Carter's Corner: Don't Count Out Del Rio

Luke Del Rio acknowledges Gators fans as he walks off the field after suffering a knee injury in the third game last season. (File photo)

Carter's Corner: Don't Count Out Del Rio

Sunday, August 20, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter

The redshirt junior is No. 3 on the fans' depth chart, but that means nothing in the competition at Camp Uncomfortable.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gators head coach Jim McElwain did not dance around with words. He said a primary focus during camp was to create discomfort. The approach seems to have worked in what McElwain has said is the most competitive preseason camp of his tenure.

Still, the distress has reached far beyond the practice field.

The intense competition has made a portion of Florida fans uncomfortable, too.

You see, some orange and blue faithful get antsy whenever talk turns to Luke Del Rio as the potential starting quarterback when the Gators open the season Sept. 2 against Michigan. They say Del Rio had his shot at the job and it didn't work out, that redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks or newcomer Malik Zaire are the better options.

Please stop with Del Rio we saw what he was. He struggled against everyone but Kentucky. His ceiling is too low. He stunk in the UMass game
— Jeff (@Wienerjeff) August 18, 2017

They argue Del Rio doesn't have the arm of Franks or the playmaking ability of Zaire, a fifth-year graduate student from Notre Dame who has one year of eligibility. They say his outspoken nature rubs them the wrong way, that Del Rio is an entitled Millennial who grew up as the son of an NFL head coach.

Mostly, they say Del Rio is not the answer to solve Florida's quarterback woes. A year ago, they said different stuff about Del Rio when he beat out fifth-year graduate transfer Austin Appleby for the starting job.

They said he knew the offense after a year in the system, that he could make the throws needed in McElwain's versatile offense, that he had command of the huddle and was a natural leader after years of learning from his father, Jack Del Rio, who was head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars during his son's formative years and is now head coach in Oakland.

Back then, Del Rio was the fresh hope at a position that has been a dream spoiler for Florida fans much of the past decade since a famous Mets minor-leaguer departed. In his second start for the Gators, Del Rio threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns, only the second time a UF quarterback threw for 300 yards since, yes, Tebow Time (John Brantley is 2011 vs. Furman the other).

I wrote this story a couple of days later about Del Rio's early promise, largely to a positive reception:

Luke Del Rio Showing Signs He Could Solve #Gators' QB Woes — https://t.co/M66KwoNEIo pic.twitter.com/VYYh7xI05G
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) September 11, 2016

Fast forward a year to the day that McElwain named Del Rio the starter in 2016, and the job remains open heading into the 2017 season. Del Rio, Franks and Zaire are in a large room at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium each discussing the ongoing battle and their outlook on the competition.

Del Rio is making his case.

"I didn't come back to be a strict mentor or a coach," Del Rio said. "I wouldn't have come back if I didn't want to play, so I'm focusing on competing."

Those are words Florida fans should want to hear, expect to hear from the potential starting quarterback. Zaire has made similar statements. Franks, the youngest of the trio, has taken the most conservative approach when asked about the competition. He has yet to take an official snap and is playing it safe – and it should be noted, holding his own against the two more experienced players.

A big arm and being 6-foot-6 are never bad when competing in a quarterback battle.

McElwain remains tight-lipped about the competition. When asked Friday if there is a frontrunner, he did some dancing.

"It's hard to say,'' he said.

Amidst the jockeying, what else is clear in Camp Uncomfortable is that Del Rio has attitude. Some might call it a chip on his shoulder or competitive swagger. Call it what you like. Del Rio knows he is considered an afterthought by many fans despite having two more seasons of eligibility remaining. Del Rio started six games a year ago and won five.

That doesn't seem to carry much stock these days because of the way he ended the season, battered and beaten in a loss at Arkansas.

The critics remain loud.

"They're fans who are frustrated and just want to win,'' Del Rio told the Florida Times-Union on UF Media Day. "I get it."

What do you expect from fans when you do this pic.twitter.com/qTXD3mUHYn
— DW (@danielw3111) August 18, 2017

Del Rio's demise started in the game after the win over Kentucky in which he shined. He injured a knee (sprained MCL) in a win over North Texas that forced him to miss the Tennessee and Vanderbilt games. When he returned, he suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder in the Georgia game.

He tried to play on but in the loss at Arkansas Del Rio looked like a wounded boxer trying to make it back to his corner without dropping. Del Rio's season was over and he spent the offseason under the surgical knife and in the training room.

Del Rio is now healthy full of vigor, seeking to reclaim the job. He fired up fans again Friday when a reporter asked casually about his health and arm strength after shoulder surgery.

"My arm is 100 percent healthy,'' he said. "I found it pretty ridiculous that fans were saying I had a noodle arm when I was throwing the ball 80 yards in the first game. They have the memory of a goldfish, I guess. I've never had a ridiculous arm. I mean, Feleipe has a ridiculous arm.

"But I've always had a pretty adequate arm. I've been able to make every throw on time. It's the first time in my life I've heard, 'you don't have a strong arm.' Whatever."

In last year's opener, Del Rio dropped back and overthrew receiver Antonio Callaway on a go-route down the middle of the field. In the win over Kentucky the following week, on the same type of play, Del Rio hit Callaway perfectly in stride for a 78-yard touchdown pass. I recall tweeting at the time the toss was as good a deep throw by a Gators quarterback as any in quite a while.

In less than two weeks the Gators will start Franks or Del Rio or Zaire in the Michigan game. Or maybe McElwain toys with us all and direct snaps to Kadarius Toney or Dre Massey. We've seen stranger first plays in recent years.

The reality is that it could be Del Rio. Not saying that's the way the Gators will go, but he is definitely not just an afterthought as they wrap up Camp Uncomfortable.