Josh Pate: Power Four QB’s phone addiction could cost him starting job

Perhaps no industry — or people — are more aware of phone addiction than those of us in sports media.

It’s a terrible habit, this constant need to stay connected to the world at large, watching the comings and goings of the sports world unfold at our fingertips. The excuse is always that it’s part of the job. But even if we weren’t in sports media, we’d probably still be consumed by our phones. It’s a societal problem, as we’ve all grown increasingly reliant on these devices.

And it’s not just beat reporters dealing with it. Players are, too.

According to Josh Pate, who recently signed a distribution deal with On3/Rivals, there’s a Power Four quarterback competition where one of the staff’s biggest concerns about a contender is how often he’s glued to his phone.

@joshpatecfb PHONE ADDICTION is a real thing affecting CFB teams now #cfb #collegefootball #joshpate #podcast #podcastclips ♬ original sound – Josh Pate

“We are aware of one Power Four quarterback race right now, where this legit competition,” said Pate. “And one of the staff’s biggest complaints about one of those quarterbacks, who legitimately could win a starting Power Four job, is, ‘We can’t even keep him off his phone.’ And they’re not talking about in the dorm at night. That’s fine. Do that. Stay out of trouble. They’re talking about in the building, in meetings, in installs, and whatnot. Like, legit addiction.”

Pate added that if you’re a 19-year-old quarterback who can simply put your phone down and pay attention, you’ve given yourself “a leg up” in a position battle.

Phone addiction has become so pervasive that basic attention and focus now serve as competitive advantages. What was once considered the bare minimum — paying attention during meetings and practice — has apparently become a distinguishing factor in quarterback evaluations.

That ability to disconnect is often what separates players with NFL futures from those without. When I was on the Clemson beat, I had a good relationship with their current quarterback, which dates back to when he was being recruited in high school. I had written a nice piece about him right before he got to campus. Which is why it caught me off guard when he unfollowed me a few days later.

I wanted to make sure I hadn’t written something that rubbed him the wrong way, especially since I would be covering him for the next few years. But that wasn’t the case.

He later told me that it was a directive from his coaching staff, who wanted him not to worry about what the media was saying about him — good or bad — as he embarked on becoming the next face of the program. This was also around the same time that D.J. Uiagalelei was being criticized by the fans and media alike every week, so I understood. No further explanation needed.

In retrospect, Cade Klubnik understood something that Pate’s anonymous player apparently hasn’t. Which is why he’ll be entering his third season as Clemson’s starter, and why this unnamed quarterback is still fighting for his job.