Jeff Driskel: From 5 stars to Florida outcast

Jeff Driskel’s career as the quarterback of the Florida Gators appears to be near an end.

Once considered the next Tim Tebow, Driskel’s career in Gainesville has been mired by injuries, turnover at the offensive coordinator position, and an inability to capitalize in key moments on the field. The Florida fan base is out for blood, and its attention is firmly focused on the veteran quarterback.

When I sat down in the stands at Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida in the fall of 2010 to watch 5-star prospect Jeff Driskel in person, he looked like a man among boys as he warmed up on the sidelines for Hagerty High School. He was physically dominating compared to his teammates. His throws during warmups were lasers. It was immediately clear why he was considered a top QB recruit in the country.

Hagerty was very much overmatched against a more powerful opponent, and Driskel’s in-game performance was nothing special. We dismissed it as Driskel merely playing for a team on which he was the only real football player.

Looking back, it’s interesting to remember being most impressed with Driskel during his warmups than the on-field performance during a game – in high school.

The previous summer, Driskel jumped into the national spotlight when he dominated the Elite 11 camp out west. Named the MVP of the camp, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said at the time, “Driskel is a massive young man at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, his release is on point and his passes have tremendous heat on them.”

Originally an Urban Meyer recruit, one of Muschamp’s first acts as the newly hired Florida Head Coach was to re-secure the Driskel commitment. Driskel was firmly committed to the Gators, and it didn’t take long for Florida fans to hear that Driskel was still on the way. After watching John Brantley during Meyer’s last year in Gainesville, fans were already anticipating Driskel as leading the return to the dual threat like offense spearheaded by Tim Tebow in previous years.

After joining the Gators in the spring, Driskel saw limited playing time during his freshman season behind John Brantley. Meanwhile, the decline of offensive production in Gainesville was well underway.

Florida was ranked 8th in scoring offense in the SEC during Meyer’s last season (2010) after being ranked 1st and 2nd in the league in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Muschamp has seen the team go from 8th in scoring offense in 2011 to last in the league in 2013.

*2014 stats through Oct 11, 2014

Despite the offensive woes, Driskel & Muschamp helped led the Gators to an overachieving 11-1 regular season in 2012 battling through what was called one of the toughest schedules in the country. Driskel’s production, however, is rarely cited for the success that season, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Florida managed an 11-1 season despite being last in passing offense in the conference with a measly 146.3 yards per game through the air. A +15 turnover margin, a league best six blocked kicks and a stingy defense which gave up 14.5 points per game helped propel the Gators toward a successful, “Win ugly” campaign. Driskel made a handful of plays to help the team, but mostly just didn’t screw it up for the Gator defense and special teams.

While Muschamp ball worked in 2012, the horrific 4-8 season which followed revealed how thin the margin for error is with this approach to winning games. Muschamp’s defense had to be perfect and special teams had to be special in order to compensate for the utter lack of playmaking on offense. While Driskel isn’t to blame for the 2013 season (out with a broken leg), the season revealed the problem with the overall offensive strategy that Florida fans had seen since Muschamp arrived.

With the start of the 2014 season, Kurt Roper arrived and a change in offensive approach came with it. Whether this was mandated upon Muschamp or the Head Coach humbly realized his approach was flawed, it doesn’t matter. The new offense led by a new OC coupled with a healthy Jeff Driskel meant Florida fans were optimistic.

After a cancelled Idaho game due to weather, Driskel lit up an awful Eastern Michigan team in week 2. Driskel threw the ball 45 times to 10 different players. A good passing game against Kentucky followed, but the next three games in SEC play have proven to be quite abysmal. Against Alabama, Tennessee and LSU, Driskel’s stats tell the story: 34 of 76 (45%), 335 yards (112 per game), 2 TDs, 6 INT.

Mix in the fact that freshman Treon Harris led a comeback in Knoxville, and it’s difficult to find many Florida fans who believe Driskel should remain the starter.

Clearly, Driskel has had some bad breaks in his career at Florida. He was recruited originally by Urban Meyer (and the Urban Meyer spread offense) and has had three offensive coordinators since arriving in Gainesville. The season ending injury that Driskel suffered a year ago was also an unfortunate break for the quarterback.

However, even when healthy, Driskel’s play on the field leaves much to be desired. Physically, he’s as gifted as it gets – a strong arm, good size and a physical run game.

But, his feel for the game is very poor. Throughout his time at Florida, Driskel seems to not know when to stay in the pocket or when to roll out, when to throw it away or when to tuck it and run. Clearly, reading the defensive coverages is a problem. Any pass requiring a bit of touch is a roll of the dice.

If you compare Florida’s Jeff Driskel to South Carolina’s Connor Shaw in recent years, you’d say that Driskel is much more gifted physically, yet Shaw was the one who knew how to win games. Shaw was a “gamer” as some like to say – having the ability to make the right play at the big moments – this ability is key to sustained success in the Southeastern Conference.

The Florida offense has improved under Roper. It operates cleaner. The offensive line is executing much better. Skill players have shown some promise, albeit inconsistent promise.

Most problematic for the Gators, though, is that Driskel is still Driskel. He can’t win games.

In 2012, he didn’t have to. The defense and special teams won the games for the Gators. Betting on a 2012-like season year after year in the SEC will get you fired. Muschamp, like every other coach in football, needs a quarterback.

He doesn’t need Marcus Mariota, but he needs more than Jeff Driskel. He needs a QB that can feel the game, can hit open receivers and move the chains in the 2nd half. He needs a Connor Shaw.

It’s not yet clear if Treon Harris can be Connor Shaw for the Gators, but the limited action he has seen this season has led many Florida fans to start buying the hype. The current situation means that Muschamp’s hand is likely forced to make the move to Treon Harris.

Fans want Driskel out. Fans have hope in the backup quarterback. As long as fans have hope, Muschamp might be able to salvage his job. If Muschamp fails to make the move or the move to Harris proves to be unsuccessful, the glimmer of hope present in Florida fans may fade.

At that time, not just Jeff Driskel, but also Will Muschamp will be out in Gainesville.