Who is Jimmy Garoppolo? Get to know Tom Brady's backup QB
With Tom Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season due to his role in Deflategate, the Patriots will turn to Jimmy Garoppolo to lead the team for the first quarter of the regular season.
But who is Jimmy Garoppolo?
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Jimmy Garoppolo, born James Garoppolo on Nov. 2, 1991, in Arlington Heights, Ill., was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, pick No. 62 overall, following a stellar career at FCS Eastern Illinois, alma mater of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Saints head coach Sean Payton and former Raiders, Broncos and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan.
Garoppolo was a standout athlete at Rolling Meadows High School, where he was both an elite quarterback and punter. But Eastern Illinois is really where Garoppolo made his name.
The Panthers went just 4-15 in his first two years there, but as Garoppolo grew, so did they, going 7-5 in 2012 and 12-2 in 2013. In his final season, Garoppolo threw for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns and broke the school record for career pass completions, previously held by Romo. For his efforts in 2013 he was named Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year, the FCS National Offensive Player of the Year, and a consesus first team All-American. He also earned the Walter Payton Award, given to the top FCS player.
He finished his career with 13,089 yards of total offense and 118 touchdowns, good for 10th and sixth, respectively, on the FCS all-time lists.
As a member of the Patriots in 2014, Garoppolo appeared in just six games, completing 19 of 27 passes for 182 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown pass came in mop-up duty during a 41-14 blowout loss to the Chiefs in Week 4. Many consider that game to be Brady's worst performance of his lengthy and illustrious NFL career.
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The 2015 season will mark the second of four years in Garoppolo's rookie contract, a deal that's worth up to $3,483,898.
Garoppolo is the son of Tony and Denise Garoppolo and has a brother, Mike, who played football at Western Illinois. His family is of Italian descent, which caused several media members, including Jon Gruden, to refer to Garoppolo as "The Italian Stallion."
Prior to the 2014 NFL Draft, Garoppolo said his dream scenario would be to play for his hometown Bears, but the Pats pick seemed to work out because when he was asked who his favorite NFL player was, he responded, "Tom Brady."
If all goes according to plan, Garoppolo will make his first NFL regular-season start in Week 1 when the Patriots face the Steelers in the season opener on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Following the team's bye in Week 4, Garoppolo will have a chance to square off against the man whose record he broke at Eastern Illinois — Romo — when the Patriots travel to Arlington, Texas, to take on the Cowboys on Oct. 11.
So just who is Jimmy Garoppolo? One of the most prolific passers in FCS history and the man who has four games to prove why he should be the future of the Patriots.
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