Jacob Coker has been a competitor his entire life. Coming from Mobile, Ala., he battled both EJ Manuel (2012) and Jameis Winston (2013) for the starting quarterback job at Florida State.
In a losing effort in both attempts, he transferred to Alabama in 2014.
Coker would lose out to Blake Sims, but he gained valuable experience in mop up duty for seven games. The 6-foot-5, 236-pound signal-caller competed with four other guys for the starting role in 2015, and edged out all of them with a gutsy performance against Ole Miss in a losing effort.
Coker would lead Alabama to the College Football Playoff, posting 621 passing yards and four touchdowns on an 74.5 percent completion clip (41 of 55). His 335-yard passing exploit against Clemson, guided the Crimson Tide to its fourth national championship under Nick Saban.
Coker brings the same competitive edge to the National Football League, as Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent. He learned a lot at rookie mini-camp and is continuing to adjust through the final week of organized team activities or OTAs.
Ex-Southern California and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley is who Coker is expected to pass up on his way to claiming the final roster spot, behind Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton.
“It’s been pretty good,” he told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Tuesday afternoon. “I’m just trying to pick everything up and learn as fast as I can.”
“It’s been fun and been able to be in the same quarterback room as Drew and Carson and all them, and Matt, and just seeing how they work and seeing how they practice is pretty special.”
Coker had some of his best games, completion wise against the Southeastern Conference.
He connected with targets 60 percent of the time against Georgia, Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida. Alabama’s meetings with Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU saw him connect on 70 percent of his attempts. Consistency on deep ball passes was something Coker gained more confidence in throughout the year, as he ended 2015 ranked fourth in the SEC in passing efficiency (147.0 rating).
He has to win the job before he starts thinking about throwing passes to Larry Fitzgerald and others, but two things Coker has going for him are size and experience in a pro-style offense.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
