Franks likely starter at QB with Zaire hurt
GAINESVILLE — Former Florida coach Jim McElwain never liked questions about injuries.
Interim coach Randy Shannon was more direct Monday in declining to tell reporters anything about quarterback Malik Zaire’s knee injury, other than that he is day-to-day.
“That’s medical stuff,” Shannon said. “I can’t say all the things that’s wrong with him right now. That’s just a day-to-day deal.”
He said that as of now redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks, who took over late in the second quarter after Zaire’s injury against South Carolina, would get the start Saturday against Alabama-Birmingham.
It will be Franks’ seventh start of the season after Zaire had started the last two games. If Zaire is unavailable, Franks would be the Gators’ only healthy scholarship quarterback, leaving redshirt freshman walk-on Nick Sproles and wide receiver Dre Massey as emergency options.
“You have to go with Franks right now because you don’t know. Malik’s day to day and we have to develop somebody else,” Shannon said. “The last two or three weeks Dre Massey has taken snaps at quarterback. He was a quarterback in high school and he had done some 7-on-7 and snap counts. It’s watered down a little bit from what we’re trying to get done on offense when he’s in the game, but he can execute things.”
Franks completed 10 of 25 passes for 174 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Florida’s 28-20 loss at South Carolina. For the season, he’s passed for 1,027 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions while playing in every game.
Shannon also said starting center T.J. McCoy is out for the season and freshman defensive tackle Elijah Conliffe is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Florida has lost two starting offensive linemen in the last two games, following left guard Brett Heggie’s knee injury two weeks ago.
“Well, you just have to move guys around a little bit. It’s like the NFL. With the NFL, you usually travel with maybe seven offensive linemen and you’ve got to make one guy have to play guard and center. The other guy has to play tackle. That’ll be your seven,” Shannon said. “We’ve got guys. We just have to coach them up now.”
As for other personnel updates, Shannon acknowledged that senior Brandon Powell won’t be returning punts after muffing a punt each of the last two weeks. Sophomore Freddie Swain replaced him at South Carolina and will continue to get work there, along with Massey.
Coaching update: The search for McElwain’s replacement could be over soon.
According to a report from Fort Lauderdale lawyer and UF alum Darren Heitner, Florida could make the decision to hire Chip Kelly and possibly do it this week.
Heitner was also the source who broke the news of Florida negotiating McElwain’s buyout on the morning of the Florida-Georgia game, which turned out to be McElwain’s last in charge of the Gators.
Heitner mentioned Jimmy Sexton in his latest tweet; he’s the agent who represents McElwain and who was a part of the buyout negotiations. And according to Heitner, Sexton represents other possible candidates for the Florida opening.
It appears that maybe Kelly’s greatest strength right now is not his offense, but instead that Jimmy Sexton is not his agent. Kelly is represented by David Dunn.
Kelly previously coached Oregon to the national title game before spending time as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. He currently is an analyst for ESPN.