Jim McElwain has a tall task ahead of him.
His first year as Florida’s head football coach seems to have more questions than answers.
And one of the more prominent topics of discussion is Florida’s starting quarterback.
While McElwain said he does not have a set timeline for when he plans to announce a starting quarterback, he knows what he is looking for in his starting signal caller.
"You’ve got to be the field general out there a little bit, get everybody lined up," McElwain said. "And with the six or seven different paces that we play, they’ve got to take control of that."
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McElwain is no stranger to grooming successful quarterbacks at the collegiate level.
As the offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2008-2011, McElwain coached a duo of quarterbacks in AJ McCarron and Greg McElroy, the Crimson Tide’s top-two quarterbacks for career completion percentage who also rank in the top-five for career passing yards, touchdown passes and winning percentage.
As head coach at Colorado State from 2012-2014, the now-53-year-old McElwain had the opportunity to coach up signal caller Garrett Grayson, who is rated as the No. 5 quarterback in the 2015 NFL Draft class by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and is projected to be a mid-round draft pick.
Now in his first year as head coach at UF, McElwain has two quarterbacks vying for the starting spot in his offense: Treon Harris and Will Grier.
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Coming in as a freshman last season, Treon Harris didn’t have high expectations about playing time.
With Jeff Driskel already cemented into the starting lineup, Harris knew his chances of seeing the field would be slim.
"I didn’t think I’d play," Harris said.
That changed four games into the season during Florida’s road game against Tennessee.
The Gators trailed the Volunteers 9-0 as the third quarter started to wind down and were on the verge of being shut out for the first time since losing 16-0 to Auburn on Oct. 29, 1988.
Driskel had already thrown three interceptions and had gained just 59 yards through the air on a meager 11-for-23 passing.
Then-Florida head coach Will Muschamp needed a change.
So he put Harris into the game.
"When coach Muschamp (called) me and was like ‘Get ready,’ everything just seemed unreal to me," Harris said.
Playing in his first game since scoring two touchdowns on as many passes in garbage time during Florida’s 65-0 rout of Eastern Michigan in its season opener, Harris responded by leading Florida on back-to-back scoring drives to take the 10-9 victory in Neyland Stadium.
"I just went out there and played my role," Harris said. "I (knew) what I had to do and took advantage of the game."
From there, it looked as if Harris had the starting job all but locked up.
But less than 48 hours after rallying Florida to its largest come-from-behind victory since 2003, Harris was suspended after being accused of sexual battery. He was reinstated to the team after the accuser withdrew her complaint a few days later.
"It was a tough situation for everybody," Harris said. "I just stayed focus, stayed poised and let God handle everything. Me and my coaches, they trusted me, I trusted in them and I just kept my head up and kept everything going right."
Harris took over the full-time starting job three games later against Georgia and started six games overall. He ended the year with 1,019 passing yards and nine touchdowns to just four interceptions, earning a spot on the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team in the process.
While Harris said he feels the starting experience gives him an advantage heading into camp, he knows it does not guarantee him the spot at the top of the depth chart.
"Everyone has to compete for a spot," Harris said. "Me and Will, (we’re) just going out there every day, just getting better, getting each other better."
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Will Grier walked onto Florida’s campus in Spring 2014 with a list of accolades longer than most out of high school.
In his four-year career at Davidson Day High School in North Carolina, Grier threw a state-record 195 touchdown passes to go along with 14,565 passing yards. He totaled a nation-leading 77 touchdowns in his senior year alone en route to First-Team All-American recognition from both MaxPreps and 247 Sports.
He earned national player of the year awards from both Parade and Maxwell, and StudentSports.com named him Mr. Football USA, an award given to the best high school football player in the country.
But in his first year with the Gators, Grier watched all the action from the bench as he sat out his first collegiate season with a redshirt.
And while the 6-foot-2 quarterback knew from the start that he would not see any game action during his first year, he never stopped preparing.
"It was planned when I first got here," Grier said. "From then on, it was kind of like, ‘Be ready. Just be ready.’ We never really knew. So I always had to be ready. I was in every walk-through and every script. I had to know what to do just in case I went in."
Grier used his first year to bulk up and recover.
He gained about 20 pounds from the time he entered Spring camp to the start of the regular season and made it a goal to maintain the weight while also recovering from a back injury that sidelined him from practice for part of the season.
Now back at 100-percent health, Grier is ready to make strides and fight to make it back on the field.
"At this point, it’s still really early in the spring," Grier said. "We’re still going through a lot of growing pains and working with a lot of guys."
But Grier knows at some point, a decision will be made.
"This team needs leadership," Grier said. "This team needs a voice, needs identity."
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The Gators still have 13 more practices this Spring before they conclude with the annual Orange & Blue Debut on April 11.
They don’t practice with full pads for the first time until Friday.
A lot can change from now until then.
McElwain might not have a quarterback decided by then.
But right now, he likes what he is seeing.
"I’ve really been happy with how they’ve grasped what we’re asking them to do," McElwain said. "There’s a lot of things that obviously going along with playing the position. … They’re grasping what we’re trying to get accomplished. I think it’s been pretty good."
And regardless of who ends up on top, the two quarterbacks are taking the competition in stride.
"We’re all teaching each other," Harris said. "Some things he might not know, I might not know. He’ll tell me, I’ll tell him. We’re all in the room for each other."
Added Grier: "We kind of came in this thing last year and together, we were the young guys. We were the ones that were new to the college thing and everything else. We’re really close friends actually. … Being able to work with him, help each other get better has been really cool."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Treon Harris prepares to pass during practice on Monday.
Will Grier prepares to pass during practice on Monday.
