GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When Gators starting quarterback
Anthony Richardson announced he had declared for the NFL Draft and would not play in the Las Vegas Bowl, the immediate question was obvious: who would start for the Gators against Oregon State?
That's always a trending topic at a school that has produced three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.
Gators coach
Billy Napier addressed the issue on Thursday on a video conference call with reporters.
"I think we all would agree that this game, the quarterback position's effect on your team with not only the production part, but the leadership part, it's critical,'' Napier said. "I think we all understand that, and we've invested in that area, and we work extremely hard at it. We've got an unbelievable staff of people around here, and certainly Anthony is a reflection of that.
"I think we'll be working hard to address some of the issues at that position and, obviously, we've got some good players for the future at the position, and maybe we'll add more as we go on here."
Before reflecting on UF's future at the position, Napier confirmed that third-year sophomore
Jack Miller III would start Dec. 17 against the Beavers. A transfer from Ohio State, Miller opened preseason camp as the projected backup but suffered a broken thumb at practice prior to the opener. That opened the door for redshirt freshman
Jalen Kitna to move up the depth chart, but with Kitna's dismissal earlier this month, Miller is the man.
Miller spent two seasons with the Buckeyes before joining the Gators in the spring. He did not take a snap this season and in his career, Miller has completed 7 of 14 passes for 101 yards (all coming last season at Ohio State).
"He has been participating in practice for a number of weeks,'' Napier said. "He's perfectly healthy. You've got to remember Jack joined us back in the springtime. So he went through spring practice and summer and the majority of training camp as the No. 2. He was the No. 2 for a little bit early in the year. While he was rehabbing, we were very intentional about keeping those guys engaged. He's traveled with us. He's went through the process of prepping each week, watching the cut-ups, all those things.
"The volume of work will be a little bit different for him. That'll be the biggest challenge."
True freshman
Max Brown and fourth-year sophomore
Kyle Engel will back up Miller, a 6-foot-3, 211-pound product of Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and signed with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day told ArizonaSports.com after Miller signed that the Buckeyes had their eye on Miller for a long time.
"He was a guy we saw throwing early on in camp. He was maybe 15 years old when we first saw him,'' Day said. "We saw a really talented arm. As he's matured, you can really tell he's got a better feel for what it means to diagnose coverages, defense recognition, that type of things toward his football IQ."
Miller finally gets an opportunity to show what he can do. His ascension from third-stringer to bowl game starter in a couple of days brought us to think about other unlikely starting quarterbacks for the Gators.
There have been many through the years, but here are five that come to mind in the modern era:
GET YOUR HELMET
A look at five Gators quarterbacks who became the starter under unusual circumstances:
| PLAYER |
YEAR |
SEASON |
OPPONENT |
NOTABLE |
| Noah Brindise |
Sr. |
1997 |
W 20-7 vs. Vanderbilt |
Former walk-on replaced sophomore Doug Johnson and threw for 222 yards, 2 TDs. Started final four games of season and led UF to 4-0 record, famously alternating plays with Johnson in memorable 32-29 home win over Florida State at The Swamp. |
| Ingle Martin |
RS So. |
2003 |
W 65-3 vs. San Jose State |
Started first four games of season following departure of Rex Grossman. Gators went 2-2 before head coach Ron Zook turned to hotshot freshman Chris Leak and Martin's time as UF's starter was over. He transferred to Furman, where he started in 2004, two seasons after Billy Napier was Paladins' starter. |
| Skyler Mornhinweg |
RS Fr. |
2013 |
L 19-14 @ South Carolina |
Third-string QB tossed into lineup following injuries to Jeff Driskel and Tyler Murphy. Started three games in UF's worst season in 34 years, including a loss to Georgia Southern. He finished his college career at Columbia University. |
| Rodney Brewer |
Jr. |
1986 |
W 52-9 vs. Kent State |
The left-handed Brewer, whose claim to fame was a poor outing against Rutgers the previous season, started three games for injured Kerwin Bell. Went 13 of 16 for 230 yards, 2 TDs in win over Kent; Bell, not expected to play, replaced Brewer two games later in historic comeback win over Auburn at Florida Field. |
| Lex Smith |
RS Fr. |
1989 |
W 27-21 vs. New Mexico |
Smith replaced starter Kyle Morris, who was suspended rest of season for gambling. It was his only career start. Suffered gashed hand during a game in which Emmitt Smith rushed for 316 yards, a school record. Moved to LB when Steve Spurrier arrived. |
