Every Heisman winner has that one performance people look back on and point to as a defining moment of significance during their quest to lift the trophy that belongs to college football's most outstanding player.
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has a golden opportunity to secure his moment on Saturday when the Gators and Bulldogs do battle in a top-10 matchup in Jacksonville.
Trask and the offense were held in check by a stout Georgia defense in last season's rendition of the rivalry. They managed just 17 points and 278 yards of total offense in the 24-17 loss.
In 2020 however, Florida has yet to score less than 38 points in a game and Trask's confidence within the pocket seems to grow with each passing week. It's clear that the teammates around him, especially the ones he throws the ball to, believe in his ability as well.
“He’s very confident. He’s an amazing quarterback," Trevon Grimes said, when asked about his quarterback's confidence level. "I personally believe he needs to be in the Heisman race, first in the Heisman race. He’s breaking records, he’s doing everything he needs to do. He’s playing phenomenal. That’s all, as a receiver, you can ask for. He’s going out there, he’s doing his thing and he’s playing with a confidence I haven’t seen before. I’m excited for him and looking forward to seeing what he does next.”
Junior tight end Kyle Pitts, who has earned his own right to be in the Heisman conversation, gushed about his quarterback's consistent play that seems to get even more refined, week to week. He wasn't shy when asked if he and Trask discuss the possibility of winning the most coveted individual trophy in college football.
“I don’t think me and Kyle ever talked about that," he said. "But I do think Kyle should be in the top five. I mean the season’s not over but I think he’s going to shock a lot of people and I think he’ll win it this year.
“Kyle’s just coming off each week consistent. Being in the SEC you have to be consistent each week. I would say improving on last week’s game to this week’s game, and so on and so forth. I feel like he’s better each game and he has real confidence, so that’s how he plays.”
While warranted, UF's redshirt senior gunslinger would be the first to tell you the accolades he's earned so far don't really matter and neither do his numbers (he's on pace to pass for over 3,000 yards and 40 TD's in a shortened season, no less) Trask just wants to win and the rest will follow.
Going into the team's toughest regular season test, UF head coach Dan Mullen feels good about where the leader of his offense is both mentally and physically.
"He’s playing at a high level," Mullen said. "He does a great job managing our offense. He’s doing a great job distributing the ball to playmakers, limiting mistakes and shows great leadership within the team. You need all those things from your quarterback if you’re going to have the opportunity to be a championship team. So I think he brings a lot of that stuff to the table. We’re really lucky we have him."
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