Jim McElwain’s quarterback quandary

It’s complicated.

The Facebook relationship status that makes the least sense is exactly where Treon Harris and Will Grier find themselves. The two friends and competitors are both trying to go steady with the starting quarterback job at the University of Florida, but Head Coach Jim McElwain and the Florida Gators aren’t so eager to settle down with just one.

“So those two guys are progressing and you know, no clear separation yet,” McElwain said following Florida’s second scrimmage of camp. “That’s okay, that’s alright. They’re competing, they’re working.”

The competition to win the love and affection of the starting quarterback job goes all the way back to bowl practice last December. After landing the gig of head football coach at the University of Florida, Jim McElwain played the role of onlooker as Treon Harris prepared to start and Will Grier took snaps in practice while taking a redshirt. Whether they knew it or not, the 2015 quarterback battle started before the Birmingham Bowl, you only have one opportunity to make a first impression and the bowl practices were it for both passers.

The battle waged on into the spring and has now spilled over into fall camp. Fans are getting antsy as the season draws near but Florida’s fearless leader is in no rush to make a decision and, in fact, McElwain is content on letting both quarterbacks try out for the job under the bright lights of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when the Florida Gators host New Mexico State in a game that counts.

“We’ll be OK if we go into [the first game] and kind of play and go from there and see who plays under the lights the best,” McElwain said of the potential that both quarterbacks could play in the opener.

For the most part, the quarterbacks have been in orange non-contact jerseys. It’s one thing to take reps when Jon Bullard is bearing down on you but you’re wrapped in the warm embrace of a “no touching” jersey and another when your jersey is the same as the running back and Bullard’s eyes are staring you down, inches away from your own. However, it’s just not practical for the Gators, who are working with an inexperienced offensive line and a talented defensive line, to put their two potential starting quarterbacks in the line of fire during a practice, but it leaves question marks for the coach who’s facing the biggest decision of his young tenure.

“I think that’s invaluable. You try to put them in some of those situations where you kind of take the colored jersey off a little bit and yet you’ve got to kind of be careful with that as well,” McElwain said. “You know, escapability is huge. Being able to move in the pocket — and I’m not saying you’ve got to go beat them with your feet — you’ve got to be able to slide with pressure, ball security and be able to get your feet set to get the ball off because that’s what successful quarterbacks do. So obviously when things are live and it’s real action, you can’t replace that.”

To try and decipher McElwain is difficult. He’s a savvy speaker with wit, charm and a sort of good ol’ boy charm. He’s not going to be tricked into giving out details of things he’d rather be kept in house, so you need to pay attention to the things he says over time.

The message over the summer was that McElwain was looking for a quarterback that could make the other 10 players around him better.

“Really what it comes down to is when we get there in August is which one of those guys affect the play of the other people around them to help them be successful,” McElwain said at SEC Media Days in July. “ How they help those guys play better, that’s something we’re looking for.”

Fast forward to after the second scrimmage and McElwain and that quote from over a month ago gives this statement more meaning.

“Both quarterbacks moved the ones real well. I thought Treon probably moved the twos when he was them probably a little more effectively,” McElwain said of the scrimmage reps.

The ones are on the first team for a reason, whether it be they’re more talented, smarter, more well versed in the playbook or a combination of all of those, the first team players are generally better than the second team players. McElwain’s message is clear. Treon Harris is getting more out of less than Will Grier is and, if McElwain is still working with the same philosophy and criteria when making a decision at quarterback this recent quote is telling. Is McElwain tipping his hand? Is he sending Grier a message through the media?

McElwain can’t stay in this convoluted relationship through November. He’ll need to pick a date for the ball, even if he doesn’t have the date picked by September 5. Florida’s head ball coach joked that he didn’t get much sleep before the first scrimmage, don’t expect him to sleep like a baby until he bites the bullet and finally switches over from “it’s complicated” to “in a relationship.”