Another SEC Quarterback Transfers, Will Grier Leaving Florida Gators

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

With some departures from a given program, the move seems fairly obvious from an outsiders’ perspective. Players lose their starting positions but want playing time thus look for another opportunity to play via a transfer. The Florida Gators have been through the grinder over the past three seasons losing five quarterbacks to another opportunity; Tyler Murphy, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Skyler Mornhinweg, and Max Staver.

On Saturday, the Gators program lost their sixth when news broke that suspended sophomore quarterback Will Grier was leaving Gainesville.

Grier’s departure is somewhat of a shock considering his one-year suspension from football was his own doing. After Florida upended Missouri and were prepping for LSU, Grier’s suspension was announced after he failed a test for performance enhancing drugs. What drug was taken was never provided but the thought given to the public was an over the counter substance not an illegal drug like steroids.

Florida was off to a hot start to the 2015 season winning their first six games with Grier at the helm. The Gators finished the season 10-3, 7-1 in SEC play, but stumbled down the backstretch of the season on offense with part-time 2014 sophomore starter Treon Harris under center. In six games played, Grier threw for 1,204 yards with 10 touchdowns against three interceptions. Harris on the other hand, in parts of nine games threw for 1,530 yards with nine touchdowns against five interceptions. Harris more of a dual-threat than Grier, ran for 183 yards but was sacked 29 times.

Grier was suspended for a year after testing positive for the banned substance and also lost a year of eligibility in the process going from a redshirt freshman to a redshirt junior had he stayed in Gainesville. The North Carolina native could go the junior college route and reopen is recruiting. Grier missed the 2014 season when Will Muschamp was the head coach due to a back injury.

The Gators are back to being thin at the quarterback position entering the 2016 season but help is on the way. Head coach Jim McElwain has 4-star Wakulla High School (Crawfordville, FL) standout Feleipe Franks and 2-star Manvel High School (Manvell, TX) quarterback Kyle Trask committed to the class. Franks and Trask are scheduled to be early enrollees. McElwain will also have former Alabama and Oregon State signal caller Luke Del Rio at his disposal when the season begins.

Photo credit: gatorcountry.com; No. 7 Will Grier.