2023 QB Depth Charts: UF, FSU, Miami and UCF
Winning in the modern college football era has almost always started at the quarterback position. For each of Florida, Florida State, Miami and UCF, they all have their pluses and minuses with the signal callers on their respective depth charts.
Like the video above discussed in-depth about the quarterbacks, there have also been many factors for what happens next.
Here’s an overview of where things stand today with each of the quarterback depth charts for the four primary programs in Florida -- Florida, Florida State, Miami and UCF -- going in alphabetical order.
All classes listed for players were based on next season.
Florida Gators
Beyond the mess that’s the Jaden Rashada recruiting and Name, Image, and Likeness saga, there’s simply no proven quarterback on the roster for head coach Billy Napier and the Florida football program.
Off to the NFL went the athletically gifted Anthony Richardson, and there’s now a gaping hole on the Florida quarterback depth chart with his departure.
Former Ohio State transfer Jack Miller at least knows the offense after being on campus this past season. He's a pocket passer that can move away from the rush and make a play. Physical talents aside, he only played in one game last season and went 13-22 for 180 yards, and no touchdowns or interceptions.
Miller was a highly recruited player so perhaps playing for the Gators in a new scheme will help him to maximize his talents. Time will tell, but he's also going to have to compete for the starting job.
The Gators landed another quarterback transfer with former Wisconsin Badger Graham Mertz. However, during his four seasons in Madison, Wis. playing for the Badgers, Mertz struggled quite often.
Part of the problem was not enough true big-play threats at wide receiver, and some of it was Mertz forcing the football into coverage. His 2022 statistics included going 164-286, 57.3%, 2,136 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Mertz does have good arm strength and size at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. More of a pocket passer with some mobility, similar to Miller, Mertz needs to quickly find a rhythm in Gainesville, Fla. as the Gators simply have little depth behind Miller right now and need to at least establish a clear No. 1 and No. 2 behind center.
The only other likely option will be redshirt freshman Max Brown, who’s never thrown a college pass during a live game.
From this entire list of quarterback depth charts, the Gators should be considered in the worst shape of any team. That’s on paper though. Let’s see how the Rashada situation plays out and also take account of what happened during spring ball. Much more will be known then.
Florida State Seminoles
With a possible Heisman Trophy candidate in Jordan Travis back for next season, Florida State’s coaching staff has overseen the transformation of a runner that sometimes threw the football, to seeing the transformation of Travis turning into a passing quarterback with the ability to run.
Travis threw for 3,214 yards, a 64% completion rate, 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions last season. He also rushed for 417 yards, averaged 5.1 yards per tote, and scored another seven touchdowns.
Travis often played his best during big games, like bringing FSU back against Oklahoma to win 35 to 32 in the Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Against the Sooners, Travis went 27-38 for 418 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Travis also rushed for an additional 50 yards.
The only issue for the Noles is If he’s injured in 2023. There’s no proven player behind Travis on the quarterback depth chart, and really not even one with anything more than limited playing experience.
Rising senior Tate Rodemaker has played in each of the three seasons he’s been on campus in Tallahassee, Fla., but he’s only thrown a total of 62 passes. Beyond Rodemaker, the Noles have no other experienced player.
It will be interesting to see if incoming freshman quarterback Brock Glenn, an Elite 11 finalist, can push some of the other backups like Rodemaker and redshirt freshman AJ Duffy.
Miami Hurricanes
Perhaps the most up in the air situation stems from what happened in Coral Gables, Fla. The Hurricanes lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a right-throwing-shoulder injury last season. Not once, but twice.
How will he be physically this next season? How about mentally? Shoulder injuries have sometimes proven to be difficult to return from, especially when a passer has worried about being hit and landing on his shoulder again.
When Van Dyke has been healthy, especially during the last half dozen games of 2021, he’s been terrific. In 2022, however, he was often erratic under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. How Van Dyke does during spring ball should be a big glimpse into what’s next for the Canes.
Behind Van Dyke, there’s redshirt sophomore Jake Garcia, as well as sophomore Jacurri Brown.
Garcia played in eight games and went 68-115, 59.1%, five touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had issues with being stripped of the football. Brown had similar issues. He went 27-45, 60%, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Like Garcia, Brown played in eight games. His pocket awareness was not on par with the level of competition. That’s been typical of young college quarterbacks for probably as the forward pass has been around, so no surprise for Garcia or Brown, but still an issue that must be remedied by the end of the 2023 Miami spring practice sessions.
With Brown, there was the element of him running the football and making big plays, too. He ran 54 times for 223 yards, a 4.1 average. Because of his natural athleticism and 6-foot-4 and 210-pound frame, Brown could have an edge on Garcia to take over the quarterback position after Van Dyke leaves Miami, and possibly even before if Van Dyke falls to injury again.
Looking towards the future, Miami also signed Emory Williams in the class of 2023. Like Glenn that signed with FSU, Williams participated in the Elite 11 finals and has the chance to one day lead the Canes. Williams has shown that he's usually done his best work by passing the football from the pocket.
UCF Knights
With John Rhys Plumlee having already announced he’s coming back for a fifth-year in Orlando, Fla., the Knights have an experienced option to operate Gus Malzahn's multiple offense that utilized a lot run-pass option plays this past season.
Plumlee went 218-346, 63%, 2,586 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The passing numbers alone do not tell the entire story, however. Plumlee was not on the same page with his receivers during multiple games last fall; there was a lot of feast or famine.
On the flip side, he’s one of the fastest and most dynamic players in all of college football. He ran for 862 yards, a 5.4 average, and 11 scores this past season. Plumlee will have two younger quarterbacks trying to battle with him this spring.
USF transfer and redshirt sophomore Timmy McClain has shown to be on the same athletic level as Plumlee. Elusive in space, a quick burst to separate from defenders, and strong for his size, McClain has the physical tools to be a great college quarterback.
He was a freshman starter for USF in 2021 and went 145-262 for 1,888 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Bulls did not possess the talent needed to truly help McClain, but he at least gained quite a bit of experience throwing the football before he transferred to UCF this past August and sat out the 2022 season.
As a runner, he was capable of occasional explosive plays, but look for him to run more effectively in a UCF uniform after being in college for two seasons. Same with McClain's to pass the football, too.
The third member of the quarterback room for the Knights would be sophomore Thomas Castellanos. He played in six games this past fall. Castellanos went 9-16, 56.3%, 75 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions.
He has shown a huge arm at the prep level and during limited playing time with the Knights. Like Plumlee and McClain, Castellanos can also truly run the football. In fact, he was recruited to play several skill positions in college because of his athleticism.
Castellanos rushed 14 times for 120 yards, an 8.6 average, and one touchdown. With Castellanos as the third possible option for next fall, the Knights will have an intriguing spring practice with those three alone.
There’s also incoming freshman Dylan Rizk, a signal caller that’s a little bit more of a pocket passer than the other three mentioned above but still a player that likes to get on the edge to pass or run when possible.
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