Away from the cold and rainy weather of Chicago, Warriors Quarterback Jimmy Coy has not had any trouble playing in Torrance, California. Coy has had to make many decisions in the interim between playing in Chicago and playing at EC, but he does not regret coming to California and neither do the Warriors. This season the Warriors have gone 8-1-0 and have a good chance at a co-championship and spot in the playoffs with Coy leading the way.
For a quarterback, Coy is laid-back. He is ingratiating and very enthusiastic about the future and his prospects. Coy stands around 6 foot, has blond scruffy hair, and some stubble. He has a medium build and one can see how he may take a rough punishment from a 200 to 300 pound defensive lineman.
Coy has completed 169 of 267 passes, with two interceptions. Throughout the season he has gained 2394 yards, scored twelve touchdowns, and completed 63 percent of his passes.
Coy is enjoying the season but is not getting overconfident about his team’s winning record. He realizes that there is still more work to be done.
“So far so good. I’m really excited about it, it’s going fast, it’s going really fast,” said Coy. “I hope we just keep winning and make it more fun and I hope we get a ring.”
He has started this season, taking over for Boo Jackson, and has been very successful. While Boo Jackson was leading the team last year, Coy was watching and learning. Jackson has since moved onto the University of Ohio where Coy still gets a chance to see him play on television. Coy and Jackson are different when it comes to style.
“I would have to say that Boo was more agile. He was a better runner and he was more vocal,” Coy said. “As a quarterback, you kind of need to do that when things aren’t going well to get your team fired up and Boo did a really good job of that last year. That’s something I still need to work on.”
Boo also played on a team with a different dynamic, since about 30 EC players from last year have left to go to different schools.
“Boo had all the time in the world last year. He had a great line and he had protection for days and it seems like every now and then Jimmy’s getting blown up,” Bullock said.
In Chicago, Coy attended Maine South High School. He is a Chicago Bears fan and grew up watching Northwestern college football.
In high school, his football coach had met some of the EC staff and coaches at a conference. Coy heard that EC was interested in him, and he sent a highlight tape and eventually came out to visit the school.
“I came out and visited and I liked it a lot. It really just all fell into place from there,” Coy said. “I learned a lot from these coaches, they are really good coaches, and the team is full of really good guys, so that’s basically how I ended up out here.”
In high school in Chicago, Coy’s freshman to junior year teams made it to the state championship game all three times, but could not win a single championship. This has made Coy eager to win in his junior college career at EC.
In his senior year in high school, Coy hurt his lower back by taking more punishment than his body could handle in a game with a team from Indianapolis. He was out for two games and it continued to constantly bother him throughout the remainder of the season. Coy believes this had an effect on his recruitment to other colleges; however, he has no regrets about coming to EC, which is evident from his brimming enthusiasm about the Warriors’ chances this season.
Featherstone is also glad Coy came to play for the Warriors, coaching a solid team thus far.
“He’s done that at least a half a dozen times for us, he’s come up with the big play,” Featherstone said. “That’s what a quarterback has to do. A lot of times in those games you got to win with great defense and you’ve got to win with a quarterback that makes big plays and Jimmy’s done that.”
As a quarterback, Coy trusts his receivers and the offensive line that protect him. One receiver that Coy has a great dynamic with is Will Bullock. Many big plays that Coy has made often involved passes to Bullock. For example, in the Warriors game against Chaffey, Coy completed a pass to Bullock for 46-yards which had EC supporters on their feet.
“We’re really good friends. I think he just trust my ability and what I can do,” said Bullock. “He knows I can get past those defensive backs.”
Coy did not get much playing time last year, which makes this season a little like a freshman year for him. There are still a few aspects of his game in which improvements can be made.
“He’s still learning the game, he’s still got a long way to go in terms of his progression on how to read the coverage and get the ball to the primary receivers, but overall he’s done a good solid job for us,” Featherstone said.
For now, Coy prefers not to think about his options after EC. He wants to focus on doing his best for his current team and getting a championship ring. There have not been as many calls from recruiters, but that is normal for this time of the year, his coaches say. Colleges usually call toward the end of the season, but schools that have called include Idaho State University and Memphis State University.
When asked about moving onto a four-year university, Coy said: “As of right now, I am not even sure. I’m really trying not to think about it too much because it’s almost a distraction at this point. I’m just trying to worry about the season and trying to get as far as we can into the playoffs.”
Featherstone is also focused on winning one game a time and has confidence in his quarterback.
“Jimmy’s been a pleasant surprise for us this fall,” Featherstone said. “Anytime our quarterbacks are around 60 percent we’re going to win football games.”