Since Tim Tebow, the Gators have had 2 QBs drafted in baseball, but none in football

Kyle Trask will enter the Gators’ pro day Wednesday with a chance to do something no Florida quarterback has done since Tim Tebow: Get drafted by an NFL team.

It’s a jarring fact for a program known for its prolific passing and high-scoring offenses, but the context makes it even more remarkable. Here are five things that have happened since the Broncos drafted Tebow with the No. 25 overall pick in 2010.

Every other Division I-A school in the state has had at least one quarterback drafted

Florida State has produced three first rounders since then (Jameis Winston, EJ Manuel and Christian Ponder). Florida International had two quarterbacks drafted, including Gaither High product Alex McGough (James Morgan was the other). USF (BJ Daniels), Miami (Brady Kaaya) and UCF (Blake Bortles) have produced one each, and Florida Atlantic’s Rusty Smith was drafted five rounds after Tebow in 2010.

Two UF starting quarterbacks were drafted in baseball

The Red Sox picked Jeff Driskel in the 29th round in 2013 and selected Feleipe Franks six years later in the 31st round. Both signed with Boston, but both have remained focused on football.

Four former UF quarterbacks have been drafted from other schools

Cam Newton is the most high-profile example. The former five-star recruit was Tebow’s teammate before getting into off-field trouble and transferring. He starred in his lone year at Auburn and was the No. 1 overall pick in 2011.

Five years later, two other former Gators, Driskel and Jacoby Brissett, were drafted. Like Newton, they started their college careers at UF before transferring (to Louisiana Tech and North Carolina State, respectively). Both are still in the league as backups.

Will Grier’s promising 2015 season was derailed by a year-long NCAA drug suspension. He left for West Virginia and did well enough there to get drafted in the third round by the Panthers in 2019.

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Franks has a chance to join this group. After completing a school-record 68.5 percent of his passes last season at Arkansas, Franks is a Day 3 prospect — a notch or two lower than Trask, who supplanted him as UF’s starter.

One UF quarterback was drafted at another position

Jordan Reed was recruited as a four-star quarterback and threw 46 passes in 2010 before switching to tight end. Washington took him in the third round in 2013, and he blossomed into a Pro Bowl tight end.

Although they weren’t drafted, two of UF’s other post-Tebow quarterbacks, Trey Burton and Tyler Murphy, joined the league at other positions. Burton, a tight end, threw the famous “Philly Special” trick-play touchdown to help the Eagles beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 52. Murphy, who finished his college career at Boston College, spent time as a receiver with the Steelers and Dolphins.

UF has had a player drafted at virtually every other position

Over the past 10 drafts, the Gators have had 57 players drafted. That list includes 10 other offensive skill players, 13 defensive backs, inside and outside linebackers and every spot on the offensive and defensive line, plus a punter and a kicker. The only positions not represented in UF’s draft picks since Tebow?

Long snapper and quarterback.

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