Redshirt freshmen QB Max Brown plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Monday, according to On3 Sports. The 6-3, 220 pound QB will have three years of edibility remaining.
Brown, who served as Florida’s starter in their last regular season game against FSU, appeared in six games in 2023, completing 19-28 passes (67.9%) for 192 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Brown also tallied 37 rushing years this season.
The Oklahoma native’s most notable performance came on the road against No.9 Missouri where Brown was launched into a starting role following a season ending injury to Graham Mertz. Brown completed 4-5 passes for 56 yards while adding 42 rushing yards on seven attempt. The Gators scored on two of Brown’s three possessions under center, giving Florida a chance to knock off a top ten team late in the 4th quarter.
“Give Max some credit,” Head Coach Billy Napier said after the Missouri game. “Max settled in there a little bit and made a few plays. Obviously, he’s a good athlete and we were able to use his legs a little bit in the read game. He made some throws, as well. Max has worked hard. I can’t talk enough about how much improvement since the first day he got there. And he’s a competitor. I think ultimately he showed that.”
A clearly distraught Max Brown spoke to the media following Florida’s loss to FSU in week 13. Brown was asked what he sees inside the locker room in terms of progress within the program.
“I see competitiveness,” Brown answered. “I see a group of guys that come to battle every day no matter the circumstance. So I think that’s been a big tale of our season, how tough you are. I know sometimes you don’t get the outcome you want. Sometimes seeing it from the outside-in, it’s not always what you want to see.”
“I can’t give credit enough to how far we’ve come as a team,” Brown added on how close this team is. “I think what matters most is the group of guys in our locker room, and we’ve really harnessed in on how important that is for us. So I think going forward that’s definitely going to be a big take going into this off-season.”
Florida will likely need to look into the transfer portal for quarterback depth with the loss of Max Brown. Gator Nation still awaits decisions from current QB Graham Mertz and high school signee DJ Lagway.