» By AARON FORSGREN – [email protected]
This year, the Govs added Landon Curtis, a six-foot-one-inch 200-pound freshman from Calhoun High School in Calhoun, Ga., to their football roster as a new quarterback.
During his high school years, Curtis played football and baseball, and had an impressive track record in both sports. He played the position of linebacker during his junior year and went with his team to the state championship where the season ended.
He started as quarterback during the state championship during his senior year and, although they lost in overtime, Curtis as well as the team had a good season with a record of 14 and 1. He completed 173 of 266 passes for a total of 2,560 yards and 32 touchdowns.
He was named Class AA Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and first team all-state by both the Associated Press and the Atlanta Journal – Constitution.
He was also the winning pitcher in the Class AA state title game during his junior year.
Curtis said he looks forward to getting on the field. “It’s going to be fun playing teams like Cincinnati [and] getting to see all of those fans in
the stands. I’ve gotten to know so many people here, it’s so much fun. I love college.”
He’s also looking forward to the season ahead and does not lack the confidence a quarterback needs. “I think we should be pretty good this season. We’ve got athletes all over the field.”
Curtis said he doesn’t expect the team to really run into any problems as they are a pretty potent group, mentioning both the offensive line and quarterback Jake Ryan. “They are pretty experienced and Jake is getting older and more experienced.You can tell he’s picking up on the game and he’s going to start doing better.”
As most athletes do, Curtis had opportunities to attend numerous other colleges, but chose APSU as his number one choice.
Curtis said, “I still wanted to play football. I had opportunities to go to places and play baseball but I didn’t want to hang up the football cleats just yet,” Curtis said. “So I chose APSU because I have the opportunity to play both.”
He went on to say he wants to play the quarterback position, but if given the chance he would play another position. “If it came down to it, and they said I could be on the field earlier and play another position, I would do it. In the end, I want to play quarterback. That’s what I came here to do.”
Curtis said he feels the coaching staff are all characters and likes working with them. I get along with coach Chris [really] well. He’s my position coach, so I’m with him every day through meetings and everything. All of the coaches are cool.”
Curtis can’t wait to get out on the field and start his college career, and the Govs’ fans will be there, waiting in the wings, as they cheer the team on this season and the seasons to follow. TAS
