This is for the best.
It came to an end on Monday, a relatively quiet finish for a player who made fans cheer, rage and beg for better over the course of two years.
Treon Harris is the latest in a line of Will Muschamp-courted quarterbacks to leave the school, looking for a position of prominence he’ll no longer get with Jim McElwain.
But it’s for the best.
There is no question about that, not after it started with a sexual assault allegation involving another UF student in 2014, a complaint that was later withdrawn.
Not after the start of his sophomore year, when Harris fell behind Will Grier in the quarterback competition, throwing for just 54 yards in Week 2 against East Carolina while Grier threw for triple that and slung two touchdowns.
Not after Harris replaced Grier in October, after the latter was suspended for taking performance-enhancing drugs, stepping down from an undefeated team and handing the reins to Harris, who finished the season with a 4-4 record and three-straight losses.
Not after being sacked 13 times in his last three games, spurring a fan base to clamor for the consistency that they had grown accustomed to under Grier.
Not after drawing a second suspension last March, when the team announced he and receiver Antonio Callaway would not participate with the team during Spring camp due to a violation of the UF student code of conduct, a suspension that still has not been resolved.
Not after rumors swirled around the program that Harris would be moving to receiver, making way for a quarterback competition that included transfers Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby, and freshmen Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks, but never Harris.
Harris’ decision to transfer is clearly for the best, a decision that follows a trend of those before him, a long line of former quarterbacks to transfer from the school since 2013: Will Grier, Jeff Driskel, Skyler Mornhinweg, Max Staver, Tyler Murphy, Jacoby Brissett.
And now Treon Harris.
Like each of those quarterbacks, Harris’ spot on Florida’s roster had been diminished. There was no longer a place for him, even if he was to join the team’s receiver corps, a group that already has Callaway, already has four-star freshman recruit Tyrie Cleveland, senior Ahmad Fulwood, slot receiver C.J. Worton and other young talent.
So Harris will transfer, and although he will be forced to sit out one year at another Division I program due to NCAA transfer rules, he will likely have a better chance to succeed wherever he lands, with a blank slate and zero expectations, if that is the route he chooses to pursue.
His decision is also undoubtedly beneficial for Florida and second-year coach Jim McElwain, a program and a personality, respectively, who will be able to wash their hands of an athlete with an inconsistent track record on the field and muddled by a history of violations off of it.
After 21 games played, 18 touchdowns thrown and two suspensions distributed, it became abundantly clear on Monday.
This is for the best.
Ian Cohen is the Sports Editor. Contact him at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Treon Harris looks on during Florida's 27-2 loss to Florida State at the 2015 SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
