Coach Analysis: Jeremy St-Hilaire
VandySports.com caught up with McCallie head coach Ralph Potter to discuss Vanderbilt signee Jeremy St-Hilaire. McCallie finished the 2022 season with an 10-3 record.
- On what kind of player Vanderbilt is getting in Jeremy St-Hilaire:
Ralph Potter: "Well the first thing that stands out about him is his size. You know. He’s very big at 6-foot-4 and 220-pounds. He can run. He can extend plays easily from the pocket. He can stiff arm a guy and get away from pressure. He’s really good at extending plays. You can do a lot of things with him as a running back. Basically you have an extra guy in the box because people have to empty out in a 1-back set. He can run a power as a quarterback. His arm strength is phenomenal. He can throw the deep ball really, really well. He’s got a really good touch on the ball when he throws it. He’s also one of those guys that is married to the game. He really enjoys working at it and watching film. He’s got a little bit of a slight injury right now which isn’t letting him throw, and it is about to drive him crazy. I have to try to help him through not to overwork. I think he will be a great leader down there. I think he will be a great asset to the program.”
- How Jeremy’s skill set translates to the college game:
Potter: "I think everyone is looking for a quarterback that is mobile. They are also looking for a quarterback with great arm strength. I think that is two things that he does well, and he’s both of those things. He can throw the ball downfield 60-yards, but at the same time if he gets into trouble, he can move out of it. He can run the football and hurt you as a defense very easily. He can do that. He doesn’t really remind me of a Mahomes. He reminds me of someone bigger and stronger like the quarterback at Kentucky last year (Will Levis). When I watched him play, that is the type of style that Jeremy is.”
- On his favorite memory of Jeremy St-Hilaire:
Potter: "I think how he handled everything because he was new to McCallie this year. We’ve had a really good run at McCallie and a couple of really good quarterbacks that preceded him. There was a tremendous amount of pressure on him. So I think the times throughout the year where he responded to that pressure and fought back against it, that really impressed me. Those are the types of things that I remember most about him.”
- On his leadership qualities:
Potter: "Again, he was new to our team this year. I think he got more and more comfortable being a leader as the year went on. Certainly this year, he’s going to take that role.”
- On his speed:
Potter: "He’s pretty quick for a guy that big. He’s not a burner that is going to run 4.5 forty, but he’s got decent speed. There are times that it will surprise you. It’s a little sneaky. He had a couple of long runs like 50-yard plus runs where he outran people that had an angle on him. He’s pretty quick.”