The theme of the day around the world of college football on Saturday seems to be the search for starting quarterbacks at some programs will continue to linger into the summer. This was the case at Georgia, with only slightly more certainty at Florida State. As for a rival of both schools, Florida, the competition will continue into the summer.
The two competing for the opportunity to be the new starting quarterback for new head coach Jim McElwain are Will Grier and Treon Harris. Grier had the better day in the box score, completing seven of his nine pass attempts for 130 yards leading the Gators to three of the four touchdowns scored in the game. Harris, after providing a bit of an offensive spark last fall for Will Muschamp, was not too far off the mark with six of his nine passes completed for 94 yards and a touchdown, but Harris seemed to struggle just a bit more inside the red zone when the opportunities were there. It is not uncommon for red zone production and efficiency to be a deciding factor, but McElwain has time to think things over.
“We haven’t made a determination on that,” McElwain said, per The Orlando Sentinel. “We’ll get back, we’ll look at the video, the guys will work this summer and come back in the fall. I’m just excited those two guys are here.”
Harris can improve his case by making decisions sooner when he gets inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. That seemed to be what McElwain was most concerned about. If he can work on his footwork and decision-making over the summer, he still stands a solid chance to win the starting job.
Florida’s defense was fine, and will be in the fall. The offensive line is improving. Now if Florida can just figure out the quarterback situation, they should be in better position to show improvement in 2015. McElwain coming in gives most everyone on the roster a clean slate. What Grier and Harris do with it in the summer will be key to deciding what happens next.