Kyle Trask is in his high school coach’s office, and he’s angry.
He’s not the starter on the Manvel High School football team. He’s stuck on the sidelines watching D’Eriq King, the top quarterback in the Houston area.
“King finished as Texas’ all-time leader in touchdown passes. (He) threw 126,” Manvel coach Kirk Martin said. “That’s No. 1 in 6A.”
Even though Martin is compelled to keep King as the starting quarterback, he doesn’t let Trask’s talent go to waste. The 6-foot-4 pro-style quarterback has an arm that most high school coaches would kill for, so Martin puts Trask under center on every third and seventh series.
Although for the most part, Trask is stuck backing up King.
But that’s not why he’s angry as he sits in Martin’s office.
He’s angry because people think not being the starter will stop him. He’s angry people think he’s going to settle for second-string or transfer to another school.
Martin remembers what Trask told him. “He said these words: ‘There’s gonna be competition wherever I go, and I’m not running from competition.’”
Now, Trask is in the most contentious competition of his life.
He’s vying to be the Gators starting quarterback against four-star recruit Feleipe Franks.
Today, the two will play in Florida’s Orange and Blue Debut, the last game-like environment for the two QBs to make an impression on coach Jim McElwain and his staff, as each tries to separate himself before the season starts in Fall.
The main criticism of UF’s football team over the recent years has been the lack of a consistent quarterback.
Going into September, the Gators could be missing the two quarterbacks who started in 2016. Luke Del Rio may still be recovering from shoulder surgery as the season gets underway, and Austin Appleby has aged out of UF.
That leaves the two redshirt freshmen, Trask and Franks, as the frontrunners for the coveted starting job.
Martin calls Trask the best story in football. A second-stringer who worked hard enough and was persistent enough to earn himself a scholarship at a flagship football school.
“There are small schools I couldn’t get to bite on him, and here you have an SEC school,” Martin said.
But make no mistake, Martin believes Trask has big-league talent.
“The NFL wants guys like Trask. Pro-style quarterback, big arm who can make every throw, analytical mind, tall to see over the line of scrimmage.”
Those traits could go to waste if Trask doesn’t get a chance to start in college.
But Trask is still undeterred. He’s learned to turn the doubt into a chip on his shoulder.
“It taught me to never take a rep off, make every rep count,” Trask said. “I’m always in a competition.”
Martin knows Trask won't shy away from the challenge.
"He's gonna be there 'til the bitter end," Martin said, "fighting, scratching, clawing to get on the grass."
Matt Brannon is the assistant sports editor. Contact him at mbrannon@alligator.org, and follow him on Twitter @MattB_727.
UF quarterback Kyle Trask drops back to pass during a spring practice at the Sanders Practice Field on March 22, 2017.
