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Florida quarterback Max Staver will transfer from Florida, according to multiple Thursday reports and the university. Associated Press reporter Mark Long was first to put out the possibility on Twitter; ESPN's Derek Tyson confirmed Staver's transfer first, followed shortly after by the team confirming the news.
Long also reported that he heard fellow Florida quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg, who started the Gators' last three games of the year, would transfer. That news has yet to be confirmed.
Staver was Florida's lone true freshman quarterback in 2013, having signed with Florida in June 2012. He did not play in 2013, spending a season on the bench, and would likely only have played if Mornhinweg had been injured in the final three games of the year. He will transfer from Florida with four years to play four seasons of football — and I believe, because he did not play this fall, he will be immediately eligible wherever he goes.
Mornhinweg was Florida's third-string quarterback in 2013, but is likely to be the Gators' fourth-stringer in 2014, with Jeff Driskel and Tyler Murphy each returning to the field after season-ending injuries and highly-regarded prep quarterback Will Grier enrolling early enough to make his way onto the depth chart if he outperforms Mornhinweg.
Neither transfer — Staver's definite one and Mornhinweg's possible one — would surprise me all that much. Staver looked very much like a project at quarterback in the handful of practices and warmups that I saw in 2013, and Grier's arrival means that Staver needs to essentially beat out Grier to ever have a chance to play at Florida, barring injury. Mornhinweg looked little better than Staver in practice, went 0-3 as a starter in 2013, and drew comments like this from me during his three games at the helm:
Skyler Mornhinweg is ... Bad would be incredibly kind.
— Alligator Army (@AlligatorArmy) November 23, 2013
Nathan Peterman played better in The Swamp in September than Skyler Mornhinweg is playing today.
— Alligator Army (@AlligatorArmy) November 23, 2013
I cannot think of a worse quarterback in Florida history than Skyler Mornhinweg. And I swear I'm not trying to pile on.
— Alligator Army (@AlligatorArmy) November 23, 2013
We wish Staver the best in his academic and athletic careers, and wish Mornhinweg the best in making a decision on his future.