By Caleb Keaton | University of South Carolina
Going into the 2016 season, many people anticipated the Gators to have a weak offense. There was no proven offensive playmakers and nothing to drive the Gator attack. However, the arrival of true freshman Will Grier provided the much needed spark to post the Florida offense to new heights. With Grier, UF Head Coach Jim McElwain was able to tap into the true talent that the Gators had offensively. Before Grier, no QB had the arm strength or accuracy to hit the talented receivers lined up on the outside. They were a very one dimensional offense, which allowed the physical defenses of the SEC to stack the box and grind the Gators to a halt.
Grier started quick, with 2 touchdowns and 166 yards on 18 attempts. He also rushed for 43 yards in that game to add a dual threat element to his game. Suddenly, for the first time since the Urban Meyer era, the Florida offense looked dangerous. Incredibly dangerous. So dangerous in fact that he led the offense to 28 points in a win against Tennessee. Then, he followed up that performance with a 4 touchdown, 271 yard effort in a dominant win over Ole Miss at home. All in all, Florida was undefeated and were looked at as serious Playoff contenders.
Then, while Florida was prepping for a primetime matchup against LSU on the road, news broke that Will Grier had been suspended for the season for violating the NCAA drug policy. Just like that, Grier was gone, and back comes Treon Harris was the starter again. While a solid runner, Harris didn’t have near the ability to throw the football that Grier did. The Florida offense tanked. As the season went on, the offense seemed to get worse. They managed 28 points against LSU in Harris’s first start, but after that, the offense was virtually nonexistent. The most they could muster offensively was 24 points against a woeful Gamecock defense (they actually scored 27 against Georgia, but there was 1 defensive TD). In their last 3 games combined, they scored 24 points.
Say none of this had ever happened. Lets jump back to LSU. Grier throws for over 400 yards in a blowout win, kickstarting Heisman, SEC, and Playoff murmurs among fans. He makes his teammates grow up to their full potential as 4* and 5* recruits, and the team seems to get better every week. By the time Florida State rolls around, the Gators are riding a wave and beat the Seminoles convincingly. Suddenly, UF is not so suddenly undefeated and favored against Alabama in the SEC Championship game. They lose on a game winning drive by Jake Coker and Co. but go beat the BIG12 runner up by 3 possessions in the bowl game. They come into the 2016 seasons with legitimate playoff hype and are ranked in the top 5 of every preseason poll. Grier is prepped to explode his sophomore season and lead the Gators to Urban Meyeresque heights.