QB Sawyer Pate

[aubiefifty 18,231]

'Steady' QB Sawyer Pate could 'shock' Auburn coaches

By Ben Thomas | bthomas@al.com

4-5 minutes

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Thompson quarterback Sawyer Pate, left, is congratulated by JB Mitchell after his first quarter touchdown against Central-Phenix City during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory | preps@al.com

The first word that comes to mind when Thompson High head coach Mark Freeman thinks about former quarterback Sawyer Pate is “steady.”

Pate threw 41 touchdown passes in leading the Warriors to the 2019 Class 7A state championship in 2019.

This fall, he will be a part of Auburn University’s quarterback room as an invited walk-on.

“He is going to provide a steady guy in that room,” Freeman said in an interview on Sports Talk 99.5 in Mobile on Wednesday. “Sawyer is going to know the scheme. He is going to know why they want to do what they want to do. I’m assuming coach (Chad) Morris (Auburn offensive coordinator) will call offense pretty close to what he has done in the past. I don’t think there will be anybody in that room who better understands better why coach is doing what he is doing than Sawyer.”

RELATED: Auburn was Pate’s ‘dream’ school

Pate had a banner senior season for Freeman. He completed 229-of-306 pass attempts for 3,125 yards. He was intercepted just five times.

He beat rival Hoover twice and capped his season by throwing two touchdown passes and running for two more in a 40-14 victory over Central-Phenix City in the Class 7A championship game. He also was named the ASWA Class 7A Back of the Year and played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

“Sawyer is a student of the game,” Freeman said. “He reminds me of Joel Poe, who we had at Spanish Fort (in 2013). Sawyer wasn’t the fastest guy on our team, but he could always get three or four yards and more than that if he had to. He also always knew where to go with the ball.

“He will be a steady guy. They will probably have some guys with more speed or flash than him, but I think he will be a shock to the people down there.”

Pate isn’t likely to jump ship even if he sees limited playing time behind starter Bo Nix and other Auburn quarterbacks. At Thompson, he bided his time for two years behind former Alabama and current Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa before getting his chance to shine as a senior.

“He did wait, and his family did wait,” Freeman said. “When they found out the Tagovailoas were moving here, I talked to the family. They just told me, ‘Coach, we just want him to compete.’ That’s exactly what Sawyer did. He never once wavered. His family helped me in every situation – booster club, foundation club, whatever needed to be done.”

Not only did Pate stay at Thompson, but Freeman said he and Tagovailoa became fast friends. In fact, he remembered one particularly poignant display of their friendship and admiration for each other.

“When Taulia came in, he didn’t do any interviews,” Freeman said. “The dad wanted him to bleed and sweat with the rest of the team. I remember the first interview we let ‘Lia do. The SEC Network came through and wanted to do something on him.

“We got it hooked up and set up in the corner of the end zone. I look down there and Taulia had Sawyer with him to do the interview. I knew then this would be great, and they became best friends.”

With Taulia injured prior to the 2018 state championship game, Pate got most of the work in practice and also relieved his friend in the second half of the game.

“I think that experience was really big last year for Sawyer,” Freeman said.

Pate was named to the AL.com All-Birmingham Team, the ASWA’s Super 12 Team and finished fifth in Mr. Football balloting.

[DAG 34,754]

Ben Thomas with that strong adjective game!

[gr82be 14,910]

After reading that I just have one question. Is he steady?

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

“Sawyer is a student of the game,” Freeman said. “He reminds me of Joel Poe, who we had at Spanish Fort (in 2013). Sawyer wasn’t the fastest guy on our team, but he could always get three or four yards and more than that if he had to. He also always knew where to go with the ball.

“He will be a steady guy. They will probably have some guys with more speed or flash than him, but I think he will be a shock to the people down there.”

Huh. I wonder what the guy he's describing looks like. Whoever he is, I bet he's got a lot of heart and a high motor, too. 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Huh. I wonder what the guy he's describing looks like. Whoever he is, I bet he's got a lot of heart and a high motor, too. 

he reminds me a little of bo but not sure why as i have seen little of him.

[McLoofus 35,182]

11 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

he reminds me a little of bo but not sure why as i have seen little of him.

I was making a joke about how quarterbacks tend to be discussed. For those who got it, I hope they took it as the light-hearted joke I meant it as. 

[homersapien 12,230]

Walk on?  I am sure he could get a scholly somewhere.

He sounds like a future coach to me.

[Win4AU 4,182]

Future Aday MVP?

[lutzcammed 471]

he will become a very steady coach.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,046]

he might be able to shock his way to the 3rd string instead of the scout team QB for Arkansas and the ghost of Alcorn State

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

I'm guessing he tries the Will Appleton approach: train up at the Power-5 school then go try and be "The Man" at a smaller school.

Who knows though. It's 2020 and anything could happen. We may end up having to start our 2's and 3's due to quarantine 😬