STARKVILLE — Starkville High School coach Jamie Mitchell knows what is priority number one going into the 2012 season.
The Yellow Jackets need to protect their three-star prospect at quarterback. The five large bodies on the line of scrimmage have to be able to make senior quarterback Gabe Myles feel comfortable behind center.
Comfort for Myles certainly doesn’t mean making him a one-dimensional football player in his final season at SHS. The Yellow Jackets signal caller, who was 84 passing yards from a season mark where he would’ve had 2000 passing and 1000 rushing yards last season, will be in motion throughout this year whether it’s on designed roll outs or taking off on a designed run play along with an improved aerial attack.
“I wish I had that answer but what I do know is you can’t keep him in a glass jar and (Gabe) wouldn’t want us to because he’s a football player,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell knows that he must find a way to pick the five best offensive linemen during this fall camp and has four seniors with experience on the roster.
If SHS can put together a cohesive offensive line, Starkville’s offense that racked up nearly 325 yards per game and had five different players averaging five yards per carry could be just as dynamic again.
“We got a lot of unanswered questions (up front) but I think that’s what makes the competition of the camp fun and exciting for our coaches,” Mitchell said. “They just haven’t played a lot at the varsity level but they are big, skilled and know we have to keep Gabe healthy.”
Myles finished last season with 32 total touchdowns (19 passing, 13 rushing) and was Starkville’s leading rusher with 1,018 yards. Early in camp he has shown the cohesion of Mitchell’s third year in his system to utilize the abundance of skill position players the Yellow Jackets have in 2012.
“We have a lot of weapons this year for me to choose from – that’s for sure,” Myles said. “I don’t worry at all about the line because my guys will block long enough for me to get the ball to a big-time athlete that’s open.”
Starkville opened up fall camp this week with a lot of returnees on the offensive side of the ball at skill positions and a defense that Mitchell feels can be one of the best units in all of Class 5A football in Mississippi. The unknown commodity remains the protection that will could led by lineman Jawon Johnson if the 295-pounder isn’t being asked to provide too much on the other side of the ball at defensive tackle.
The less Mitchell and his staff have to worry about protection breakdowns throughout the 2012 campaign, the Yellow Jackets third-year head coach feels he won’t have to worry about the amount of contact he’s already asking his star player to endure.
“I just don’t think we can sit around and worry about Gabe’s health when you factor in the amount of times we’re going to ask him to touch the ball this season,” Mitchell said.
Thursday afternoon will be the first day of practice with shoulder pads to identify leaders on the line of scrimmage and Saturday is when Mitchell and the Yellow Jackets will have a first indication of roles on the squad with their first scrimmage of the fall season.
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