Florida football: Now a good time for Emory Jones to get snaps

We all know that Florida football has its starting quarterback. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t the possibility for others to get more work in.

Before you say it, I know that Kyle Trask is the starting quarterback for Florida football.

There is certainly no argument against that.

Trask came out of obscurity to become a solid leader on the field after former starter Feleipe Franks went down with an injury (and subsequently transferred to Arkansas).

Heck, he led the Gators to an Orange Bowl win in his first season under center. And it wasn’t even a full season.

But we also have to be prudent and think about the future of the Florida football program.

Right now, at quarterback, that future is Emory Jones.

The problem I have here is that Jones — who will be a redshirt sophomore in football years — still doesn’t have a ton of experience. Certainly not enough to be confident in leading the Gators in two seasons.

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Emory Jones Quarterback

Tons of potential

In his freshman campaign, Jones saw the field in four games, then took the redshirt. This last season was the first time that Jones really got to see the field in a meaningful way.

And, he made the most of it, throwing 25-for-38 with 267 yards and three touchdowns.

Not great numbers, but considering that was in a short amount of time, it’s actually pretty good.

However, where Jones really shined was with his footwork.

Just take note of this: He averaged 6.1 yards per carry last season — picking up 256 yards on just 42 carries along with four touchdowns in 11 games.

That’s a dynamic out of quarterback we haven’t seen in … well, a long time. His ability to run on a play-action is certainly something to be seen.

He may not display Kadarius Toney-like joystick maneuvers, but he can move with the football.

And, his arm isn’t bad either. However, a lot of quarterbacks would look good throwing to Florida football receivers.

Now, don’t go thinking I am suggesting Jones is the starter over Trask because that’s not what I’m saying.

What I am saying is that Florida football coach Dan Mullen needs to be considering the future of the program. With as good as the Gators are expected to be next season, it might be a good time to give Jones some more reps under center.

His dual-threat ability would also open up the offensive playbook against SEC defenses that tend to struggle against running quarterbacks.

And, let’s be honest, it has been a bit since opposing defenses have really respected the Florida football ground game (and that’s not a knock on Lamical Perine as much as it is on the offensive line).

The bottom line here is that Jones has enormous potential and we caught a glimpse of that last season. The key here is for Mullen and Co. to let Jones get after it when the time and situation is right.