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Florida’s biggest concern this offseason is addressing its vacant quarterback position, but that’s nothing new in Gainesville.
The Gators have struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position since Tim Tebow’s final start in the 2010 Sugar Bowl. Since then, Florida has started seven different quarterbacks, including five who transferred elsewhere.
Of the post-Tebow Florida quarterbacks, Will Grier showed the most promise by winning his first six games as a starter in 2015. Grier threw for 1,204 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions on 106-of-161 passing and averaged a 65.8 completion percentage, 145.43 passer rating and 7.5 yards per pass attempt in that span.
But his season was cut short when he was suspended for one year after it was revealed that he had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs on Oct. 12. So even if he hadn’t decided to transfer to West Virginia last month, Grier still wouldn’t be an option for the Gators during their first month of the season.
Treon Harris, who started in Florida’s final six games in 2014, replaced Grier and threw for 1,676 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions while averaging a 50.6 completion percentage and leading the Gators to a 4-4 record in their final eight games. Harris’ performance was so underwhelming that Florida decided to move him to wide receiver this offseason.
So that leaves the Gators with another open vacancy at quarterback.
Many expect Oregon State transfer Luke Del Rio, son of Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, to be favored over Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby, as well as freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, both of whom were early enrollees.
Del Rio threw for 176 yards, two touchdowns and a 285.3 passer rating on 10-of-11 passing during the Gators’ Orange and Blue Spring Game on April 8. He was also responsible for leading Florida’s offense to its first four scoring drives.
That propelled Del Rio even farther from the pack of would-be starters. McElwain revealed at the Space Coast Gator Club earlier this week that he has high expectations for the redshirt sophomore in 2016.
“Obviously we kind of expect that. We expect him to take it farther than that,” McElwain said per SEC Country. “That’s kind of what it’s all about. But we’ll see how he leads the team, we’ll see how he takes what the defense gives him and time will tell there.”
Those are high expectations for a quarterback who has started just 141 yards on 8-of-18 passing in three games during the course of a three-year odyssey at Alabama, Oregon State and Florida. But after spending a year at Florida, he has more familiarity with McElwain’s scheme than any of the team’s quarterbacks.
While Del Rio shouldn’t be expected to be a “world beater” in his first few SEC appearances, he’s definitely the most qualified of the Gators’ current quarterbacks heading into the season. Appleby is the most seasoned, but was inconsistent during his time at Purdue and has only been with the Gators for four months — the same amount as Franks and Trask.
Del Rio is the best choice by default and should be Florida’s starter during its season opener against UMass on Sept. 3.
Whether he’ll remain under center through the entire season is still up for debate. But as it stands, Del Rio is the best choice among the inexperienced Florida quarterbacks.
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