Jackson quarterback Landon Duckworth (1) celebrates with his teammates as coach Cody Flournoy shows them the Blue Map after a 69-6 rout of Cherokee County in the Class 4A finals in Birmingham in December. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
Jackson quarterback Landon Duckworth stands tall in the pocket under pressure from Cherokee County’s Caleb Harbour in the Class 4A state championship game. Duckworth, who was named the 4A Back of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, capped a spectacular junior season by passing for 325 yards and five touchdowns in the finals. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
MONTGOMERY — There were audible gasps and moans of disbelief in the Protective Stadium press box as Jackson quarterback Landon Duckworth skillfully demonstrated his polished and formidable arm to a statewide audience for the first time during December’s historic Class 4A state championship game.
Except for all the incredulous mutterings, it was not unlike a group of resident doctors watching a surgeon meticulously perform a heart transplant as easily as if he was replacing the battery in a flashlight. One got the feeling — seriously — that Duckworth could have thrown a football out to nearby Interstates 20 and 59 and straight through the cab of a passing 18-wheeler without tickling a whisker on the driver’s face. He was so accurate, so far above the norm, that Cherokee County’s defenders broke up only one pass. The rest of the time, they seemed to be running for cover, the way people did in World War II when they heard those blockbuster bombs whistling through the air before they detonated.
Until then, the main witnesses to Duckworth’s emerging mastery of the quarterback position were residents of Clarke County. But in the 69-6 win over the Warriors, those in the 47,000-seat stadium and a statewide TV audience saw Duckworth throw for more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (3). He was 14-of-17 passing for 325 yards. His feet were in Birmingham but he was otherworldly.
During the Alabama Sports Writers Association Mr. Football banquet in Montgomery Tuesday, Cherokee County defenders Tristan Brown and Tae Diamond, contenders for the Class 4A Lineman of the Year award, gathered around a table with Duckworth, who was named the Class 4A Back of the Year. One had to wonder how wary they were of the teen who had so efficiently shoved them into a sausage grinder and if they zealously guarded their pork chops, lest Duckworth carve them up as well.
Going into his senior season, the four-star Duckworth (6-3, 195) is ranked the nation’s top dual-threat quarterback by ESPN and No. 11 overall, according to On3’s composite scale. His statistics tell why, and the reason Aggies coach Cody Flournoy wants him touching the ball on every play: In three seasons, he has thrown for 5,735 yards and 69 touchdowns and completed 64% of his passes. He has run for 1,052 yards and 20 TDs and averaged 8 yards per carry.
Duckworth’s junior season was his best so far — he completed 162 of 243 attempts for 3,439 yards (more than his friend, fellow QB Country pupil and Mr. Football K.J. Lacey’s 3,043 yards) to go with 39 TDs and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 648 yards and 12 TDs, averaging 10.5 yards per carry.
“Those two guys are as good as we’ve ever had come out of the state and they’re both kind of scratching the surface,” said QB Country founder David Morris, who has trained Duckworth and Lacey since they were in elementary school.
What the numbers don’t tell is how much better Duckworth can get. Big-time college coaches see it, of course, because they’re not stopping in Jackson just for the burgers at Ed’s Drive-In. Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin visited in recent days and more are on the way.
Duckworth will be evaluating them as much as they evaluate him.
“I’m impressed with any coach that comes and takes time out of your day to come check me out,” said Duckworth, who is going to be mightily impressed for months to come.
Duckworth has also been offered by Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Oregon. He committed to South Carolina as a freshman, then changed his mind.
The college coaches all carry the same message, Flournoy said.
“One of the things that we’re talking about is it’s just his natural progression from last year to this year,” Flournoy said. “Everything looked a lot cleaner, a lot smoother, and he’s working and it’s going to keep coming. It’s going to be more refined, more polished, but especially with a quarterback, he’s got to present himself the right way, he’s got to speak the right way, because that next step in college, the quarterback is the face of the program.”
Those coaches don’t want to see Duckworth relax, although he easily could.
“A lot of these coaches and offensive coordinators that’s been in here, they’re saying, ‘There’s guys all around the country that are working to be where you are and you’ve got to keep working,’” Flournoy said. “It’s a credit to Landon and his family because they’re going down to QB Country on off weekends, he’s throwing in 7-on-7s. He’s a good kid and he lets us coach him hard. We don’t let him slack up but, credit to him, he takes it. I think you’ll see another jump with him next year. The game’s going to be real slow to him because he’s going to be playing at such a high level.”
What can Duckworth do for an encore in 2025 after quarterbacking the greatest team in Class 4A history? Everyone expects to see an even better performance in his senior season, including Duckworth, who was scheduled to visit Ole Miss the weekend of Jan. 31 in between playing basketball for the defending state champions.
“I know I’ve got to go back harder next season,” he said.
Getting his lower body to catch up to his upper body is the priority.
“I’m starting to work on my footwork, getting better in game, pike and movement and stuff like that,” Duckworth said. “I think I did pretty good this season, towards the end of the season, but I think I’ve got a lot of stuff to improve on.”
Morris said Duckworth has made significant progress in handling defenses with his mental acuity.
“I thought he played the quarterback position the right way this year,” Morris said. “He wasn’t always trying to make a play. He was playing within the play. Obviously, if it breaks down, he can go make a play. But the way you play quarterback is you go through the progression and you throw the ball on time and that’s what he did. And then he had a lot of big, big plays when the play broke down. He played quarterback really, really smart and efficient. He had a high completion percentage and took care of the football. He really grew there and he’ll continue to grow there. He’s committed and he’s really turned into an amazing passer. Obviously, everybody knows he’s athletic and can do stuff with his legs but he’s as good of a passer as anybody in the state of Alabama.”
Flournoy and Morris marvel at Duckworth’s seemingly inexhaustible spirit and his will to excel.
“It’s fun when you get a kid that young, you just see so much growth and development,” Morris said. “It’s kind of similar to K.J. — there’s never a bad time for Landon. He could have a basketball game on Friday night and on Saturday afternoon and I see him on Saturday morning. It’s not an easy drive.”
Duckworth and Flournoy said he hopes to make his college choice before the beginning of the 2025 season.
“We’re just here to guide him along, help him make the best decision,” Flournoy said. “A quarterback recruits different and we want to make sure this process is right.”
By this time next year, Duckworth will have given his answer, may have won two state championships and could succeed Lacey as Mr. Football.
“We hope to be back here again next year,” Flournoy said.
