The Feleipe Franks era in Gainesville started with a massive dud.

The results were so bad, the Florida offense never got going last season and as a result, Jim McElwain and his entire staff are no longer coaching for the Gators. With Dan Mullen landing the signature of coveted quarterback prospect Emory Jones, many assume the mobile Georgia native will slide right into the starting lineup heading into the 2018 season.

However, based on recent comments from Florida’s QB coach Brian Johnson, the edge in experience Franks has over Jones could prove to be the difference between who sees the field first in the fall.

This comment from Johnson while discussing the QBs on the Florida roster particularly stood out.

“I think sometimes it’s very, very hard to make up for the experience or lack thereof of some of the guys,” Johnson said, according to Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports. “I think that’s life’s best teacher: experience. (Franks) might have some advantages in having played in SEC football games before, but from a standpoint of us practicing and putting in the offense, everybody is kind of starting from ground zero.”

With Florida hosting Kentucky in the second weekend of the season, the Gators won’t have much time to prepare an inexperienced signal caller before SEC play begins. Given that Franks had eight starts last season and played in all 11 games for the Gators, he seems to be the logical choice if the new coaching staff values experience over everything else.

While McElwain’s offensive system may not have worked out for Franks, a change to Dan Mullen’s QB-friendly system could be the key to revitalizing the once promising career of the former U.S. Army All-American signal caller in Gainesville.