In a quarterback-driven sport, Florida has two guys capable of playing under center.
For six months, players and coaches raved about Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. Driskel won the job, and now it’s time the Gators act like it.
Coach Will Muschamp named Driskel the starter on Sept. 3 following a Week 1 win against Bowling Green.
Florida won its next two matchups, road conference games, and is No. 14 in the nation with the reigning Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week in Driskel.
Yet, there’s still an elephant in the room — Jacoby Brissett.
Muschamp has mentioned the backup quarterback’s name in each of his three Monday press conferences since Driskel took the starting job.
Listen to the players and you’d think the quarterbacks are the same person. Brissett brings the pocket presence, and Driskel brings the running, but they’re equal.
“They were playing that well, both of them,” receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. said on Monday about the quarterback competition. “I’m pretty sure when [Brissett] would come in, there wouldn’t be a drop-off.”
Right now, Brissett isn’t going anywhere, and he has the best job on the football field — besides punter, of course.
Brissett, as the backup quarterback, is the fan favorite, especially when the starter can’t get the job done.
Judging by the first three weeks, Driskel is exactly what the Gators need at the position and doesn’t figure to be slowing down anytime soon. He’s a player who makes plays with his feet and hides an underperforming offensive line.
Driskel’s time is now, but where does that leave Brissett?
Not in the quarterback equation.
With No. 6 at the helm and playing like he has, Brissett won’t see the field unless Driskel suffers an injury.
That isn’t deterring the Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer High product and hand-picked Charlie Weis recruit from challenging Driskel, the former top-ranked prep quarterback. And it didn’t keep Brissett from choosing Florida instead of Miami, the school his mother wanted him to attend.
“When I committed here I knew it was going to be a race between me and him,” Brissett said on Aug. 28.
“You can’t fight it. That’s where you’ve got to strive and thrive to be the best. Competition brings out the best in everyone and that’s what’s happening now.”
With the competition all but over, Brissett and his 6-foot-4 frame loom large on the sidelines.
I can’t blame the coaching staff for making sure he gets the attention he deserves.
The scrambling Driskel is a pop to the shoulder waiting to happen.
Even though the Volunteers didn’t sack Driskel, defenders have dropped the quarterback nine times, the most in the Southeastern Conference.
At some point, though, the catering to has to stop.
It may be premature, but Florida has an issue going forward. Driskel is the clear guy primed to bring Florida back to national relevance, but the Gators have a quarterback who is apparently just as talented on the bench.
This isn’t a bad problem, either. Just one that needs to be handled correctly.
From talking to Brissett, he seems like the kind of kid who wants to continue pushing Driskel for the job, and he deserves credit for his demeanor. He’s the type of football player Muschamp wants on his team.
But at what point do you let a kid go find a job somewhere else?
Florida got burned for picking one quarterback over another in the past. While Auburn received Cam Newton thanks to a stolen computer, the Gators found themselves stuck with John Brantley.
That likely won’t be the case between these two, but the solution in this situation is to let Brissett transfer.
Brissett deserves a chance to start a full season, but that chance doesn’t look like it will come as a Gator.
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Sophomore quarterback Jacoby Brissett (12) waits on the sidelines during UF's 37-20 victory over Tennessee at Neyland stadium on Saturday.
