Jeff Driskel: A Convenient Scapegoat?

After watching all the venom spewed at Jeff Driskel this weekend, I wanted to take a step back from things and try to take a more rational approach to his performance in a 21-16 loss at Miami.

His stat line was decent. 22-of-33 (66.7%) for 291 yards (a career-high), one touchdown against two interceptions. Granted some of those numbers were padded a bit by Florida's hurry-up offense against a Miami prevent defense which all but conceded a score late in the fourth quarter. Still, Driskel took some huge shots (nine hits, by my count) in this game and hung in there to make some big plays.

For the purposes of this analysis, however, let's focus more on the "mistakes." Driskel made three poor decisions throwing the football, that I saw.

– The interception to Miami safety Rayshawn Jenkins into coverage near the goal line in the second quarter. This play took three points off the board for Florida. It was simply an inexcusable decision by Driskel, especially considering a similar experience that cost the Gators points late in the first half against Georgia last year.

– An incomplete pass over the middle to Quinton Dunbar who was blanketed by three defenders on third-and-nine to end the second drive of the game. Trey Burton appeared to have a step on his man in the flat and was a better option on the play. (6:24, first quarter)

– Another incomplete pass to Dunbar down the right sideline on a third-and-three with just over 12 minutes to go in the game. Dunbar was double-covered, while Burton was running a flat-route in which he appeared to be open and in position to get the first down.

Of his additional eight incompletions, there were the following:

– A missed pass to Quinton Dunbar on the sideline on Florida's second drive. Miami's Tracy Howard was in coverage. A dangerous throw, but Driskel put it where only Dunbar had a chance to get it, and the receiver nearly made the play. (6:08)

– The missed opportunity to a wide-open Dunbar in the end zone on a well-timed play-action call early in the second quarter. This incompletion subsequently led to the Jenkins interception a play later. It's easy to wonder whether Driskel was pressing a bit on the next play because of the overthrow of Dunbar, and forced things a bit as a result. (14:16)

– Later in the second quarter, Driskel threw behind an open Dunbar on a crossing route. (11:48)

– Good play-action design out of a run-heavy formation where Driskel couldn't find an open man and threw it out of bounds late in the first half. (2:17)

– An incomplete pass to Clay Burton late in the third quarter. It was a third-and-four situation where the defender (Perryman) batted the ball away. Credit Perryman, in large part, for Miami's win. He was an animal on Saturday. (0:57)

– Clay Burton dropped a pass on a crossing route on the first offensive play of the fourth quarter (after an 18-yard run by Jones was wiped out because of a holding penalty.) (13:52)

– The interception to Burton. Clearly some timing issues on this play. But from my vantage point, Burton ran a flat route and simply didn't have his head around to catch the football. He ran the same route on a third-and-short the Gators didn't convert on earlier in the fourth quarter as well. (EDIT: Let me add, that's my interpretation ... and obviously we'll know more about what happened on this play soon enough)

– Missed pass to freshman Demarcus Robinson (his only target of the game) on a crossing route which took place on the second touchdown drive. The receiver vacated the middle on the play and moved into the flat. Driskel was hit on the play and threw it low and behind Robinson. Essentially the equivalent of a throw away, as Robinson was unlikely to get loose for much of a gain. (4:42)

That's really it. Three bad decisions and two poor throws. There was the sack/fumble in which Max Garcia (filling in for D.J. Humphries) got beat. You can argue Driskel held on to the ball too long, fine. And then the second sack at the end of the game, which really didn't mean much at that point.

So, seven bad plays you can put on Driskel. In 35 called pass plays. Most coaches will take that from their quarterbacks. Was it a great day by Florida quarterbacking standards? No. But it certainly wasn't the downfall of Florida against an opportunistic Miami bunch.

I like to remind UF fans in times like these, that even the all-time greats weren't infallible. Danny Wuerffel threw a critical interception in the waning stages of the 1994 Auburn debacle at home, which set up the Tigers to go on a game-winning touchdown drive. Fast-forward to 4:39 to see a truly awful decision by one of Florida's best ever.

It happens. We remember Wuerffel for all the good now, because there was a lot of it. But even he went through some growing pains. Unfortunately Jeff Driskel is too, and because he didn't get a redshirt year (like Wuerffel did), he's still experiencing these in his junior year, as opposed to his redshirt sophomore campaign as a result.

In any case, Driskel is catching some heat right now. And that comes with the territory with the position. But it wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. At least, not from my vantage point. Now we have to see if #6, and the team as a whole, can rebound from a stinging defeat against an in-state rival to regroup and make a run at earning an invitation to Atlanta.

John Brantley, and why he's (kinda sorta) to blame for Texas not offering Jameis Winston

There's been considerable discussion in the media since Monday night when Florida State redshirt quarterback Jameis Winston, fresh off perhaps the most impressive debut by a quarterback in college football history, dropped the bomb in post-game interviews that he had originally wanted to attend Texas. Had Mack Brown and the Longhorns offered the gifted two-sport athlete out of Hueytown, Ala., he would likely be suiting up for both Mack Brown and Augie Garrido in Austin right now, as opposed to being a weapon for Jimbo Fisher and Mike Martin's squads in Tallahassee.

Jameis Winston wanted to go to Texas but was never offered: "Dang, I'm good enough for Alabama & Auburn but not good enough for Texas"
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) September 3, 2013

Jameis Winston: "I'm an OU fan but I always wanted to go to Texas. If I'd gotten offer from Texas I'd be going to Texas right now"
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) September 3, 2013

It should be pointed out, however, that there is probably a bit of revisionist history here. It's easy for an athlete to say "well, I wanted to go to ________ University, but they didn't offer/show much interest in me," after the fact. Had Texas offered and recruited Winston, perhaps they would have landed him, maybe they wouldn't have. There's so many things that can go right or wrong when a team pursues a player, that we don't know if a team could or would have signed a given prospect unless they actually go after him. That clearly didn't happen in this instance. It becomes a hypothetical situation for which we will never know the answer to.

Of course, this revelation plays right into the "Mack Brown is losing touch" storyline that sportswriters have been harping on in recent years. Winston is just the latest dynamic, dual-threat quarterback that the Longhorns missed on. Before him, Texas decided to recruit Heisman Trophy-winning signal-callers Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel to play safety. Oops.

But the "miss" of Winston by the University of Texas staff can likely be tied to a pair of players who left the Longhorns at the altar several years before, and caused Mack Brown to alter his approach to the way he recruited top-shelf quarterback prospects moving forward.

Texas missed on a pair of highly-rated gunslingers in quick succession back in the mid-aughts. Ryan Perriloux (2005) and John Brantley (2007) were top-50 prospects from Louisiana and Florida, respectively. Both got caught up in the (sometimes) high-pressure tactics Mack Brown employs on in-state prospects to great success. Each player made an early commitment to the Longhorns. However, Perriloux was in a region known as a traditional LSU stronghold for recruiting. Likewise for Brantley, who was also a well-known UF legacy. Both ended up flipping relatively late in the process, despite LSU going through a transition from Nick Saban to Les Miles, and Urban Meyer already having a top QB prospect committed to the Gators in future No. 1-overall draft pick Cam Newton. Obviously, those losses on the recruiting trail stung Mack Brown – a man not used to losing much for prospects he really wanted – right to his core.

In an effort to prevent that from happening in the future, Texas started instituting a new policy on out-of-state recruits. With few exceptions, those players didn't get offers until they made a visit to Austin on their own dime. Winston would have fallen under that policy, since he hails from Alabama, and the Crimson Tide has done an excellent job locking down the state for players they really wanted in recent years.

On one hand, that idea does make sense, as it is a great way to test the interest of a prospect. But once again, it can also limit the size of the net the program casts on potential prospects. The philosophy gives less margin for error. Plus, top high school players often employ the same tactic. They won't visit a school using their money until the program extends an offer. The potential stalemate likely killed any chance the Longhorns had of recruiting Winston.

It should also be noted that Bryan Harsin, who had been recently hired from Boise State to become the new offensive coordinator at Texas, hand-picked Connor Brewer out of Arizona to be his quarterback in the Class of 2012. Brewer committed on Feb. 7, 2011 and enrolled the following January at UT. With Harsin now the head coach at Arkansas State, Brewer has since transferred back home to play at the University of Arizona.

Recruiting is ultimately a crapshoot. Mack Brown really shouldn't be blamed for failing to sign any of the three QB's individually. And it should be noted that the oversight of Winston is much different than Griffin and Manziel. The latter two were Texas natives playing at a time when the Longhorns had their pick of almost any player in a state (which is no longer the case, with the recent emergence of A&M.) Winston hails from Alabama – not exactly a recruiting hotbed over the years for the UT. There's also an element of luck involved in the game of recruiting. But as Ernest Hemingway once said, "you make your own luck." With Texas now on the decline, and a trio of potential star UT quarterbacks playing or having played somewhere other than Austin over the past five years, the whispers around Brown's future will only continue to get louder.

Where the Gators stand: Quarterback

This week, I'll be hitting each spot on the Gators depth chart with a position-by-position analysis on where Florida currently stands in regards to the Class of 2011, and what needs still have to be met across the board. We'll start off today with the Quarterbacks...

Current Florida depth chart:
12 - John Brantley (6-3, 225, R-Jr.)
13 - Trey Burton (6-2, 220, Fr.)
10 - Tyler Murphy (6-1, 195, Fr.)

Committed to Florida for 2011:
Jeff Driskel (6-4, 225, Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty) -- Jan. enrollee

Other Prospects on the board:
Jerrard Randall (6-1, 180, Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna) - Committed to OREGON
Phillip Ely (6-1, 188, Tampa, Fla./Plant)

Analysis: At this point, while the word in Gainesville seems to indicate that Florida will stand pat with just Driskel in this class, I wouldn't be so sure that this is the case come next February. There are too many variables here for Florida to simply ignore the idea of taking a second quarterback.

For one, Tyler Murphy was a late addition to the Class of 2010, and he is still very much an unproven commodity. His future could lie at another position (WR or S, perhaps?) and no one will really know what his game is all about until he hits the field for fall camp next week.

Secondly, what if John Brantley goes nuts this season, puts up video game numbers, and emerges as a projected top-ten pick in the NFL Draft next April? It's an unlikely scenario, but one that shouldn't be considered out of the realm of possibility. Look at USC, who just had to deal with a similar situation in 2008 when highly-touted first-year starter Mark Sanchez emerged as big NFL QB prospect, and he subsequently left for the big bucks and bright lights of New York City. The Trojans subsequently had to turn to true freshman Matt Barkley as the starter in 2009, when he could have most certainly benefited from a year spent on the sidelines. The Gators could be in for a similar pickle if Brantley performs above expectations this fall.

In any case, the Gators will continue evaluating quarterback prospects out there, in the event that either Murphy shows he will not be able to contribute at the QB position against SEC competition, or Brantley blows everyone out of the water.

Ely and Randall are really the only two prospects left on the board who Florida has evaluated and stayed in contact with (Randall is currently committed to Oregon, but I tend to think he could be had if the right team pushes for him before National Signing Day). The reality though, is that if it became apparent that the Gators needed another quarterback for 2011, their board would expand greatly almost immediately.

It seems that Scot Loeffler really hit the jackpot with Jeff Driskel back in April. The Gators, who started recruiting Driskel in earnest late last summer, sort of rolled the dice with a signal-caller who has not put up big numbers at the high school level (in 2009, Driskel threw for 1,427 yards, 11 touchdowns with six interceptions while completing just 50 percent of his passes). However, the Gators knew that Driskel didn't have a lot of talent around him. They continued to evaluate his abilities as a passer -- which are considerable -- and when it came time for Driskel to make the decision earlier this spring, the choice was clear.

Following his MVP performance at the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp last week, Driskel has emerged as one of the top quarterback prospects, not only for this year, but in recent memory as well. The National Director of ESPN Recruiting, Tom Luginbill, says that Driskel "might be the most physically talented passer we have seen in this event in the past six years." A comparison that would put Driskel on the same level with quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford (#1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft), Tim Tebow (#25 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft) and Jake Locker (who will likely be a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft).

But as impressive as that is, Driskel still has plenty to work on. He is very much an unfinished product at the quarterback position. And if any little thing happens to the remainder of the Florida QB depth chart, Loeffler & Co. will be hitting the trail looking for another youngster to join Driskel in fall camp when August of 2011 rolls around.