Mark Edwards: In his seventh year of college football, don't bet against Zion Webb

Aug 5, 2023
JACKSONVILLE — After meeting with a handful of reporters following Saturday morning's 95-minute scrimmage, loooong-time quarterback Zion Webb let out an old-man grunt as he bent over to pick up his helmet.
We resisted the temptation to poke fun, although as friendly and easy going as Webb is with the folks with the cameras and notepads, I'm certain he would've taken the ribbing with a laugh.
This past off-season, we've had a lot of fun joking about the duration of Webb's college career. This is his seventh season, and even with all the waivers athletes can receive from the NCAA these days, that's a long time to spend on a college football team.
"He's older than some of my coaches," JSU head coach Rich Rodriguez said with a smile Saturday.
He was a college freshman in 2017 when the current freshmen were in seventh grade. Still, he's only 24, although he'll turn 25 on Dec. 22.
Amazingly enough in these days of an overloaded transfer portal, Webb has worn a Jacksonville State uniform all seven years. All. Seven. Years.
So, before we go further, let's answer a question lots of people seem to have: how can Webb play seven years?
When Webb arrived as a freshman in 2017, he sat out the season as a redshirt, and that year didn't count against his eligibility. Also, during the pandemic three years ago, the NCAA awarded a bonus year to every athlete who was affected by the issues surrounding COVID-19. So, the fall 2020/spring 2021 season didn't count against his eligibility, either.
More than a few JSU athletes have played an extra year because of the NCAA's COVID waiver.
Webb also missed the fall 2021 season because of a knee injury suffered in the spring 2021 FCS playoffs against Delaware. Jax State applied for a waiver on his behalf to get that season back, and the waiver was approved this summer.
So, he missed two seasons (2017 and fall 2021) and received the standard waiver to get a year back because of the pandemic (2020/2021 season). He will play four other seasons (2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023). That equals seven.
Teammate Jeremiah Harris, a defensive back, is in his seventh year, too, because of the same circumstances: two missed seasons, the COVID bonus year, and four other seasons on the field.
All that experience really has made a difference for Webb, who looked polished and confident in Saturday's scrimmage, which was JSU's first this preseason. Of the offense's four touchdowns in 11-on-11 work, Webb directed three of them. He ran for a short score and threw one touchdown pass each to J'wan Evans and Jordan McCants.
Garrison Rippa kicked a field goal to end a drive transfer Logan Smothers led, and true freshman quarterback Earl Woods threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Benjamin.
Maybe a bigger difference for Webb: he was healthy all off-season. He said he figured that the last time he spent the off-season not rehabbing from an injury was his freshman season.
He said he's eating better, sleeping better and staying with his routine better. He even gained about 10 to 15 pounds since last season. He joked with offensive coordinator Rod Smith that he needed a larger flak jacket that quarterbacks routinely wear to protect their ribs.
Rodriguez brought in Smothers from Nebraska to compete for the job. It's hard to imagine getting somebody from a Power Five school without a plan to start him.
But, Webb always seems to find a way to outperform guys with more extensive pedigrees. Zerrick Cooper arrived from Clemson in 2018, and Webb backed him up for two years. Cooper was a fine quarterback and made all-conference, but in the spring 2021 season, Webb produced a league championship and made all-conference, too.
Last year, Aaron McLaughlin transferred to JSU from North Carolina State, but Webb beat him out for the job.
Webb never has been the greatest passer, but he always seems to get the ball where it's supposed to go. His 4,106 career passing yards are ninth all-time at JSU. His 29 passing touchdowns are tied for eighth. He's sixth all-time in total offense with 5,676, and his 25 career rushing touchdowns are ninth.
The season hasn't started yet, and lots can change. A year ago at this time when Webb was struggling with an illness and weight loss, I swore McLaughlin would start. Boy, was I wrong. Even so, don't bet against Webb putting together another good season this fall.