these types of things, but I think right now their development is right where it should be.”
