Devlin's competitive drive gives him an excellent shot at starting role
Jun. 23—There will be a new starting quarterback for the Glynn Academy Red Terrors this upcoming football season, and it seems it's going to be the competitor Tyler Devlin.
With T.J. Lewis graduating and heading off to Louisville to play college football, the Red Terrors looked to a competitor who isn't afraid to work. He has to fill some pretty big shoes as Lewis started the last two years and led the Terrors to success.
Quarterback coach Pete Irby said you got to be a competitor to be a quarterback, and Devlin has those same skills that Lewis did when he was fighting for the job.
"It doesn't matter whether it's 10U baseball or it's varsity football — if you want a spot, you got to compete for it and win it," Irby said. "If you're not willing to compete for that position, how are we going to trust you with turning over the keys to the offense. That was something that T.J. did, and that's something that Tyler is doing as well. Tyler is certainly somebody that's not afraid to compete for a position, and that's what he's done, and he's going to win it."
Irby also said Devlin is a guy that shows a lot of similarities to another former Terror quarterback.
"I almost hate to make the comparison to Randon Jernigan because Randon and Tyler are two different two different players, but there really is a lot of similarities, I think, in their makeup," Irby said. "Randon was one of those guys that the moment was just never too big for him. He never got rattled. He just kind of had that demeanor, and his game elevates in those situations.
"Tyler seems to be that kind of kid too. He can take any coaching — nothing's ever taken personally. It's always about getting better."
Whether it's at the quarterback position or even the defensive back position, Devlin knows when he needs to step up and do something.
"Coming up with that big interception at the end of the Richmond Hill game to kind of seal it — he's kind of one of those players that you want on the field in those situations, and it's just natural," Irby said. "Obviously the physical tools that he has — he's a great thrower and a great runner. But it's also those other intangibles that just make him special, I guess."
Devlin went to Frederica Academy as a freshman in high school but made the transfer last summer and got to work taking reps at not only the quarterback position but on defense as well. Irby said he's a product of the Glynn County School system, and before they ever put pads on, he knew that he was athletic.
"You could tell by the way he carried himself," Irby said. "I think a lot is said by the way kids carry themselves, and especially when they show up day one — whether it's a ninth-grader or whether it's an upperclassman, you want to see what they got.
"Very quickly, we could see that he had something special, and he's not afraid to compete for any position, whether it was at quarterback or defensive back. I think that's kind of one of the things that you focus on as a coach, and I think those are some of the skill sets that are attractive — he's not afraid to compete for a position."
One of the only things Devlin needs to work on this summer is building relationships with his fellow teammates — especially the wide receivers. Irby said they're adding some different concepts to the offense this year, and having the timing down with the receivers will be crucial. There are new guys at the position like Tyson Rooks, who will be a first-year football player and another guy who was around last year in David Prince. These are just two of the wideouts that the Terrors have, and Irby said he's really pleased with that group as well.
"He needs to work on developing a relationship, not only with who hasn't been with us football-wise before but also developing those relationships and the timing things with those other receivers that have been there," Irby said. "I think we got a chance to be pretty good at wide receiver, and that's really going to help us at the quarterback position. Just continuing to develop those relationships is what we need from him this summer."
However, after talking with Irby, it seems Devlin won't have much trouble forming and creating those bonds. As the quarterback, he needs to be a leader, and it looks like he's on the right track.
"Tyler's a likable guy that people want to be around," Irby said. "I think that's another factor that's important in this position. He's a great teammate and has a great attitude. Those are all things that I look for in a quarterback and a player — Tyler has those things. We're excited about this upcoming season and some of the things that we're going to try and do on offense — adding some wrinkles. I think Tyler's going to be a great fit for that."
