The most recent Gator Country podcast featured a good discussion about the quarterback position between Nick and Andrew and some with Dan Thompson as well. I think there’s a bit I can add to the picture, so I’ll fill in some blanks as best I can.
Dan thought Feliepe Franks won’t return. Nick thinks he will be around, at least through the spring practice he can’t participate in as he recovers from his broken ankle. Getting an answer to that question will clarify so much else.
Franks won the job in 2018 and was the undisputed starter going into 2019. Obviously Kyle Trask’s performance this year adds data that no one had before, so that can and should change the calculus on which of them should be the presumed starter for next season. They are such different players, it really comes down to what you prioritize.
Franks has the stronger arm, and it’s not close. He is a better runner too, even as Trask has gotten more willing at it as the season has gone along. Franks can stretch a play out and pick up speed in the open field. Trask basically has one gear and only can go until any defender gets to him.
Franks has higher highs and lower lows. In the three losses in 2018, Franks put up passing efficiencies of 108.1 against Kentucky, 110.1 against Georgia, and 73.0 against Missouri in the game when he was benched. He also went up over 180 against Tennessee and FSU.
Trask has been remarkably consistent in his starts. He was between 145 and 149 in four straight games against Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, and Georgia, and he got up a little over 150 in the fourth quarter against UK and against Mizzou. He went to the mid-160s against Vandy, but so did Franks in ’18. Lighting up Tennessee to the tune of 168.6 despite two picks was impressive, but again, Franks was almost 20 above that against the Vols. And, Franks’s limited 2019 passing numbers are pretty comparable to Trask’s.
It’s not exactly the same since we’re talking about a pair of rising seniors, but it feels a bit like when Will Muschamp had to pick between Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. Driskel got the nod because of his better mobility. Both were limited as many young quarterbacks tend to be, but Driskel’s legs meant there were more options to work with. UF’s offensive line was also suspect — where have I heard that before? — so Driskel was better at avoiding pressure.
But for what Muschamp wanted his offense to do, Brissett was the better option. He left for NC State, though, and Driskel remained something of a square peg in a round hole for years after.
Franks is the better fit for Mullen’s offense thanks to his rocket arm and better mobility. Trask has easily performed the best of any truly pocket-bound passer Mullen has had. It’s a close call, and we already know from past decisions that Mullen probably prefers the full package that Franks has.
Of course, the best fit for the offense from a tools perspective is Emory Jones. He and Mullen have been saying all the right things about patience and development, but in this day and age, it’s always a worry that a highly rated quarterback like him might transfer if he’s not starting by his second or third year.
I think it’s more likely that Jones sticks it out if Franks leaves. There is less of a need to put Jones in for a package or a series if Franks returns to the starting role because of his running ability. It makes much more sense for Jones to take over for Trask for stretches.
The obvious parallel to make would be to the 2006 Chris Leak-Tim Tebow year since Leak and Trask are similar in their running capabilities. In ’06, Tebow attempted 33 passes. Jones has 32 so far this year, so he’ll probably surpass that against FSU. However, Jones has 31 rushes compared to 89 for Tebow. Timmy had almost double the carries per game.
Tebow got so many more carries because he was the designated short-yardage back. DeShawn Wynn and Kestahn Moore were’t great at those tough inside runs, but Tebow was. And that gets to an important point.
Tebow was integrated into the offense from the start. He had a well-defined role. The swapping of the quarterbacks wasn’t always smooth, but it usually made sense. It certainly felt more predictable (in a good way) than Jones’s appearances this year have.
I don’t think there was a plan to use Jones all that much this year because of Franks’s running ability. Things changed once Trask had to take over, but it’s hard to craft a new offensive plan on the fly during the season.
Going into the spring knowing it’s Trask and Jones with Anthony Richardson redshirting would create clarity. It would give Mullen and his offensive staff a chance to take some time and really figure out what the roles are and what’s going to happen when. The closest they got to that was the LSU game, where Jones went in as soon as the Gators got to around the Tiger 30-yard-line. It worked well when they stuck to that. Giving Jones his own series with predictable (in a bad way) plays of zone read and QB draw on the first two downs was less successful.
It’s going to be a delicate balance. I can’t see Mullen nudging Franks to the transfer portal after how much he’s talked about Franks’s leadership, not to mention Trask’s history of injury. I do wonder if Franks decides to return if for no other reason than to prove something about still being the top guy and that he won’t flee competition. It’s important to keep Jones around because neither Franks nor Trask will be around in 2021, and Jalon Jones’s dismissal means only a guy currently in high school is in the pipeline along with Emory Jones for that year.
No one ever said being a head coach in the SEC was easy. Things like this are why Mullen gets paid the big bucks. Unless Franks makes it easy on everyone by announcing an intention to transfer early in the offseason, Mullen is going to have to earn that salary with his quarterback management next year.