The Florida Gators are heading into the 2020 College Football season with high expectations. The Gators finished last season with an 11-2 record including an Orange Bowl victory over the Virginia Cavaliers. Florida looks to continue that type of success with redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask at the helm. Here is the 2020 Florida Gators quarterback preview.
Kyle Trask
Trask had a breakout season in 2019 as he started off as Florida’s backup QB. He was called upon when starter Feleipe Franks suffered a gruesome leg injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season.
Trask came into the Kentucky game with a 21-10 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. The Texas native would help Florida score 19 unanswered points and lead the team to a 29-21 over the Wildcats.
After that game, Trask would continue to shock the college football world as the former high school backup QB was leading one of the top ranked teams in the country to victory week in and week out.
He ended the season with some of the best numbers out of all of the SEC quarterbacks. Trask threw for 2,941 yard, 25 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 66.9 completion percentage.
Florida head coach Dan Mullen will need the Texas native to build off that breakout season and help his team reach their goals. There is another quarterback on Florida’s roster that’s expected to get more playing time in this upcoming season.
Emory Jones
Redshirt sophomore Emory Jones is in his third year in the program and is expected to see the field more in 2020. Jones has primarily been used as a change of pace for the Gators offense. He has always been known to be dangerous with the ball in his hands.
He has mostly ran the ball, as that’s something Trask doesn’t do very well. Jones is an athletic quarterback that can make the big plays with arms and legs. During the 2020 season, Mullen is expected to add more plays in the Emory Jones package.
He arrived at Florida with a big arm but needed to improve on his mechanics. With this being his third season at Florida, Jones has shown an understanding of the playbook and is ready to show off his arm talent.
Trask will still be the primary quarterback at Florida, but Jones is expected to be the future quarterback once Trask leaves after this season. Florida fans could see a sneak peak of what the Mullen’s offense will look like with Jones at the helm.
Anthony Richardson
Another quarterback that could get some playing this season is a true freshman out of UF’s backyard. Former four-star quarterback Anthony Richardson is a 6-4 225 pound dual-threat quarterback out of Eastside High School.
Richardson signed with the hometown Florida Gators over the Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions. On the 247Sports Composite rankings, Richardson is the 202nd ranked recruit and the ninth ranked dual-threat QB in the nation. He was also the top ranked QB in the state of Florida.
Richardson will be the third quarterback on Florida’s depth chart. He enrolled early at Florida so he’s already practiced with the team before spring camp was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida fans may get to see snippets of Richardson if Florida can get a big lead against some of their opponents. With Richardson at QB, you can expect to see him use his legs as he’s been clocked running a 4.6 40 yard dash. He has good downfield accuracy and can throw the deep ball well.
Overview
The quarterback position at Florida should be a position Gator fans shouldn’t worry about. Mullen and Florida’s QB coach Brian Johnson have done a great job of recruiting elite talent at the quarterback position. Mullen has also done a great job of developing quarterbacks and getting them to perform at a high level like Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott.
Trask is looking to improve his draft stock and end college career on a high note. Jones will look to show the Florida coaching staff that he’s ready to take on bigger role in their offense. Richardson is looking to develop with Mullen and Johnson’s help during practice. He’s a very talent quarterback that needs some time before he can become the starting quarterback at UF.
Florida is a team that some national media outlets have as a darkhorse to make the College Football Playoffs. In order for that to happen, Florida will need to quarterback to excel and lead the Gators offense.
