To be a quarterback in college football is to be a conductor of a fast-paced orchestra at the line of scrimmage.
You have to listen to the play call in your helmet and relay it, directing 10 other players into the optimal position. There are checks on the protection along the offensive line, and perhaps the need to motion a man or shift a pair of pass catches from one side of the formation to the other. Then, of course, there’s reading what the defense is telling you to do (or not to do) once the snap hits your hands. All of this must be done in under 40—or sometimes 25—seconds with the utmost precision.
