Florida quarterback Treon Harris , who was expected to move to wide receiver this season if he remained with the team, has been granted his release from the school and is planning to transfer.
Harris appeared in 12 games for the Gators last season, eventually taking over for suspended starter Will Grier and throwing for 1,676 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Florida went 4-4 during Harris' final eight starts of the season, scoring in single digits in three of those contests.
Here are a few things you need to know about Harris' departure.
1. He wasn't going to start even if he stayed
While Florida's quarterback battle is far from settled, this news has little impact on it. Most agree that redshirt sophomore walk-on Luke Del Rio is current the favorite to win the starting job and just about everybody agrees that Harris wasn't going to play quarterback after two sub-standard seasons of play with the Gators. Behind Del Rio, Florida has Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby and a pair of highly-touted freshmen in Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask.
Harris, who was suspended all spring (more on that below), was never a part of coach Jim McElwain's 2016 quarterback room. Simply put, he was not in consideration for the job. All of which is why many anticipated a move for Harris to receiver this season, which almost certainly played a role in his decision to transfer.
2. Off-field problems were a constant issue
The spring suspension, which continued into the summer as Harris had not been reinstated to the team yet, wasn't the first time Harris has been in trouble while in Gainesville, Florida. He had previously been suspended in October 2014 during a sexual battery investigation. No charges ever came from the investigation as the complaint against Harris was withdrawn and he was reinstated to the team. He has also had multiple run-ins with the law and was suspended for another game for violating University Athletic Association policy.
3. A lot of quarterbacks have left Gainesville
Harris was a four-star recruit in Florida's 2014 recruiting class, as was Grier, who excelled in six starts with the Gators last season. Neither is with the team any longer as Grier transferred to West Virginia following his year-long NCAA drug suspension last season.
Before Harris and Grier, there were Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, who both came to Florida as highly-touted recruits in the Class of 2011 and wound up finishing their careers elsewhere (NC State and Louisiana Tech respectively). When you think about the insane amount of turnover Florida's had at the quarterback position in recent years, it's not hard to figure out why the Gators have had so much trouble scoring points lately.
4. Harris still has time to prove himself
If Harris transfers to an FCS program, he will be eligible to play right away. Should he stay at the FBS level, he'll have to sit out the 2016 season but retain two years of eligibility beginning in 2017. As for where he's going to transfer, there hasn't been any indication given on a possible destination as of yet, though he is a South Florida product and might have some other interest within the state.
