In what is becoming somewhat of an annual tradition the Florida Gators opened spring football camp without a starting quarterback. Similar to last year, Head Coach Jim McElwain doesn’t have a lot of experience at the position, but he does have a veteran, a guy who has been in the system and two freshmen that certainly look the part.
It was Oregon State transfer Luke Del Rio that took the first snap when camp opened up, which means, well, it means Del Rio has been in the system for a season and is more familiar with what will be asked of the quarterback than the other three guys who have been on campus for all of two months.
Del Rio and Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby split most of the first team reps during the portion of practice that was open to the media on Wednesday. Freshmen Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks took in their first practice and didn’t appear to be overwhelmed by what could have been a daunting situation.
The first thing that stands out about the group is their size. Trask and Appleby are listed at 6-4, Franks at 6-6. Del Rio, the runt of the group at 6-2 isn’t small and if anything the remodel of the quarterback position shows that McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier have a type.
“That’s something that’s definitely going to help out,” senior linebacker Jarrad Davis said. “It’s like hey, we’re a big school and now it’s time to step up and be with some big boys. We just need to take care of business.”
The first two days of practice saw Del Rio take most of the first reps and work with the starters. That’s to be expected, as Del Rio is the only one of the four quarterbacks that has experience with the playbook, having practiced with the team for a full season. Del Rio, the son of Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, is polished. He has command of the offense, is vocal and is efficient. Del Rio has a strong arm and throws the ball accurately. He’s also earned the respect of his teammates.
“He definitely plays a leadership role,” tight end DeAndre Goolsby said of Del Rio. “I mean the quarterback has to play a leadership role in order to be on the field. He definitely knows how to take control of the offense along with all of the other quarterbacks. He’s helping all of the other quarterbacks coming along mid-year.”
“I love Luke Del Rio,” Davis added. “I’ve been watching him work out throughout the winter and I’m watching him do his thing out there today. He looked natural and very comfortable. I’m excited to see how the competition is going to play out this spring.”
Behind Del Rio graduate transfer Austin Appleby is trying to make the most of his last season of football. Appleby graduated from Purdue, where he lost his starting job during the 2015 season, and gives Florida some playing experience at the position.
“In Austin’s case, he’s played in a heck of a league and in some real big stadiums,” McElwain said. “Practice was not too big for him.”
This isn’t Appleby’s first rodeo but it is the first spring camp for Trask and Franks. The two freshmen enrolled early, which will help their learning curve, but are still behind the two older guys. It’s to be expected. As freshmen everything is still new to them; the plays, the players, the sights, sounds and even the helmet is new. Both have gone through practice and soaking in every ounce of coaching they can.
Both Trask and Franks have had impressive moments, but the lesser know Trask is the one that is really impressing early on.
“Yeah, the kid has a strong arm,” Goolsby said of Trask. “Of course he’s a freshman, so he’s a little nervous to just unleash. But we’ll see throughout spring how he grows as a player, and hopefully he’ll get going.”
Florida has made it through half of the NCAA mandated adjustment period. The first two practices have been in shorts and shirts; the next two will be in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) before things will really get interesting.
Del Rio’s experience and ability would have him as the frontrunner to be the starting quarterback come fall but we’re a long way away from that final decision having to be made and there are three other guys on the roster that might have something to say about that.