Reassessing the Gators QB Depth Following Jack Miller's Injury
The war of attrition begins early for the Florida Gators.
Since releasing the AllGators quarterback depth chart prediction, injuries started piling up at one of the most critical positions for depth heading into the season.
On Thursday evening, reports surfaced that solidified backup quarterback Jack Miller III was lost for a significant amount of time following thumb surgery. Pairing the documented lack of experience in the room with the unrivaled starter at signal caller Anthony Richardson's injury history, Florida is left in a predicament behind QB1.
Head coach Billy Napier understands that.
"Overall there, I think we got two players that we can play with football, and I think we're working hard on getting the third one ready," he said on August 9.
Who can be that third option to emerge to provide a sense of confidence in case the talented option one goes down?
Recently, the reserve who received the most glowing review from Napier was redshirt freshman Jalen Kitna. Praised for his growth from spring to fall from both consistency and mental standpoints, Kitna was well on his way to being the third guy on the depth chart.
However, a knee injury requiring a minor procedure that left him out for an unspecified time derailed further. Unlike Miller — who received the midseason billing for his return — Kitna's could come sooner.
That looks to be a possibility after returning to practice Wednesday despite failing to participate in fall practices four through 12. However, his availability status is still unknown.
As a result, the door is open for true freshman Max Brown to take over backup duties. Despite being the newest face in the room, there's a reason that he was a late take in the class last cycle.
He's there to provide depth in the unit as the new regime gains its footing.
Throwing for 2,750 yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions as a senior, Brown showcased his ability to make plays rolling out of the pocket and off-platform. He added elite accuracy by completing 71% of his passes. While there will be inevitable bumps in the road as someone transitioning from college from prep ball — and that shows at times with his play in fall camp — Brown still possesses the intangibles needed to manage control of the game.
Even when Kitna does return, Brown could continue to find himself in the backup role due to the arm talent and athleticism he carries. That extra dimension of mobility gives the run-heavy Florida offense more flexibility.
If they deem Brown the backup, they will be subject to the rookie mistakes made by a true freshman jumping from Oklahoma High School football to the SEC. However, that may be the only option.
In case of an emergency, which is not far from reality, if just two healthy scholarship quarterbacks suit up for week one, Kyle Engel and Jack Anders make up the walk-on talent in the position group.
They have the opportunity to align as the third and fourth options in the depth chart while the other two options return from injury.
Now let's get weird for a second.
If the walk-on route isn't the road Napier and Co. want to travel, talking wideout Trent Whittemore back to his high school roots to line up behind center. He threw for 1,026 yards and 12 touchdowns at Buchholz and has even tossed four passes at UF, completing three for 41 yards and two touchdowns. Whittemore would surely be the worst-case scenario, but it's an intriguing possibility to ponder, given how things are going.
Barring injury, the Gators are in a comfortable spot at the game's most integral positon.
Florida hopes it doesn't get to the point where the promising hometown quarterback in Richardson has to come off the field for an extended period this season. Because if it does, the offensive unit will be forced to take it on the chin as it works through the growing pains of a young, inexperienced player operating under center.
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