O&B Debut Quarterback Breakdown

Bill Sikes, from the Gators Breakdown Podcast takes an in-depth look at how Florida's quarterbacks fared during Friday night's Orange & Blue Debut.

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Before we discuss the quarterback performances from the spring game, let’s take a moment to understand what Gator fans are looking for in the position this year.

Remember that since Tim Tebow left Gainesville following the 2009 season, the Gators have only twice achieved a NCAA total offense ranking inside the national top-100. Quarterback recruiting has suffered greatly since 2008, with the era from then-to-present adding only about one third as many blue-chip (four and five-star) passer prospects to the roster as in the preceding five-year period (2002-2007).

The program has since endured William Muschamp’s offensive futility, capable quarterbacks have run for their lives behind porous lines, and Will Grier’s failed drug test dealt a cruel blow to widespread hopes of offensive resurgence in 2015. Entering Friday night, these harsh realities comprised the lens through which Gator fans viewed the Spring game and formed the basis for two very important questions: Who will win the quarterback job this fall and how good is he?

As much as fans have expected those answers to emerge from the spring quarterback battle between Feliepe Franks, Rivals’ No.3 pro-style quarterback prospect of 2016, and Kyle Trask, a high-school backup quarterback widely viewed as the consummate sleeper, Friday night was all about Franks.

Jim McElwain’s prized Gator quarterback signee took almost all of the meaningful snaps with the first-team offense, showing marked technical progress and leaps-and-bounds improvement over his 3 interception-marred 2016 spring game.

Displaying the command and control fans have been told about for months, Franks flashed excellent arm-strength, hit targets with throws to each level, and kept his eyes downfield while moving to evade pressure in the pocket. Although he let a few passes get away from him (including a dangerously misplaced end-zone throw to Brandon Powell with 2:50 remaining in the 2nd quarter), his performance checked most of the boxes. He even had a tremendous highlight play early in the game when he launched a perfectly thrown deep ball to Josh Hammond for a 46-yard gain. Perhaps the most important sign of Franks’ development however, was shown in one play where his read of the defense was key. In the second quarter with 7:54 remaining, the defense showed a safety blitz just before the snap. Franks calmly responded by stepping up in the pocket, throwing right at the coverage vacancy created by the blitz, and connecting with Powell for a 21-yard completion. The play is an encouraging sign because it means that franks not only has the arm to deliver the ball, but the mental acuity to execute Jim McElwain’s system.

While such evident progress and solid results (8-14, 119 yards, 1 TD, no INTs) are viable reasons for optimism, there are three primary reasons to consider Friday as little more than a shadow boxing session:

* First, it was not a live fire drill. Franks knew that when all broke down, his worst possible fate was to receive a tap on the head from a passing defensive lineman. Compared to being planted by an SEC foe who doesn’t like you very much, it’s fair to say that there’s a little less mental pressure during the spring game.

* Second, Franks played mostly against the Gators’ backup defenders. Moreover, with this edition of the Gator defense being heavily reliant on yet-to-arrive freshmen for depth at defensive tackle, linebacker and in the secondary, his opposition on Friday was sometimes a patchwork of walk-ons and recent position converts.

* Third, with the Gator staff having no good reason to flex the schematic muscle of Randy Shannon’s new 4-3 defensive look, Franks wasn’t exactly having to cope with exotic pressure packages. Sometimes this went even beyond being vanilla, such as during the offense’s 3rd and 4 play from the defense’s 16-yard line with 1:08 remaining in the first half. Lined up in a bunched shotgun formation and Antonio Callaway as the only receiver on the short-side of the field, the defense responded with a cover-2 zone. This put the only defensive back on Callaway’s side (a walk-on CB) in a shallow assignment near the line and the deep safety on that side (another walk-on) without much chance to help. The play-call against the look was perfect (if not too perfect), with Callaway’s touchdown catch coming on a cover-2-killing corner route.

The scenario was a bit convenient, but still, Franks recognized the defense, delivered the ball accurately, and the offense scored. In this writer’s opinion, the aforementioned factors drastically limited the adversity Franks faced, but they don’t diminish his performance in the slightest. It’s his job to come out beat the guys in front of him each week and in this edition of the Orange and Blue Debut, that’s exactly what he did. Furthermore, as Gator football enters its “pre-summer” phase, Franks now looks like the guy to beat.

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* Take Five: Florida's 2017 spring in review

* 2017 Orange & Blue Debut: In-Depth Offensive Observations

* 2017 Orange & Blue Debut: In-Depth Defensive Observations

* Five O&B Debut Takeaways: Toney a dynamic playmaker

* Franks exits spring ahead in the quarterback race

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While Franks was busy enjoying a rhythm with the offensive starters on Friday, Trask struggled mightily. His stat line was putrid (6-15, 66-yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT), and although the Gators other redshirt freshman passer did earn a share of blame for the futility, he didn’t exactly get much help up-front. The freshmen offensive tackles charged with his protection barely slowed down the first team defensive ends, leaving Trask with only a precious few seconds on most occasions to gather himself, read the defense, and deliver the football.

The problem for him however, is that even on the rare occasion that he was afforded some time, he didn’t make the most of those few opportunities.

On 1st and 10 with 2:03 remaining in the first half for example, he attempted to split a two-deep safety seam by throwing to a post route. Trask stared down his intended wide receiver and led him by throwing to the right hash, seemingly never noticing Marcell Harris camped out there and waiting. In fairness, the defense had the play well defended, but throwing such a dangerous pass wasn’t the best look. Later, with 6:00 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Trask made a similar decision that proved more costly. Facing 3rd and 11 from just across mid-field, the offense lined up in a bunched, trips left formation, bringing two receivers across the field to the right in a high-low concept (one deeper than the other). The deeper man was open, but Trask recognized this too late, forced the throw in anyway, and a tip drill interception ensued. Perhaps these were the actions of a frustrated passer trying to make something happen for his outmanned offense, but that doesn’t change the results. Just as Franks justified his lead with a solid performance Friday, Trask left most fans feeling as though Coach McElwain has the two youngsters in the right order.

The third man in that present order is true freshman Kadarius Toney, a dual-threat quarterback who graduated early from high school for the chance to compete in Gainesville this spring. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound newcomer has by most-accounts been an inconsistent passer throughout spring, but there is little remaining doubt as to the potential he carries to deal damage with his feet.

The youngster’s groundwork captivated the Gator Nation Friday night, when he left the pocket and amassed 74 rushing yards on just 5 carries. The performance seemingly vaulted him into overnight fan-favorite status and has many wondering just when and how Coach McElwain will unleash him on UF’s enemies of the state. A valid question indeed, as Toney’s slippery running style and ability to accelerate have been a far too uncommon feature among recent Gator offensive lineups.

But will he make his mark this fall, and if so, where does he fit? With Franks displaying an apparently-sizable lead for the starting quarterback role through his Friday performance, and with a nearly-healthy Dre Massey primed for a breakout season in the slot/return roles, Toney’s best chance for snaps this fall appears to be as a change-of-pace quarterback.

Depending on his (and Franks’) development over the summer, that could include scaled-down wildcat looks, some read-option, or even a more expansive run/pass package in meaningful moments. While Florida’s newfound-glut of potential players may limit Toney’s chances to shine as a freshman, his spring game performance seems to justify asking when, and not if he will become an X-factor for the Orange and Blue.

Although many expected the 2017 Orange and Blue Debut to be what put some separation between Franks and Trask, it appears as though that was settled in the preceding spring practices. In actuality, the distribution of first-team snaps alone is likely enough to tell us that Franks has emerged victorious over Trask in the spring quarterback battle.

At the same time, the overall competition is far from settled and won’t be over until the fall. Trask after all, has had very few reps compared to most college freshmen, and will undoubtedly improve with experience. Luke Del Rio should return at full health this fall as well, with many expecting him to be a much better passer when he does. True freshmen Toney and Allen could always surprise, and then there’s the lingering rumor of grad-transfer Malik Zaire becoming a Gator (if the SEC permits it). This is still very much a contest indeed, and one that Gator fans are closely watching. They aren’t just looking for the best guy to emerge after all, they’re looking for The Guy to make things right.

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