Pass through Athens and ask about former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm. I guarantee you'll find no shortage of memories and stories about one of the most impactful Dawgs to ever step foot in Sanford Stadium while wearing the red and black. After taking over for Jacob Eason, starting 14 of 15 games, and being named a Freshman All-American, Georgia became Fromm's team. He led UGA to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, played in two Sugar Bowls, and finished his collegiate career fourth on the school's all-time list for passing yards (8,224) and second in touchdown passes (78).
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But Jake Fromm is more than just a highly-debated 2020 NFL Draft prospect. He's busy preparing to turn pro after a stellar college football career the way most quarterbacks do: by going turkey hunting and fishing out on the water.
Alright, you won't see every aspiring NFL player spending their days enjoying the outdoors, but that's part of Fromm's DNA. Raised in Warner Robins, Georgia, spending the offseason outdoors comes with the territory.
Look no further than the 2018 fishing accident that sent social media into a frenzy.
Alongside friend and Georgia Bulldogs bass fishing team member Jordan Rowe, the pair ventured to a pond in Adel, Georgia for a day on the water. Nearing sundown, Rowe nearly hooked a monster bass. After failing to land it, both college students — as most fishermen would — decided to use the last bit of sunlight left to catch it. After several minutes, the bass finally tugged on Rowe's line. Trying to land the fish, he pulled hard on the line and sent his fishing lure flying.
Rowe caught something, but it wasn't a fish. It was Jake Fromm's left leg.
Georgia's Jake Fromm Hooked by Fishing Lure
Rowe spent the next 30 minutes poking and prodding Fromm's left calf to try to pull out the hook. What neither knew at the time was that the hook was dug into Fromm's calf muscle, making it that much more difficult to get out.
After the unsuccessful attempt at makeshift surgery in the dark and on a boat, the two did what any good fishermen would do when pursuing a leviathan ... they cast their lines out in search of the monster still lurking below.
For the next 15 or 20 minutes, they just kept fishing as if everything was fine.
"I'm trying to catch that bass," Fromm said. "That thing was huge!"
— From the late, great Edward Aschoff, via ESPN
This fishing story is just one of many for Fromm, who talked about his love for the outdoors in a recent interview with Laura Rutledge for SEC Network.
Fromm recalled about another fishing excursion at the Academy Sports and Outdoors inaugural Celebrity Fishing Tournament. Fromm revisited that day with Rutledge, talking about his undying love for his Whopper Plopper and the enjoyment of just being out on the water alongside pro angler Jacob Wheeler and Wide Open Spaces Editor-In-Chief Eric Pickhartz.
Photo: Eric Pickhartz, Wide Open Spaces
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The Georgia-based prospect showed off some of his family's trophies hanging on their wall, adding that his own buck is waiting for him back at the University of Georgia. After the interview was over, Fromm honored Rutledge's request to show off his turkey call.
Needless to say, the future NFL quarterback sounded like a seasoned professional.
"I'm going to look really stupid, but I'm doing this for you. So, you owe me one."
Jake Fromm's Turkey Calls
Makeshift workouts are the name of the game for Fromm these days, as well as numerous draft-eligible players, during the coronavirus pandemic and spread of COVID-19. He's staying busy throwing and working out at a local gym, which he says just recently closed. Plus, he's enjoying family time by helping his dad build a backyard pool for his mom.
"She's trying to catch her tan, too," Fromm laughed.
Fromm isn't a first-round talent like LSU's Joe Burrow or Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa. He'll likely need time to grow inside an NFL system before he competes for a starting job in the league. But when it comes to intangibles like character, charisma and work ethic, Georgia football's favorite son checks all the boxes and will be a consummate professional and great teammate after his name is called in April's draft.
