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Florida Gators Football: Quarterback Woes Continue To Hold UF Back
The Florida Gators football team has everything a team needs to win a championship—except for a quarterback. SEC coaches know it.
Whenever someone questions the belief that quarterback is the most important position in football, point them to the Florida Gators. Florida has everything a team could dream of having when pursuing a national championship.
The one thing holding the Gators back has been a near decade of inconsistency at quarterback.
Since Tim Tebow completed his final season in Gainesville in 2009, the Gators have struggled to find a reliable option at quarterback. They’ve come up short with Austin Appleby, John Brantley, Jacoby Brissett, Luke Del Rio, Tyler Murphy, Jeff Driskel, Will Grier, and Treon Harris.
According to Edward Aschoff of ESPN, an anonymous SEC head coach cited the Gators’ inconsistency at quarterback as the reason they have a ceiling.
“They don’t have enough confidence in what the quarterback is seeing to say, ‘Hey, let’s give him more,’” an SEC head coach told ESPN. “They’re playing not to lose.”
That stands to reason.
Florida has a Top 5 defense with depth and star power at virtually every position. Defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, linebacker Jarrad Davis, and cornerback Teez Tabor are projected first-round NFL draft picks, and Marcell Harris is playing his way into that distinction.
Even with an elite defense, Florida has lost four games during the 2016 college football season.
On offense, Florida has a dynamic duo of running backs in breakout sophomore Jordan Scarlett and standout freshman Lamical Perine. It also has gifted playmakers in the passing game in Antonio Calloway, Tyrie Cleveland, DeAndre Goolsby, and Brandon Powell.
If that doesn’t make Florida’s talent clear enough, then try the fact that it’s lost eight starters to severe injuries in 2016 and still made the SEC Championship Game.
Despite that championship-caliber combination of playmakers on both sides of the ball, the Gators are 8-4 and playing in the Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl isn’t a bad place to be, but the Gators were a pair of wins away from being 10-2 and SEC champions.
Instead, Florida fell victim to its lackluster quarterback play and suffered back-to-back double-digit losses to bitter rivals in Florida State, 31-13, and Alabama, 54-16.
The Gators still have a chance to end the season on a high note, but recruiting and player development will be vital to turning the position around.
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