Jax Leatherwood has learned that leading an offense takes more than making the right throw. The Tennessee Tech senior quarterback has embraced the responsibility of trusting his teammates, making quick decisions and keeping the Golden Eagles focused as they continue their unbeaten run.
Leatherwood is leading the Golden Eagles to a 4-0 start this season behind a high-powered offense that has already produced 1,103 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.
Leatherwood said the team possesses a wide variety of receiving threats across the roster including wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends. Leatherwood said the offensive line provides the necessary protection and time to distribute the ball to those playmakers effectively.
Leatherwood said the effectiveness of the passing game stems from the coaching staff putting players in the right positions to succeed. Leatherwood said the offense maintains a high level of trust in Offensive Coordinator Drew Belcher to call the right plays at the right times.
“Well man, it’s been effective because first of all, like I said, the playmakers and then also our coaches are putting us in the right positions,” Leatherwood said.
Leatherwood said his ability to process opposing defenses begins in the film room with extensive tape study throughout the week. Leatherwood said the scout team helps the offense prepare by mimicking the specific looks they expect to see from opponents on Saturdays.
“I’ve been in college for quite a while now, I have a lot of experience at a lot of different places and I’ve seen quite a few defenses, so I feel that experience helps translate on Saturdays,” Leatherwood said. “Well, the first thing is it starts in the film room. We, we watch a lot of tape throughout the week, us quarterbacks and all the positions to make sure we’re prepared for the opponent.”
Leatherwood said the chemistry with his balanced group of wide receivers is built primarily through off-field relationships. Leatherwood said the team frequently spends time together outside of football, including going to dinner and hanging out at each other’s houses.
“It’s just a really fun group to be around. And because I like being around them, they like being around me, there’s a lot of trust and a great connection there.”
Leatherwood said the Tennessee Tech offense utilizes progression reads to adjust when a defense takes away a primary target. Leatherwood said he must diagnose the coverage quickly to move on to the second, third, or fourth options on any given play.
“So it’s about diagnosing really quickly, okay, that guy’s not going to be open, let’s move on and I have a lot of trust in my next target to catch the ball and get open,” Leatherwood said.
Leatherwood said the team must remain focused on the present and avoid becoming complacent despite the undefeated start. Leatherwood said the Golden Eagles have eight guaranteed regular season games remaining following their recent success against Wofford.
“Yeah, it’s all about right now for us, we can’t fall in love with ourselves,” Leatherwood said. “Of course we’re, we’re undefeated, we’re 4-0, but there’s still so much more left in this season. We have eight more regular season guaranteed games and we, we need to stay consistent, stay together and, you know, keep the good vibes rolling.”