Burnet football OC talks starting quarterback traits
CAPTION: Junior quarterback Fisher Powell waits for a receiver to get open as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Tyler Fambrough sees what is happening on the field. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro
New Burnet Consolidated Independent School District football offensive coordinator Tyler Fambrough has spent weeks watching the Bulldogs play 7 on 7 on Monday nights since the beginning of May.
While standing behind the offensive unit, he has taken mental notes on the unit’s progress with the aim of breaking down plays and concepts later in order to shorten the curve that comes with learning his offense.
“We’re at the point right now of installation, and it’s going really well,” he said. “We have a lot of concepts installed, more so than I thought we would be able to, but the kids are retaining a ton of information and taking it with a storm. They’re excited about it, so it makes it way easier to learn when they want to come up there to learn it. And they’re doing a ton of good stuff.”
Fambrough also serves as the quarterback coach and conducted his quarterback school after he accepted the job.
“What’s been great is that everybody’s taken it with some really positive energy,” he said. “And they’re trying to learn every day and they’re trying to get better. I don’t know any of these guys and what they did last year. You can watch film, you can look at stats, but everyone in our entire program — not just the quarterback, but at receiver, running back, offensive line, tight end — every single person has a chance to make something right now with a new OC coming in. There’s fresh eyes and it’s on them to get where they want to go, and everybody’s been taking that attitude to it, especially in the quarterback room. Everybody’s trying to just get as good as they can day-by-day and then let the product be what it is.”
Juniors Cooper Evans and Fisher Powell have been splitting time at quarterback during 7 on 7. Powell played the position on the varsity in 2025.
Though no one has secured a starting job for the 2026 season, Fambrough has a list of traits he’s looking for in his starting signal caller.
“First and foremost, and this is where we start at, I don’t care if you can throw the ball 100 yards or zero yards if you can’t lead,” he said. “Being a leader on the team is paramount in my opinion to the quarterback.
“Second to that is toughness, mental and physical, especially being in a town like Burnet,” he added. “If you throw a touchdown pass on Friday night, you’re loved. And if you throw an interception, you’re not too liked, and so you have to have thick skin, you have to be tough, you have to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball.
“And then with that comes accuracy,” he continued. “You need someone who can put the ball where you want it to and throw darts on game day.”
The fourth trait is knowing and understanding the scheme inside and out, the coordinator said, and that means being able to get the Bulldogs in the correct play based off of what the defense is showing as he takes a look at the field.
“And then last but not least, we talk about being an absolute operator of the offense, run and pass,” he said. “A lot of quarterbacks can throw the ball well, but can they hand the ball off with consistency to make our run game work? Can they make the right reads and get us in the right place to get us into plays that have advantageous numbers? And so those are really the four areas I talk about with them. We’re truly evaluating the leadership, toughness, accuracy, and then the ability to operate the offense.”
CAPTION: Burnet offensive coordinator Tyler Fambrough gathers with the unit before the players go to their spots to begin play.
