PREP PREVIEWS: Montgomery Academy toys with different offensive lineups

Jamal Cooper may line up in different places on the Montgomery Academy offense this season. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

It’s not that the wing-T is a boring offense, but coaches always look for variations to spice things up. 

The 2021 version of the Montgomery Academy offense, which features quarterback Judson Lindsey, tailback Jamal Cooper and fullback Jashawn Cooper, will switch up the lineup at times this fall by moving Jamal Cooper to quarterback.

“We have to get the ball in his hands, whatever way we can,” Montgomery Academy coach Robert Johnson said. “Have him running it, throwing it, catching it. It doesn’t matter. We’re going to try using him as a decoy. But we’ve also got a lot of other guys that we need to get the ball in their hands, too. He’s just probably the top one.”

The older Cooper played quarterback in middle school, so several of his fellow seniors are excited to see him back at his old position.

“It’s like putting Lamar Jackson at quarterback,” tight end Nigel Walker said. “It’s fun because he’s a fast, shifty person.”

Cooper, sometimes overlooked in an offense that focuses more on the fullback, loves the idea of an offensive package that showcases his talent.

“I love it,” he said. “Like Coach said, I can be used all around and we’ve got other players that can help us on the field so me moving around gets the ball spread around and shakes up the defense where they don’t know what’s coming.”

While the primary objective is to put Cooper in a better position to add some stress to opposing defenses, there’s a secondary motive in the lineup change as well -- younger, talented tailbacks such as Kameron Tuck, Rick McBride and Chance Wilson take the field alongside the Cooper brothers.

“It’ll be really effective because now they’ll have to worry about Jamal at quarterback, too,” Jashawn Cooper said. “We’ll have somebody else at halfback and he’s going to be a very good person back there, too.”

“We’ve got a bunch of other kids at halfback that need the ball in their hands, too,” Johnson pointed out. “Jamal maybe runs the ball a little better (than Lindsey). He throws the ball well. He’s pretty poised back there. I think he’d be an excellent quarterback. It just gives us a little different look.”

Of course, knowing the sibling rivalry between Jamal and his young brother Jashawn, there may be a problem getting Jamal to hand the ball to his brother.

“I hope he gives me the ball,” Jashawn Cooper said. “Most of the time, he’ll probably just run it.

The challenge facing Johnson is trying to create more opportunities to put the ball in the hands of his top athlete, a challenge he faced last year on defense in trying to highlight the best talents of Cooper.  

“He’s a true hybrid linebacker-safety,” Johnson said. “Sometimes, we put him up at the line of scrimmage. He plays all three levels of defense. He’s a matchup nightmare. I guarantee you other teams are looking for where No. 3 lines up.”

Cooper, who insists that defense “is where my heart is at,” enjoyed the opportunity to move around last season in an effort to keep offenses from simply running in the opposite direction.

“Going into the season, I knew that was going to happen,” he said. “Coach (Ethan) McBride, our defensive coordinator, told me people are going to be running away from you. I just try to go out there and give all my effort to help the team.”

Now, he’ll get the chance to move around on offense as well. 

“Jamal’s super shifty, a very good runner,” Lindsey said. “You get him at quarterback, Jashawn at fullback and somebody that’s super fast at the other running back, we can probably run some plays a little differently. It just gives people another look and something else to plan around.”