Union’s Colby Ferguson didn’t have much choice when it came to the quarterback position.
Ferguson was thrown into the fire as a sophomore last year as the Yellowjackets went through a ton of injuries as they stumbled to a 2-8 season.
But after going through the baptism by fire, Ferguson has had an entire off-season to hone his skills as quarterback, making him the latest addition to The Newton County Appeal’s Elite 11 football team.
“He just got thrown in the fire,” Union coach Brad Breland said. “I think he actually started out playing wide receiver. Then throughout the year, he ended up going to running back, and eventually we just threw him in there as quarterback by default because everybody else had gotten injured. It was just one of those fluke years where everything snowballed, and he answered the call and did really well.”
But Ferguson didn’t let the position go and has taken on the position of team leader.
good summer,” Union coach Brad Breland said. “If he hasn’t got perfect attendance, he’s only missed one time. He has been a leader. He’s been coming up here working three or four times a week extra with the receivers. He has really gotten a lot stronger and I’m sure he’s a lot faster than he was last year. He throws the ball well and is getting a lot more confidence throwing the ball. We really expect for him to have a really good year if he stays healthy.”
Ferguson showed the leadership that all coaches love to see when he organized an afternoon 7-0n-7 with his receivers.
“A group of us have been coming to the field almost every day this summer, just been working on passing and play 7 on 7,” Ferguson said. “There are about 10-12 of us and I will play all-time quarterback. It helps with the timing. One of the fathers would come out with us. We did a lot of one-on-one. It was a group of guys trying to get better.”
Breland has seen Ferguson continue to grow as a leader.
“He always played hard and he always had a lot of heart,” Breland said. “He stepped up and was a leader last year and that’s what you want. You want your best players to be your leaders. I think he will do that going forward. He is a competitor and has really developed.”
Breland said Ferguson has had a good summer and has gotten better but doesn’t know just how good he can be just yet.
“He hasn’t played enough quarterback to know how good he can be back there,” Breland said. “He has gone from being somebody who was just slinging it last year when we threw him in there to somebody who is becoming a passer. He is making his reads a lot better now. he is still going to have a lot of growing pains, like when to throw the ball away when the rush is coming and that sort of thing. But the main thing is it matters to him and he wants to get better at it. He is going to want to succeed.”
Besides quarterback, Ferguson is expected to play safety, punter and kicker for the Jackets.
“He would play linebacker if he wasn’t playing quarterback,” Breland said. “That’s what he played for us last year and did really well. We moved him to the secondary to get him out of that mix a little bit and try to protect him. But he’s definitely an outside linebacker type of guy. He is strong and he runs well and he is physical. I think he will be a good strong safety type. He will play on both sides for us. he’s one of our best defensive athletes. He will have to play some safety. I like to try to protect my quarterback as much as I can but you have to get your best players on the field.”
Ferguson said last year left a bad taste in the Jackets’ mouth.
“As young as we were last year, I think a lot of us have grown up since last year,” Ferguson said. “We actually got some playing experience under our belts and a little weight on us. We have a lot more experience. We have been working hard in the weight room. The coaches have really been pushing us in the weight room because nobody wants to go 2-8, ever.”
