Trask keeping competition close with Franks early on
Can Florida quarterback Kyle Trask give Feleipe Franks a real push for the starting job or maybe even win it himself?
https://scout.com/college/florida/B...-close-with-Feleipe-Franks-early-on-116736412
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- So far this spring all eyes at the quarterback position have been on redshirt sophomore
Feleipe Franks, and rightly so. He's the leading candidate to win the starting job and he's the only quarterback on the roster with any college experience.
But fellow redshirt sophomore
Kyle Trask has also done a good job quietly positioning himself to make a push for the job as spring practice continues and Florida moves ahead into the summer and the fall.
"Kyle's done a great job with the reps that he's had," quarterbacks coach
Brian Johnson siad. "He's coming out and competing every single day. He's making plays. You definitely see the improvement in him from Practice 1 to Practice 6."
In terms of arm talent, Trask sits on pretty equal footing with Franks. He can sling it just as far down the field, and the two have traded off being the most accurate quarterback in practice from day to day.
One day Trask will outperform Franks. The next Franks will get the better of Trask.
It's been close enough to call it a legitimate competition, though.
The real question isn't whether Trask can sling the rock; he can. But can he successfully operate the offense when he's under pressure in a game situation? That's where Franks has a clear edge, at least in terms of experience. Trask, a former high school backup, simply doesn't have the amount of reps leading the offense in game-like situations as Franks.
"I (thought) they were exceptional throwers of the football and passers of the football. For them to have the ability to make different types of throws and put different tempos and paces on the ball is something that I thought they've done a really good job with throughout the first six practices," Johnson said.
"Especially when you have some younger guys who hadn't played a bunch, the ability to kind of have some of that arm talent and do that stuff takes a while to develop. And some of those guys do some of that stuff naturally, so that's a positive for sure."
Johnson noted one play, in particular, from Monday's practice that showed Trask has the ability to get the job done at this level.
He's looked pretty natural doing so, too.
"
Kyle Trask had one today where he threw off a play-action pass and it was a great read, he got to No. 3 in his progression and put it right on the guy in stride for a touchdown," Johnson said Monday. "So those guys, they all have flashed and shown some ability to make some big plays."
One big question at quarterback, not just for Trask but for all of the guys, is how they will handle the running portion of the position.
Coach
Dan Mullen has typically used his quarterbacks as runners quite a bit, though he can certainly work around different skill sets at the position.
Trask might actually be a more natural runner than Franks, and he's got a bit more bulk to his frame to be able to handle the hits. Of course, Florida's quarterbacks have been in non-contact jerseys this spring, so how much can the coaches really know about each guy's running ability?
"Enough because the way we structure practice those guys are going to get thudded up even though it's not full contact," Johnson said. "We'll see what they can do just in terms of their scrambling ability, of how coach holds the whistle and makes sure that we're finishing plays and through our individual drills. I think those guys are all different runners, and we'll kind of design it to run to their strengths. So we'll do what we need to do as an offensive staff to get that organized."
Johnson noted that Mullen has lifted the non-contact jerseys from the quarterbacks in the past to see what they can do.
The Gators haven't done that yet, but they might at some point if the competition remains close. Johnson noted that after
Dak Prescott went to the NFL, Mississippi State kept the quarterbacks live throughout the spring.
With just Franks and Trask standing ahead of the pack right now, the Gators may not have the luxury of doing that this spring.
In any case, Johnson's confident that between Franks or Trask, or perhaps even one of the two freshmen making a big jump, he's got the guy on the roster that can make the offense hum.
"I mean, we don't got nobody else coming through that door, so I mean these are our guys and we're going to get them ready to go out there and compete at a high level and hold them to the Gator standard," Johnson said. "I mean, that's what it's all about. Those guys are eager and willing to learn, and as long as they continue to come out here with that attitude and get better and take steps in the right direction each and every day, we'll be fine."
---------------
