Why Emory Stayed
Emory Jones could have gone somewhere else.
He could have looked at the depth chart, looked at the calendar and realizing he’d be a redshirt-junior before getting a real shot to start, decided it best to transfer.
He could have accessed how easily passers receive waivers to play instantly as a transfer, the need in the market for former Top 5 duel threat quarterbacks and the opportunity to pick the best place to make an immediate impact as the next hot-shot transfer quarterback.
He even thought about it all.
"I mean yeah, obviously,” Jones admitted.
“Well not—I mean honestly, those things went through my head before.”
But Emory Jones also has a front row seat and exclusive access to the best story in college football. The story in hard work and patience and stoicism; the story of Kyle Trask.
“I just look, just seeing like how he handles his business just keeps me motivated because I just, I just see how much he's grown over the years. And I see myself still growing and getting better every day.
“I definitely look at him and the path that he’s taken, had to go through, and he’s done nothing but like just help me because it kept me confident, just seeing the things that he does and how he hands his business week in and week out. It just keeps me motivated. It keeps me looking forward and I can’t wait until it’s my turn.”
Since Jones arrived on campus, the prototypical Dan Mullen running quarterback, Emory’s “turn” has always been just on the precipice, being rolled in to games at various times and drives, always ready to take over for injuries or to keep the defense on their toes. Mullen purposely never tells Jones ahead of time when he’s going in, even if his drives are scripted by the coaches. The purpose—according to Jones—is to make sure he’s always ready.…well almost always ready.
“It’s crazy because like these three years I never know when I’m going to go into a game. I’ve just always got to be ready. Like that one time last year against LSU, I didn’t have my helmet with me when [Mullen] called me into the game. From that time on, I always have my helmet with me, my feet ready to go because I never know when he is going to call me in…I mean, I'm kind of used to it now. It doesn't really faze me. I'm always ready on the sideline to go.”
It’s the same philosophy the staff used with Trask.
When Feleipe Franks was injured versus Kentucky in 2019, however, Jones already knew Trask would go in; coaches had talked to all three passers at the beginning of the season to let them know the depth chart and make sure there was no confusion during the season. But the plan has always been to keep Jones involved until it’s his time.
Still, by making sure every quarterback on the roster was/is always ready, none have to “get” ready. It’s proven invaluable with Kyle Trask, who came in and didn’t miss a beat.
Now, even with Trask on a Heisman run, Mullen and Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson have kept opponents defenses on a consistent diet of Emory Jones with 11 passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns, along with 17 rushes for 123 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Last Saturday versus Vanderbilt, Jones threw the final touchdown to tight end Kemore Gamble. It gave the No. 6 Florida Gators a 21-point going away win…and ended Kyle Trask’s streak of games this season with four-plus touchdowns.
Camera’s on the sideline showed Trask celebrating more than anyone.
“I mean it’s never about any stats or anything like that with Coach Mullen or Kyle. I mean Kyle was happy as ever when I went in there and threw that touchdown so it’s never any like … like I don’t think he ever thought about that honestly. He was all happy for me to go in the game and do my thing.”
That relationship—just as much as the example Trask has set by biding his time in route leading the Power 5 in passing, quarterbacking Florida to a nation’s best in passing offense and becoming ESPN’s leader in the Heisman watch—has kept Jones grounded, providing a wealth of information and sounding board on how to become one of the country’s most accurate and dependable quarterbacks.
“When we talk about things it’s just like things that are going on in the game and stuff like that and things that he sees and stuff like that. And he just helps me out with things he sees on the field since I’m not like actually out there most of the time getting all those reps. So those are most of the conversations that we have just so he keeps me like elevated and everything so to make sure if I do have to go in and finish something off, I’m ready.”
Now Jones is passing on these lessons to freshman Anthony Richardson as well, the example for Richardson that Trask has been for Jones.
“Me and [Anthony] have a lot of talks about stuff like that and just, like he's been doing a really good job learning the offense and stuff like that and handling his business, and I mean, we done had conversations about all that and he understands like everything and he just, he playing his role with the team right now.”
Emory Jones has the tools and talent to be the next game changing quarterback under Dan Mullen. Now, in year three of the offense and following along the same path Kyle Trask has taken to where he is now, Jones is marrying that talent with development, knowledge and a tinge of patience that has proven worth staying for.
“I just wait for my time, being patient.”
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