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Around this time last year, Florida Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel was battling it out with Jacoby Brissett for the starting-quarterback position. The competition was close, but Driskel ultimately came out on top. However, there is an aspect of Florida’s quarterback situation that is somewhat worrisome. Driskel is unarguably the starter going into the 2013 season, this we know. But if Driskel goes down, heaven forbid, who’s up next? Out of four possible candidates who are in the running for the primary backup spot, there’s one that stands out in my mind. Tyler Murphy, a 6-foot-2, 206-pound redshirt junior, is the likeliest player to stand behind Driskel. He first committed to Temple, but later changed his mind. Murphy wanted to be a Gator instead.
Recruited during the final days of the Urban Meyer era in 2010, Murphy was the 10th best player in the state of Connecticut coming out of high school, according to Rivals.com. He scored six rushing touchdowns in just one game, and passed and rushed for over 1,000 yards in his high school career. Murphy is a dual threat the Gators can really utilize should something ever happen to Driskel and they need a backup.
Murphy has only appeared in three games in his whole college career and was Florida’s third quarterback last season. It appears as if that may change for him in 2013, despite being in a heated competition with Skyler Mornhinweg, Max Staver and Chris Wilkes. Given his previous experience with offensive coordinator Brent Pease and his knowledge of the system, he has a leg up on the competition.
