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[14:00]
Stepping back onto the second floor of the Wasserman Football Centre, Jace resisted the urge to groan as he navigated the hallway leading to a row of meeting rooms. The afternoon sun still blazed outside, but the building's climate-controlled interior was a welcome reprieve. Every muscle in his body ached from the morning's punishment. Even so, he forced his posture straight—this was his first proper positional meeting with the UCLA quarterback unit, and he wasn't about to show any sign of weakness in front of Coach Davis.
Coach Davis was already inside when Jace pushed open the door: the tall, bearded coach stood near a large whiteboard filled with Xs, O's, and color-coded notes. Three other QBs were seated around a conference table scattered with notebooks and water bottles. Jace recognized one of them as the idiot who decided to punch him at the party, Austin Maddox a.k.a starting QB for the Bruins.
"You're late, Mr Lyon," were the first words that greeted him. He looked at the clock on the wall, and sure enough, it said 14:00 on the dot.
"Coach, my schedule says 2 p.m.," he responded as he took one of the vacant seats. The room fell silent for a second as Coach Davis looked up from his iPad, fully locking gazes with Jace.
"I don't presume to know how it worked in whatever high school you breezed through, but this is D1 Football, young man. If you're not 15 minutes early, you're late, on time is being here when I do, I am the only coach you have to impress and so far, you're off to a poor start," He responded in a neutral tone holding Jace's gaze for a second before glancing back at his iPad.
"Now for those serious about their D1 journey, we will be using a hurry-up offense in the new season," he said as he shot Jace a glance before continuing with his presentation. "For you, that means getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible, anticipating the play before it unfolds, and most importantly don't panic under pressure."
A moment of silence ensued as all four QBs sat in silence, taking his words. Most of them knew they would have to adapt quickly under this new offensive framework, otherwise, they would quickly get to know different bleachers across the country. The only thing that calmed their minds is the fact that the school must have chosen them because they believed they could fit this framework.
The other 3 had the advantage of having played for the school for at least a year or longer. They were already used to the team's playstyle, as despite the offensive scheme changing, the core principle of a fast and dynamic offense remained the same. Jace was the only odd one out as for 4 years he spent in high school he was trained as a gunslinger and a Downfield Passer.
He was trained to throw into windows, maximizing his velocity and arm strength. This playstyle allowed him to win two national championships and become one of the top 5 players in the state. However, his playstyle required a minimum amount of at least five seconds and 10 would be best.
Under a hurry-up offense, he would be required to throw the ball the second he stepped back from the snap. No matter how much he thought about it, he would struggle to adapt quickly, and his pass completion rate, which had been at around 80%, would drop to around 70%. That was only under the consideration that he managed to quickly build chemistry with his receivers.
Coach Davis did not care what was running through his head as he simply proceeded to pass out thick stacks of binders. "This is your holy grail, your lifeline in this year. Learn each play as if it's your mother's birthdate, and before you ask, you should've memorized it yesterday so it's already too late to impress me."
Silence once again lingered in the room as none of them dared to speak up, but every QB was thinking the same thing. 'Is this N***a serious?' None voiced their thoughts though as they simply listened with composed expressions resisting the urge to channel Tyson. "None of you will be throwing a ball until you know the playbook by heart, good news, though the first week is all about the physicals."
Jace glanced down at the thick binder, thumbing through pages filled with complex diagrams, blocking schemes, hot routes, and audibles. This is something he could do, reading these lines that may as well be a foreign language to others just made sense to him. It was a language that just clicked in his mind as the actual play played out in a 2D world with players running the exact routes.
"As D1 quarterbacks," Coach Davis continued, pacing slowly, "you're expected to not only know your job, but everyone else's too. You have to understand the offense better than anyone else on that field, coaches included. If your receiver misses a route, that's on you. If your linemen miss a block, guess what—that's still on you."
Coach Davis paused, leaning forward slightly as he planted his palms on the conference table, staring each quarterback in the eyes in turn. "Let me be crystal clear. There's no safety net here. If you can't handle the pressure or if your ego is too fragile for tough coaching, UCLA isn't the place for you. This position demands absolute accountability. If you can't live up to expectations and make excuses, we will find someone who won't."
He flicked up his hand checking his wristwatch for the time before nodding. "That is all for the day, you have an evening gym session with Coach Thompson and you're already late." With his words, the players didn't waste a moment to jump up from their seats and immediately started packing up their things and headed for the door.
"A word, Jace," he said just as the latter was about to reach the door. The other players glanced back at him but didn't say a word as they headed to their next appointment. Jace stopped mid-step, turning slowly to face Coach Davis, who stood leaning against the table with a neutral expression. He waited silently until the door clicked shut behind the other quarterbacks before speaking.
"Sit," Coach Davis instructed calmly, gesturing to the chair nearest to him.
Jace took a deep breath, settling back into the chair, his eyes steady but wary as he studied the man in his mid-fifties in front of him. He wasn't sure what the coach was about to say, but he could tell that the man was not his biggest fan, which was less than ideal.
Coach Davis regarded him for a long moment, his eyes unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was firm but devoid of hostility. "Do you know why we recruited you, Jace?"
"Because you had no other option but to offer me a scholarship, especially when trying to rebuild after that scandal. Saying you don't need one of the biggest prospects in your state would only hurt the school's rebuild efforts if results weren't produced," Jace calmly answered as his green eyes locked onto Coach Thompson's dark brown eyes.
The man's eyes widened in shock, clearly, he wasn't expecting him to say it so bluntly. "Look, coach, whether you wanted me or didn't, I am here now, and we both have to deal with this fact. I will do what's expected of me on the field, if you want me to throw blindfolded that's what I will do, heck I'll even do it left-handed but what I will not do is go out of my way to please anyone or let them change who I am so they can feel comfortable. A Hunger for victory and heart on the field is all I will give you,"
Coach Davis held Jace's stare, processing the younger man's words with a blank expression. Finally, he gave a faint nod, his eyes hardening slightly—just enough to indicate that Jace's message had been understood, even if he wasn't ready to openly admit it.
"Well," Davis finally said, leaning back against the table, arms crossed comfortably, "at least you understand the situation you're walking into. Truthfully, the athletic department had reservations about you. They worried you'd be a distraction—too much ego, too big of a personality. The exact opposite of what a rebuilding program needs and honestly I agree."
Jace didn't blink, holding the coach's gaze steadily, waiting for him to continue speaking. "That is why I thought I would let you know that Austin is my guy to carry us forward, he is a proven talent and the most logical choice as he embodies what it means to be a Bruin. All your hype doesn't matter so you either put up or shut up if you want any minutes this season."
Jace looked at him for a second before sliding his chair back and getting up, as he slung his book bag over his shoulder. "You know coach, there is a simple flaw in your reasoning. Austin isn't special, otherwise, he wouldn't be here, let alone ride your bench for 2 years and only play a good season in his junior year. It'll be fun competing against a true senior though, it's like high school all over again,"
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To Be Continued...