Suspended Florida Gators QB Will Grier returns to team activities Jan. 5
Will Grier’s future at Florida is slowly gaining clarity.
The Gators’ suspended quarterback won’t practice with the team during bowl season, but the redshirt freshman will return to all activities Jan. 5 after Florida’s game against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.
“He can’t go to the bowl site anyway. But he’ll join us back up,” UF coach Jim McElwain said Tuesday, squashing rumors of a potential transfer by Grier.
“I think Jan. 5 is the first day we’re going [to start back], so he’ll be ready to roll.”
After a rocky three months, Grier is eager and ready.
The redshirt freshman was 5-0 as Florida’s starting quarterback when he was suspended on Oct. 12 for violating the NCAA’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Florida’s offense has gone into a tailspin since Grier’s suspension, as sophomore quarterback Treon Harris (49 percent completion percentage with 7 TDs and 5 INTs) has really struggled in McElwain’s pro-style system. The Gators (10-3) scored just a single touchdown in their final two games — both blowout losses against Florida State and Alabama.
UF hoped Grier would be eligible to return at the start of next season, but in late November he lost his appeal to have his 12-month suspension reduced.
So Grier isn’t eligible to return until the seventh game in 2016 — a homecoming showdown against Missouri on Oct. 15.
Despite being allowed to practice, Grier hasn’t participated in team activities since his suspension, and McElwain said the quarterback has really struggled without football.
“It’s tough on everybody,” McElwain said.
“The poor guy, walking on campus ain’t easy. I just feel sick about it. Yeah, it’s not easy, and yet you learn things when they don’t go well, they really make you stronger.”
With Grier sidelined to start next season, Florida has attempted to seriously upgrade its quarterback depth. The Gators already have two 2016 commitments from signal callers (incoming freshman Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask), and they tried to flip five-star prospect Jacob Eason (Lake Stevens, Wash.) — the nation’s No. 6 overall recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year who reaffirmed his commitment to Georgia on Tuesday.
So while Grier waits, UF will enter 2016 with a completion between Harris, the two freshmen and Oregon State transfer Luke Del Rio.
“It’s tough on everybody,” McElwain said.
“Look, you can sit and cry over it or you can move forward and make the best of it. That’s one thing I think [Will] is doing.”
THIS & THAT
▪ After finishing the regular season banged up, the Gators should enter the Citrus Bowl rather healthy. Defensive end Alex McCalister, a potential early entrant for the NFL Draft, will miss his fourth consecutive game with a foot injury, and backup kicker Neil MacInnes (knee) is also out. Sophomore slot receiver Brandon Powell (Deerfield Beach) is “iffy” with a reoccurring foot injury, but the rest of Florida’s previously injured players are good to go.
▪ The Gators had six players named to the Associated Press All-SEC team, headlined by AP All-Americans Vernon Hargreaves III and Jon Bullard. Florida’s junior cornerback and senior defensive tackle were named to the first team, as was sophomore corner Jalen Tabor. Senior tight end Jake McGee, senior linebacker Antonio Morrison and punter Johnny Townsend were recognized as second-team members, while McElwain earned Coach of the Year honors.
This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Suspended Florida Gators QB Will Grier returns to team activities Jan. 5."