With Franks a lock, backup will be a key
GAINESVILLE — The Florida Gators wrapped up spring football workouts with a scrimmage heavy on offensive plays designed to entertain fans.
But the spring game still offered insight into the Gators’ progress. Here are three things we learned during the scrimmage:
1. The battle at backup QB is more interesting than the one at starter:
If there was any doubt, Feleipe Franks made it clear he is the Gators’ starting quarterback.
Franks rarely was off the mark Saturday. At one point he had a passer rating of 365.2 on his way to a four touchdown day during which he averaged an eye-popping 18.1 yards per attempt.
Franks’ first spring game, when he threw three interceptions in 2016, is a distant memory. But even a year ago, he struggled during a scrimmage geared to favor the offense.
The 21-year-old is a different quarterback these days.
“It was really good to see him come out there today. There’s definitely more pressure on him today than there is a regular practice,” coach Dan Mullen said. “You put fans in there, people critiquing. When you’re playing quarterback at Florida, you’re under a lot of critique.
“It’s good to see him do that in a game setting, if not just what he’s done through spring.”
Fans now can turn their attention to the battle to become Franks’ backup. It could be an interesting competition between redshirt freshman Emory Jones and redshirt junior Kyle Trask.
Quarterbacks routinely exit a game and often miss extended
time due to an injury. It remains to be seen whether Jones or Trask will be the player one snap away from lining up with the first-team offense.
“You better be ready,” Mullen said. “In our offense, I really need great performances from our quarterback to be successful. We’re a quarterbackdriven offense. We put a lot on those guys.
“We have to have those guys ready to play.”
Each backup had his moments good and bad during the spring game.
Trask finished with better passing numbers, going 11-of-16 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
But he had an ugly picksix, returned 80 yards by defensive back John Huggins, a sophomore from Deltona who was one of the team’s breakout players during the spring. On the play, Trask was late with an out route to Freddie Swain and Huggins capitalized.
Trask also had one of the day’s best throws, hitting Swain in stride with a dart over the middle of the field for a 54-yard score.
Meanwhile, Jones’ first throw might his been his best, even though it was incomplete by inches to Tyrie Cleveland. Reminiscent of his amazing incompletion to Van Jefferson last season against Georgia, Jones was on the mark on a difficult pass down the sideline, but the ball grazed Cleveland’s fingertips.
Jones ended the day 6-of-13 passing for 113 yards, two touchdowns and an interception by cornerback C.J. McWilliams. Victimized time and again last season, McWilliams showed nice anticipation to jump a pass intended for Kyle Pitts.
Unlike Trask, Jones should see some playing time, even if Franks remains healthy and starts every game for the second straight season. Jones rushed for 38 yards Saturday, showing the dualthreat abilities sure to earn him an offensive package in the fall.
With the season still months away, Mullen is not naming a starter. This past spring, he gave his QBs equal attention, even if it is clear to anyone watching Franks is on track to line up under center Aug. 24 against Miami.
“I know everybody’s looking — this guy’s the starter, it has to be this way,” Mullen said. “To me, it doesn’t. We’re developing all the quarterbacks. If you go back, I’m going to bet they’re all within 15 reps of each other in the spring of who got what reps.
“That is because you’re a play away from the next guy having to play.”
2. Year 2 looks to be a breakout season for Grimes:
Grimes continues to show he is the Gators’ most talented pass catcher, a rare combination of size, speed and sure hands.
Grimes set a springgame record with 195 receiving yards on four catches, including two for touchdowns longer than 60 yards.
“He’s a mismatch with size. But he has some speed on top of that to run away from people,” Mullen said. “He took advantage of it and made some plays today.”
Saturday should just be the beginning for the 6-foot-5, 210-pound junior.
In his second season since transferring from Ohio State, Grimes is much more comfortable in Mullen’s system and more familiar with his teammates.
Grimes and Franks, in particular, have built a strong bond on and off the field. The two Gators also are roommates.
“When we are at the house or even when we are on the field, he talks to me,” Grimes said. “He lets me know about little things, certain route tips, was to run routes. I guess it shows when we are out here in the spring game and I have a great day.”
Expect it to show up on Saturdays in the fall, too.
“He had an awesome spring,” receiver Van Jefferson said. “He’s been doing extra work. We’ve been getting that in together. You can see that unfolding this spring and he’s going to transition that into fall camp.”
3. UF’s safeties have work to do:
The back end of the Gators’ defense was the primary victim of a spring game weighed heavily toward offensive fireworks.
UF’s defense ran just four sets and did not have star cornerback CJ Henderson on the field, making the secondary easy prey for the Gators’ attack.
But while Saturday’s performance by the pass defense might not have been as bad as it looked, safeties Shawn Davis, Donovan Stiner and Brad Stewart were out of position and a step slow on too many occasions.
Each gave up two touchdown passes as UF’s quarterbacks threw eight of them and totaled 762 passing yards. Quincy Lenton was beaten for a 41-yard catch by Kadarius Toney.
Veteran Jeawon Taylor, who has split time with Stewart, did not play in the spring game. He might be glad he did not. The rest of the Gators’ safeties walked away having to take a bit of inventory and rebuild their confidence. Follow our Gators coverage on Twitter at @osgators and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com /osgators. Edgar can be reached at egthompson@orlando sentinel.com