New Orleans — There was still no sign of former LSU quarterback Justin McMillan at Tulane’s football practice on Thursday, but there are still reports that he is headed to play for the Green Wave. In the meantime, Tulane Head Coach Willie Fritz remains quiet on the subject.
“No, I can’t comment on anything until the guy’s got to be a fully enrolled student here at Tulane,” Fritz said.
With that situation in the background, senior quarterback Jonathan Banks continues to be the leader of their offense, making significant strides this off-season.
“The thing that Jonathan’s done is he really understands our offense inside and out,” Fritz said. “I think a year ago he was learning and plus his coaches were learning what he was best at.”
“I prepare myself just by getting in shape more– working on my release being quicker, just learning more schemes, getting in the playbook– just doing anything,” Banks said. “I also focus on getting in the weight room more to stay healthy. I’ve just been really focused this off-season on those three to four things to prepare myself for the fall.”
“He’s a gym rat,” Fritz added. “He grabs the wide outs during the spring and summer, when we’re not working, to do things. I’ve seen that he’s comfortable here. I can just tell that he’s a lot more comfortable around his teammates, around the school and also the city.”
Repetition has been key for Banks, who’s spent a ton of time working on his precision and timing throwing the ball.
“Just being more accurate as a quarterback,” Banks said. “I can always be more accurate– get the ball in the receiver’s hands where they can make plays and get yards after the catch. That’s something that I’ve really been focused on.”
Banks has not only put-in the time getting reps, but he’s also been working-on being heard more on the field.
“As a team they needed to hear me be more vocal as me being a quarterback and being a leader. Last year I wasn’t that comfortable so I didn’t speak on much but this year is year two and I’m able to just be more comfortable and just be able to pick-up some leadership.”
