5 college passers the Steelers should keep tabs on in 2021
By Brendan Howe
Jacob Zeno
Many are unfamiliar with Baylor’s Jacob Zeno. If newly hired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has his say, they’ll be acquainted with the redshirt sophomore by the middle of this fall.
A four-star pledge who snubbed the likes of Florida and Georgia to suit up for the Bears, Zeno spent the last two seasons biding his time behind Charlie Brewer, who’s since left for Utah. With the team’s starting job now up for grabs, he and junior Gerry Bohanon continue vying for the spot.
Last year, the contestants combined for only nine passes in relief of Brewer. In his four collegiate appearances, Zeno’s displayed some arm strength. As a true freshman in the 2019 Big 12 Championship game, he launched an 81-yard touchdown, the longest pass by a Baylor freshman in the program’s history.
Grimes brings with him a scheme that Baylor’s quarterback room speaks highly of. At BYU, Grimes designed plays for another passer who was relatively unknown at this time in 2020—the Jets’ Zach Wilson.
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Fans got their first glimpse of Zeno in the attack’s new design in April’s Green and Gold game. He was trotted out first and eventually capped the intrasquad scrimmage with a 29-yard scoring strike.
Only a year removed from a Sugar Bowl appearance, Baylor hopes Grimes and whatever quarterback is handed the keys can turn heads in Texas.