- Sep 8, 2014
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Jim McElwain shouldn't publicly announce his starting QB before Michigan kickoff
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/mcelwain-shouldnt-announce-qb-before-michigan/
All eyes are on Jim McElwain.
Everyone wants to know what the Florida coach is going to do about his quarterback situation. The battle between Feleipe Franks, Malik Zaire and now Luke Del Rio is getting more coverage than any quarterback competition in college football. Given how quarterback-starved the Gators have been, that makes perfect sense.
By now, everyone knows the dynamics at play here. Franks is the promising former blue-chip recruit, Zaire is the hyped graduate transfer from Notre Dame and Del Rio, in case people forgot, was the Gators’ starter when healthy last year.
Naturally, every pass is being dissected. We see tweets like this on a daily basis now that camp is in full swing:
Feleipe Franks missed high on skinny post in end zone. Malik Zaire steps in next and right on the money with same throw. #Gators
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) August 3, 2017
"Feleipe Franks will likely be the Florida starting QB heading into the season" – @TomLuginbill
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 7, 2017
Some might be waiting on an announcement from McElwain any day. If someone separates himself in fall camp, why wouldn’t he declare a starter?
He could. Considering the lack of stability the Gators have had at the position, it’s natural for people to want someone to be “the guy” and to know who that is.
But if McElwain is smart, he won’t publicly identify a starting quarterback until he addresses the media after the Michigan game.
If there’s a benefit to publicly naming a starter, I’m not sure what it is. Does it give Franks or Zaire more confidence if the world knows they have the ball vs. Michigan? It shouldn’t.
All it does is give Michigan more information ahead of the Week 1 showdown in Dallas. On defense, the Wolverines are led by Don Brown, who might be the best defensive coordinator in America. His job gets a lot easier if he knows who he’s preparing for.
Let’s not forget that in addition to having two quarterbacks with different skill-sets, Franks and Zaire throw with different hands. Teams rarely see lefty quarterbacks. Just preparing for one — when there’s usually only one scout team southpaw on the roster — can be a challenge.
Florida can use that to its advantage, especially against a young defense. Michigan only returns one starter on that side of the ball. McElwain would be foolish to throw the young Wolverines a bone. Publicly naming a starter helps Michigan a whole lot more than it helps Florida.
Besides, McElwain should be able to take this down to the wire if he chooses. While there are plenty of benefits to internally naming a starter a couple weeks before the opener, there’s nothing wrong with giving Zaire a full camp to learn the offense. After all, he did just arrive in Gainesville.
Jim Harbaugh was patient with Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock after he arrived at Michigan in the summer. As a result, Rudock had one of the best single-season passing efforts in Michigan history and the Wolverines won 10 games. Florida fans remember that all too well.
They might also remember that Harbaugh didn’t publicly announce Rudock as his starter. He sent him out for the first series against Utah and never looked back.
There’s no guarantee that Florida’s starter keeps the job throughout the 2017 season. If recent history taught us anything, it’s that the Gators will need multiple quarterbacks to win another SEC East crown.
That isn’t lost on McElwain. He knows how important this decision is to his program’s success in 2017 and beyond. McElwain can debate who he wants his starter to be.
But he shouldn’t have any debate about when that announcement comes.
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/mcelwain-shouldnt-announce-qb-before-michigan/
All eyes are on Jim McElwain.
Everyone wants to know what the Florida coach is going to do about his quarterback situation. The battle between Feleipe Franks, Malik Zaire and now Luke Del Rio is getting more coverage than any quarterback competition in college football. Given how quarterback-starved the Gators have been, that makes perfect sense.
By now, everyone knows the dynamics at play here. Franks is the promising former blue-chip recruit, Zaire is the hyped graduate transfer from Notre Dame and Del Rio, in case people forgot, was the Gators’ starter when healthy last year.
Naturally, every pass is being dissected. We see tweets like this on a daily basis now that camp is in full swing:
Feleipe Franks missed high on skinny post in end zone. Malik Zaire steps in next and right on the money with same throw. #Gators
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) August 3, 2017
"Feleipe Franks will likely be the Florida starting QB heading into the season" – @TomLuginbill
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 7, 2017
Some might be waiting on an announcement from McElwain any day. If someone separates himself in fall camp, why wouldn’t he declare a starter?
He could. Considering the lack of stability the Gators have had at the position, it’s natural for people to want someone to be “the guy” and to know who that is.
But if McElwain is smart, he won’t publicly identify a starting quarterback until he addresses the media after the Michigan game.
If there’s a benefit to publicly naming a starter, I’m not sure what it is. Does it give Franks or Zaire more confidence if the world knows they have the ball vs. Michigan? It shouldn’t.
All it does is give Michigan more information ahead of the Week 1 showdown in Dallas. On defense, the Wolverines are led by Don Brown, who might be the best defensive coordinator in America. His job gets a lot easier if he knows who he’s preparing for.
Let’s not forget that in addition to having two quarterbacks with different skill-sets, Franks and Zaire throw with different hands. Teams rarely see lefty quarterbacks. Just preparing for one — when there’s usually only one scout team southpaw on the roster — can be a challenge.
Florida can use that to its advantage, especially against a young defense. Michigan only returns one starter on that side of the ball. McElwain would be foolish to throw the young Wolverines a bone. Publicly naming a starter helps Michigan a whole lot more than it helps Florida.
Besides, McElwain should be able to take this down to the wire if he chooses. While there are plenty of benefits to internally naming a starter a couple weeks before the opener, there’s nothing wrong with giving Zaire a full camp to learn the offense. After all, he did just arrive in Gainesville.
Jim Harbaugh was patient with Iowa graduate transfer Jake Rudock after he arrived at Michigan in the summer. As a result, Rudock had one of the best single-season passing efforts in Michigan history and the Wolverines won 10 games. Florida fans remember that all too well.
They might also remember that Harbaugh didn’t publicly announce Rudock as his starter. He sent him out for the first series against Utah and never looked back.
There’s no guarantee that Florida’s starter keeps the job throughout the 2017 season. If recent history taught us anything, it’s that the Gators will need multiple quarterbacks to win another SEC East crown.
That isn’t lost on McElwain. He knows how important this decision is to his program’s success in 2017 and beyond. McElwain can debate who he wants his starter to be.
But he shouldn’t have any debate about when that announcement comes.
