With Jeff Driskel off to Louisiana Tech after an underwhelming Florida career, the Gators have an opening at quarterback. While there are some folks ready to hand the job to Treon Harris, who did surprisingly well as a true freshman, he won't be the only one in contention...and first-year HC Jim McElwain will no doubt go with whoever makes the best impression between now and next September.
Let's take a look at the contenders:
The favorite: Treon Harris
While his accuracy and mechanics certainly need some work, Harris had an impressive freshman year. With 9 passing TDs and 4 interceptions, Harris limited his mistakes through the air, and he also did well on his feet with 3 rushing touchdowns and an average of 4.4 yards per carry.
Harris will have one major advantage over his competition here: live game experience. Of the players in contention for the 2015 starting job, only Skyler Mornhinwheg has seen live action...and he didn't exactly light it up during his brief time under center at the tail end of 2013 (more on that later). A former four-star recruit, Harris has the drive and raw talent to assert himself as Florida's full-time starter next season.
The Underdog: Will Grier
Like Harris, Grier is a former four-star recruit from Florida's 2014 recruiting class. While he might not have the mobility that Harris brings to the table, he's a more refined pocket passer - Grier was actually rated as the #2 pro-style QB in the entire class of 2014.
Grier will have to prove that his skills outweigh the experience Harris brings in from the 2014 campaign - he served as emergency QB, but never saw any action. There are also some lingering questions about the competition level he faced in high school (he threw 77 touchdowns as a senior for N.C.'s Davidson Christian, and ran in 13 more), but he can put those worries to rest with a strong showing in spring ball.
The Dark Horse: Skyler Mornhinweg
A lightly-recruited three-star from Philadelphia, a freshman Mornhinweg got thrown directly into the deep end at the tail end of 2013. Injuries had absolutely ravaged Florida's offense, and he was forced into action after both Tyler Murphy and then-backup Jeff Driskel went down.
All things considered, it could have been worse: with little time to prepare, Mornhinweg ended up throwing 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in three games, and he actually completed almost 70% of his passes, clocking in at 69.8%. Unfortunately, most UF fans remember the team losing those games by a combined score of 41-82 much more than they remember Mornhinweg's accuracy on short-yardage passes.
To start in 2015, Mornhinweg will need to prove he's come a long way since then...but his inability to insert himself into UF's QB battle in 2014 doesn't bode well.
The Walk-On: Jacob Guy
Guy, a former three-star recruit from Dade City, will be a redshirt senior in 2015. He isn't expected to be a factor in the 2015 QB competition, but former walk-ons have surprised us before.
The Mystery Man:
There's still time for the Gators to add a quarterback to their incoming recruiting class, and there's always the possibility of a big-name transfer looking for somewhere they can start right away (Braxton Miller, anyone?). However unlikely, it's possible that Florida's starter next year is someone who isn't even on the radar yet.
The verdict:
Right now, all signs point to Treon Harris, who can use his solid 2014 season as a springboard if he plays his cards right. Coach McElwain is coming in with a blank slate, though - whoever gives Florida the best chance of winning football games is going to be the starter, and he'll run a fair, thorough competition to see exactly who that is.
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