If you would have asked any Florida Gators fan what they wanted to hear by the end of spring camp you would have probably been told they would like to see one of the two redshirt freshman quarterbacks step up and take ahold of the starting position.
Jim McElwain wouldn’t go as far as granting that wish on Monday, but he did offer a sliver of hope.
“We should know a lot,” McElwain said of the quarterbacks heading into Friday’s spring game. I think it’s starting to sort itself out, and the natural question is, ‘Well, what’s sorting itself out?’ You’ll find out.”
With returning starter Luke Del Rio sidelined this following two shoulder surgeries redshirt freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask have competed for the starting role. Both quarterbacks enrolled early prior to their freshmen seasons and have had a full year in Florida’s offensive system. That familiarity should help them but the competition has been wide open, with coaches and players reluctant to speak of any separation between the two up to this point.
Last year both played in the spring game. Trask completed 4-of-7 pass attempts for 63 yards. Franks completed 5-of-11 with a touchdown and three interceptions. It was hardly the introduction the highly-rated quarterback wanted to make.
“I’m sure he’ll be excited to get out there and redo whatever he did a year ago. Like I said, this is a just another piece,” said McElwain. “It’s not the end-all one way or the other. Let’s face it, the defense is gonna know the route combinations and the offense is gonna know the coverage shells based on rotations and that kinda stuff. So it’s really not trying to trick anybody as much as let’s see if we can get our second step on the ground, create some movement, win one-on-ones, those type of things. And in Feleipe’s case, make sure he knows what color jersey we’re wearing because he kinda threw it to the other ones I think last year.”
McElwain is looking to see what his quarterbacks do when the lights are bright. It’s one thing to throw well and move the offense on the practice field and a completely different thing to do it in front of a packed stadium on national television.
A race as close as the one the Gators have at quarterback won’t be won or lost because of a single game. The spring game, after all, is a glorified scrimmage, just the last practice of the spring. McElwain and Nussmeier won’t name a starting quarterback based on what the guys do Friday night in The Swamp.
“Its’ another opportunity. Is it the end all? Absolutely not. We have a body of work, plus what we do over the summer and into Fall camp,” he said. “There again, it’s another opportunity and that’s the way it’s gotta be approached. I will say I’m excited how they’re playing. It’s been good, we’ve been able to stretch it really good.”