Pat Dooley
June 26, 2022 8:00 am ET
We all know one thing about college football – or any level for that matter – and because we all know it, it has become cliché.
A quarterback gets too much credit and too much blame for what happens in a game.
Sometimes, there is a quarterback in a game who carries a team on his back. But for the most part, a quarterback is only as good as the man calling the plays. And his receivers. And his offensive line. And backs being able to pick up blitzes. And a defense that gives him a lot of short fields.
Other than that, yeah, the quarterback deserves all of the credit.
And in most cases, he receives it. There is a reason three quarterback statues are in front of the Swamp.
Certainly, being the quarterback at Florida is a big deal. You are playing the most important position at the flagship university in this state; you’re going to get some attention.
There have been some great ones here and this edition of Dooley’s Dozen looks at the 12 best, at least according to me.
12
Don Gaffney
AP Photo/Mark Foley
I went back and forth on several different candidates for this final spot and I know the ones I didn’t include will let me know about it. But Gaffney was the first black quarterback, the first Florida quarterback to win at Auburn and the architect of a wishbone offense that was scary to watch. Plus, I was in school then and he was one of my faves.
11
AP Photo/ChrisO’Meara
It was so difficult following in Danny Wuerffel’s footsteps, and it was an issue for a kid from Gainesville. But he also threw for more than 7,000 yards, 62 touchdowns and Jacquez Green is still behind the defense. How good was that throw?
10
Wayne Peace
Long Photography-USA TODAY Sports
There are only four players who led the Gators in passing yards for four straight years. One was Peace; the other three are Wuerffel, Chris Leak and Kerwin Bell. Even though Florida was a run-dominant team from 1980-83, Peace is remembered for some of the biggest passes in UF history. He also made the cover of Sports Illustrated (“The Peace Corps”).
9
John Reaves
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps the best arm of this group, Reaves would have put up ridiculous numbers if Florida hadn’t change coaches after his sophom*ore year. He still set the record at the time for most passing yards in a career.
8
Kerwin Bell
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Throwin’ Mayoan was a fifth-team walk-on when he got to Florida and became such a legend that there was a huge media contingent at his wedding. Shoot, I might put him on this list just for what he did against Auburn in ’86.
7
Shane Matthews
Scott Halleran /Allsport
Maybe he should be higher on this list. I mean, he did win the first-ever SEC title that counted and was SEC Player of the Year twice. He also willed the 1992 team to the SEC Championship Game and is third all-time in passing yards. Hmm.
6
Kyle Trask
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Who knows if we’d even know who Trask is if Feleipe Franks doesn’t get hurt. But he did and that injury was followed by some of the most incredible performances in school history including a school-record 43 touchdown passes as a senior.
5
Chris Leak
A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Sometimes, I think people forget what Leak did in 2006 because of all of the Tim Tebow love. But it was Leak who was the quarterback of record for Urban Meyer’s first national title. He is also the all-time leader in passing yards, which should account for something.
4
Steve Spurrier
Courtesy: University of Florida SID
Steve Spurrier put Florida on the national map with his Heisman season. He never could get over the SEC hump as a player (but more than made up for it as a coach). However, Florida played in two major bowl games for the first two times in school history with him under center.
3
Rex Grossman
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Just because the knuckleheads who voted on the 2001 Heisman blew it doesn’t mean he was not deserving. Grossman’s one year with Ron Zook cannot be ignored (I’ve some stories there), but he was an SEC champion quarterback and had as good an arm as anybody on this list.
2
Danny Wuerffel
AP Photo/Steve Coleman
The deciding factor for me was that Wuerffel was beaten out of the job twice by Terry Dean. At the same time, my admiration for what he did is ginormous. Only one quarterback won three straight SEC titles (technically four, but Dean was the quarterback in the ’93 SEC Championship). Only one quarterback won Florida’s first national title. It really is too close to call.
1
Tim Tebow
Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports
Man, it really is a tough call. Should it be 1A and 1B? Maybe, but Tebow put up numbers that were so ridiculous he won a Heisman and gained the most first-place votes for what could have been a second. He also was a key to one national title and the brightest star on a team full of stars in 2008.
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