A quarterback decision is coming soon Florida and Charleston Southern kick off in under two weeks at the Swamp, and according to UF head coach Dan Mullen, the quarterback that starts on Sept. 1 will be the guy he goes with for the SEC opener against Kentucky on Sept. 8.
There’s no clear starter at the moment. Mullen said at Monday’s press conference that all three contenders ‒ Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Emory Jones ‒ graded as “champion” in Sunday’s intersquad scrimmage. Coach said that none of the quarterbacks received “champion” grades in the previous week’s scrimmage and said each player showed noticeable improvement in his game management and decision making skills.
A decision from quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and Mullen on who will be the starter could be announced as early as Thursday when the head coach holds his next press conference.
“Over the next couple of days, Brian (Johnson) and I will really sit down and evaluate who is going to give us the best opportunity to win games,” Mullen said.
Malik Davis is returning to practice Running back Malik Davis was held out of Sunday’s scrimmage with a sore ankle but returned to practice Monday.
Davis led the Gators in rushing as a true freshman in 2017 before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Mullen cited fellow tailbacks Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine as two of Florida’s top performers in Sunday’s scrimmage, so Davis’ availability will be crucial to maintain depth in the backfield.
There’s stiff competition at center UF has three options at center, all redshirt juniors: T.J. McCoy, Nick Buchanan and Nick Villano.
McCoy is the incumbent. He started the first nine games for Florida last season before his campaign ended with an injury at South Carolina.
Buchanan, who played in two games in 2017, and Villano, who didn’t play last year, have each been getting first-team reps this fall. Both measure in at 6-foot-3, giving them a slight size advantage over the 6-foot-1 McCoy.
“That’s probably the biggest battle on the offensive line,” Mullen said.
You can follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr or contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
Coach Dan Mullen (right) evaluates his quarterbacks and running backs during fall camp. At Monday's press conference, he said he'll be evaluating the starting quarterback contenders over the next couple of days.
