220 NEWBIE QB Sinclair said that Keylon fit into the offense well, with limited mistakes. “Cole, like anybody new to a football program, has things he can get better at, but he fit perfectly with this offense,” Sinclair said. “He is still so young and with him having three more years, he will only get better and better.” There was a lot of work coming in as a new quarterback, but there were also things to do during the season to stay in shape both mentally and physically. “As a quarterback, the training in the off-season is preparing your body for the season, so you can take hits and feel good throughout the season,” Keylon said. “In the season most of the training and preparation is training fundamentals and getting right mentally, opposed to a bunch of physical work.” Keylon also said that most of the training during the regular season was about being mentally focused. Keylon trained hard to be a good leader for the Bison offence, and the team was excited to continue to play with him. “He has grown so much this season and he continues to get better each game,” Bray said. “We are proud of him.” Written by: Jake Mooney A freshman on the football team starts his season as quarterback. Fall 2022 was the first football season in five years that the Bison Football team has had a new freshman quarterback. Red-shirt freshman quarterback Cole Keylon took the helm, after Preston Paden graduated in 2021. Paden was the starting quarterback since 2017, but this season marked the beginning of Keylon’s college career as the new field general. “With Preston gone I wasn’t sure a new quarterback would be able to understand and offense without making mistakes in the games,” senior running back Omar Sinclair said. “Sure enough, Cole was not a drop off from Preston. He is a great leader and makes the right plays at the right time.” Quarterback and fullback coach Bryce Bray stated that with the transition between quarterbacks, Keylon stepped into the role well. “We knew Cole could be special,” Bray said. “He has a lot of intangible qualities you cannot see and in this offense that is vital.” Keylon said that things that he worked on changing his mindset in the transition to college football. “I would say I have changed just in my mindset towards every play,” Keylon said. “For example, realizing not every play has to be a touchdown, and just knowing when to make the smart play and not take risks that I shouldn’t.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==