Depth at quarterback has been an issue for Florida coach Jim McElwain since his arrival at Florida roughly a year ago. Following the transfer of Jeff Driskel, the Gators were left with two scholarship quarterbacks, Treon Harris and Will Grier. Former Vanderbilt QB/WR Josh Grady added some depth at the position, but only for 2015.

Heading into 2016, McElwain is once again faced with a depth chart depleted due to the graduation of Grady and the transfer of Grier. Following the completion of the Citrus Bowl, Harris was the only scholarship quarterback on roster for 2016. By recruiting transfers and early enrolling freshmen, McElwain will have four quarterbacks competing with Harris in spring practice.

Luke Del Rio

Background: Del Rio was a member of the class of 2013, recruited by offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to Alabama as a walk-on. After the staff shakeup at Alabama, Del Rio transferred to Oregon State, where he played in three games in 2014. John Garrett, Del Rio’s offensive coordinator at Oregon State, is now on Florida’s secondary staff as a quality control specialist. As a transfer, Del Rio sat out the 2015 season at UF.

Role in 2016: Del Rio appears to be the early favorite to win the starting job. Former Florida QB Shane Matthews (1990-1992), frequently heard on radio and podcasts discussing Florida football, has been on the record multiple times predicting Del Rio will be Florida’s starter next season. In July, ESPN’s Ed Aschoff reported that Del Rio was impressing teammates and coaches at practice.

Austin Appleby

Background: In three seasons at Purdue, Appleby threw for 2,777 yards, 19 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Appleby started the first three games of the 2015 season for the Boilermakers before being benched in favor of redshirt freshman David Blough. As a fifth-year senior in graduate school, 2016 will be Appleby’s final season of college football.

Role in 2016: It’s difficult to predict where Appleby will land on the depth chart. Considering the Gators just spent half a season with Grady one injury away from running the offense, the team was in the position to accept any quarterback interested in playing at UF. The competition for the starting job is wide open heading into spring practice, but it would be a surprise to see a quarterback benched at Purdue become the starter at Florida.

Feleipe Franks

Background: Franks, out of Crawfordville, Fla., is rated the No. 3 pro-style quarterback of the class of 2016. The former LSU commit flipped to Florida as the Gators quarterback issues and early playing time opportunities became more evident in the second half of the season. Franks will enroll at UF after playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Role in 2016: Transitioning from playing against high school teams to the SEC in a few months is a lot to ask of a true freshman quarterback, but it’s not completely unheard of at Florida. The Franks situation is a win-win for McElwain. Either the freshman plays and gains valuable experience or he redshirts and gives the Gators four years of eligibility starting in 2017.

Kyle Trask

Background: The pro-style quarterback out of Manvel, Texas, served as the backup to dual-threat Houston commit D’Eriq King. Despite the label of backup, Trask regularly played in the first half, but King saw the majority of high-leverage snaps. Florida was the only FBS school to recruit Trask, a three-star prospect according to 247Sports composite rankings.

Role in 2016: If Trask sees significant playing time in 2016, he’s either the future subject of an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary, or the Gators had terrible luck with injuries and suspensions. McElwain and Nussmeier were impressed with Trask’s size and mechanics at Florida’s Friday Night Lights camp, and might be able to mold him into a college quarterback, but there’s simply no way a high school backup is ready for the speed of SEC defenses as a true freshman.