Florida’s lack of stability at quarterback spans four coaching staffs now, with the program having started twelve quarterbacks since Tim Tebow graduated in 2009, the most of any Power 5 program.

This season is no different, with the quarterback questions and drama continuing into the final weeks of fall camp.

But what about the quarterbacks on Florida’s schedule? Who are the guys on the schedule Todd Grantham will look at and say: That’s a problem? If Florida could steal a quarterback from one of its opponents — who would it choose?

I’ve power ranked all the 12 presumed starting quarterbacks Florida must face.

To do it, I didn’t just look at statistics — though that’s part of it. I didn’t just look at wins and losses either, because in college football, there are occasionally excellent, future NFL type quarterbacks on lesser teams.

What I did instead was try to evaluate the whole package of the opposing quarterback: wins, losses, arm strength, accuracy, statistics, experience, poise and penchant for the big moment. Then I asked myself what Vince Lombardi would: If winning is a habit, who is the one guy I’d take to win a game?

12. London Johnson, Charleston Southern

The Buccaneers tried multiple quarterbacks last season before settling on dual-threat London Johnson by midseason. Johnson showed improvement late in the year, pacing an upset win over Liberty with his arm and legs, but the former All-State South Carolina quarterback has played only one drive against a Power 5 team in his career, and he’ll get a rabid opening night of the Mullen era Swamp. That’s not a good mix.

11. Mason Petrino, Idaho

Gone is the outstanding All-Sun Belt quarterback Matt Linehan, the son of longtime NFL coach and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

In is another coach’s son: Idaho head coach Paul Petrino’s son, Mason Petrino.

Petrino lacks Linehan’s size and arm strength, but he’s still a smart player and he understands his Dad’s modified Air-raid offense. There’s a reason Idaho made the drop back to the Big Sky and FCS, and Petrino will likely have a big year. But he’s unlikely to have a good afternoon on Senior Day in The Swamp this November.

10. Terry Wilson, Kentucky

To be honest, I’d put Gunnar Hoak in this spot as well. I don’t have an immense amount of faith in either guy, but I am a big believer in second chances, and a huge fan of Last Chance U, so I’m actively rooting for Wilson to succeed this season in Lexington.

Wilson had been a bit behind Hoak in grasping Eddie Gran’s offense, but reports are that he’s come on strong over the past few days, and there’s simply no denying that he adds an extra element to the game with his speed and elusiveness as a runner. Kentucky’s offensive line returns 60 starts — third-most in the SEC- and they already have a tremendous running back in Benny Snell. If Wilson can add a third wrinkle, the Wildcats could surprise this year.

But it’s all unproven right now.

9. Keller Chryst, Tennessee

Another program with a quarterback battle, but when I heard Stanford coach David Shaw say Keller Chryst was “too talented to be a backup,” I knew this was the guy to lead the Vols in Jeremy Pruitt’s first year in Knoxville.

I also don’t believe Chryst would have chosen to spend his final year in Knoxville to sit the bench, especially after Tyson Helton was hired.

Chryst doesn’t have a huge arm, but he’s always been lethally accurate, and he’s a smart kid who has a nice group of wide receivers to work with in a system that suits his strengths. It’s a good fit, and the bottom won’t fall out with Chryst, which is the big risk under Guarantano.

8. Joe Burrow, LSU

What a spring and summer for Joe Burrow, who went from surplus to requirements after falling short in a spring quarterback battle at Ohio State to impressively winning the job as starter in Baton Rouge.

LSU’s switched coordinators — again — with Steve Ensminger back in the role he served in 2016 during Orgeron’s stint as the interim HC. Burrow is a good athlete who can make all the throws, and Urban Meyer claims he’s a “made quarterback,” which is a good endorsement to have.

LSU fans have a right to be excited. I just want to see the kid face a live pass rush for 60 minutes first.

7. KJ Carta-Samuels, Colorado State

This was always going to be a tricky game for Florida, and it became trickier when Washington transfer KJ Carta-Samuels was named the starter for Mike Bobo’s Colorado State team.

Like Burrow at Ohio State, Carta-Samuels didn’t “lose” a quarterback battle at Washington so much as another guy, Jake Browning, was just better at football. There’s no shame in that and by all accounts, Carta-Samuels won the Colorado State job quite easily after transferring in as a graduate transfer this winter.

Carta-Samuels is a better athlete than Burrow and was slightly more touted out of California as a prep quarterback. He played in 25 games over three seasons for Chris Petersen, where he was an effective runner but rarely had the chance to throw, tallying only 310 yards on 47 career attempts.

He’s a great fit at Colorado State, and will be great practice for dual-threat Nick Fitzgerald, who awaits in Starkville two weeks later.

6. Jake Bentley, South Carolina

Football is a funny game.

We — the media that know everything, of course — spent a ton of the last offseason praising Bentley’s talent and maturity in coming off the bench, sacrificing his redshirt and leading South Carolina to a surprise bowl appearance as an early-enrollee freshman in 2016.

We were ready for Bentley to explode, spent a good deal of 2017 wondering if the game had slowed down enough for him and whether he can beat a big-time opponent or just leading the Gamecocks to wins over lesser teams.

Then the Outback Bowl happened, and Jake Bentley led a splendid comeback win, making huge throws- including this dime to Shi Smith- and we were back on the Bentley train again.

At least I was.

This is a talented quarterback, and he’s growing up. Show me consistency and he’s top three on this list next year.

5. James Blackman, Florida State

Willie Taggart said all spring the battle between the sophomore Blackman, the redshirt freshman Bailey Hockman and junior Deondre Francois, who is coming off a serious knee injury, would last deep into August camp.

It has, and as of this writing, Blackman appears to be slightly ahead, both in his understanding of Taggart’s up-tempo, Gulf Coast offense, and his ability to heed Taggart’s advice to “Embrace the Suck,” whatever that means.

When he wasn’t running for his life behind a porous offensive line that surrendered 32 sacks (FSU’s most in a decade), Blackman was putting together a reasonably nice freshman campaign, considering he was never supposed to have to start. He completed 58% of his passes, threw for 2,230 yards and helped beat the Gators for a fifth consecutive season. Not bad for the first freshman to start at FSU in almost 35 years.

Expect a better campaign from Blackman in Year 2.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt

A tenacious leader with incredible toughness, Shurmur’s 26 touchdown passes in 2017 set a Vanderbilt single-season record.

Shurmur led the Commodores to a bowl game in 2016 and a huge senior year could help him end his college career in style and make a statement to NFL general managers, who love his big arm but wonder about whether he can replicate last season’s production.

Shurmur also has a chance to throw for 3,000 yards — which hasn’t happened at Vanderbilt since the Jay Cutler era — and finish 3-0 as a starter against Tennessee — which hasn’t happened since the Hoover Administration.

3. Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State

I get it. You think I’m crazy to put a senior quarterback who has been through the grind of the SEC and come out clean on the other side more often than not third. He was top two for sure, right? I respect that.

Here’s the thing: This isn’t Dan Mullen’s run-dominant spread offense Fitzgerald was born to run.

This is the Joe Moorhead offense, where it’s nice that you can move around in the pocket and run a little bit here and there, but mainly what we need you to do is hit the downfield stuff that makes our power running game led by Aeris Williams so utterly devastating.

Do you trust Fitzgerald to do that like you would Trace McSorley?

I don’t know if I do, so third place it is.

2. Jake Fromm, Georgia

Fromm was a blown coverage from winning Georgia’s first national championship since 1980.

You want to put him first on this list and I can’t blame you.

Top 10 in America in passing efficiency. Seven games with multiple touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Completed over 60 percent of his throws. Avenged one of his only two losses. Threw for 2,615 yards and 24 touchdowns.

And he did all of that, to quote the late great Larry Munson, while being: “My God, a freshman.”

What’s in store Year 2?

How about a tricky August camp where he’s pushed a bit by incoming 5-star recruit Justin Fields?

How about more demands on him offensively now that the all-universe 1-2 backfield punch of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel have taken their talents to the National Football League?

On most schedules, this is a no-brainer.

But Florida plays Missouri, and the Tigers have …

1. Drew Lock

You like experience and stats?

Lock is a fourth-year starter for Mizzou who has improved every season and had a massive 2017 campaign where he tossed an SEC-record 44 touchdown passes against only 13 interceptions.

You want leadership?

Lock rallied Missouri after a woeful 1-5 start last season, helping the Tigers win 6 consecutive games down the stretch, including boat racings of SEC East foes Florida and Tennessee. The Tigers slipped up in the Texas Bowl but losing a functional road game against Tom Herman’s Texas program is understandable.

You want physical tools?

Lock has all of them. At 6-4, 225 with a rocket arm, he’s on every single first-round big board, with Pro Football Focus and Mel Kiper slotting him their Mock Draft Top Five. Yes, his accuracy could be better, but even that was up to 58 percent last season despite an initially leaky offensive line that had four new starters in 2017.

If Lock had Georgia or Bama talent around him, no one would argue about this.

Instead they will.

That’s fine. Gators fans won’t argue anymore if Lock beats the Gators by four touchdowns again.