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Ever since Tim Tebow graduated after the 2009 season, Florida has been searching for its next great quarterback. John Brantley and Jeff Driskel weren’t the prizes the Gators hoped they’d be, and the team never got to find out if Tyler Murphy could have been the guy before he transferred to Boston College.
As Jim McElwain takes over what he’s called a “fixer upper” of a team at Florida, he’s faced with finding a quarterback to pilot his offense. Gone is Driskel, who will finish out his college career at Louisiana Tech. Treon Harris, who finished out last season as starter, is competing for the job with redshirt freshman Will Grier, a former national high school player of the year.
McElwain has a history of mentoring quarterbacks, and all indications are that he’ll take his time bringing along Harris and Grier before naming a starter, presumably sometime during fall training camp. McElwain developed Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron at Alabama, winning championships with both players, and helped turn Garrett Grayson into a lights-out passer at Colorado State over his three years with the Rams.
The Gators’ new boss and his top offensive assistant, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, are trying to get the two passers, plus walk-on junior Jacob Guy, all the reps they need. The coaches have talked about putting their quarterbacks in a variety of positions, working to get them comfortable in the new, not-entirely-fleshed-out system.
“A lot of what we’re asking them to do, they either haven’t done before or have very limited background in. You have to rep those things and they have to understand that the only way they’ll improve at them is to continue to rep and rep and rep,” Nussmeier told ESPN.com.
With McElwain’s view that Florida is a rebuilding project and his flexibility as an offensive coach, it makes sense to take time in finding a passer that he thinks can win. This isn’t the NBA, where losing is rewarded; McElwain is going to make his team as competitive as possible in his first year.
Grier and Harris bring different skill sets, and the better quarterback this spring and summer will likely determine the direction of Florida’s offense. Harris brings athleticism and an ability to freelance, something that could be needed behind a rebuilt offensive line, while Grier can sling the ball around as well as any passer in the SEC.
Until McElwain and Nussmeier make the determination for this year’s starter and what the offense will look like, it’s difficult to speculate on whether or not the next great Gators quarterback is on the roster.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
