Nothing sums up the state of Florida’s offense entering the 2016 season quite succinctly as this: Treon Harris is the Gators’ leading returning passer and rusher... and he’ll play wide receiver next season.
Florida head coach Jim McElwain confirmed Harris’s move from quarterback to wideout to ESPN’s Ivan Maisel, “You’ve got to look at the fit. Nothing he did. Guys around him didn’t play great either. So I’ll never put that on a player.”
Harris’s chance to holding on to the quarterback job all but evaporated when he missed spring ball and the Gators auditioned four new players at the position.
“Everybody has freedom, he doesn’t have to stay there,” McElwain said, via SEC Country. “But at the end of the day, look, we’re in this not here to hurt anybody’s feelings. But at the same time, it is what it is and we’ve got four guys who I’m really proud of. The room is really good and I’m excited about it.”
Florida, which started the year on strong and then imploded following Will Grier‘s suspension and mounting injuries, finished the 2015 season ranked 102nd nationally in yards per play and 100th in scoring. The Gators topped 20 points only once in their final six games and totaled 24 combined against a finishing kick that included Florida State, Alabama and Michigan.
Former Alabama and Oregon State quarterback Luke Del Rio is regarded as the Gators’ favorite to win the starting roll entering training camp.