Will Grier loses appeal of failed NCAA drug test, will remain suspended

Florida quarterback Will Grier lost the appeal of his failed NCAA drug test and will remain suspended for one calendar year. The news was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel's Edgar Thompson and Mike Bianchi, and confirmed later by Florida itself.

Grier and his representation — including Orlando lawyer Clay Townsend, father of Florida punter Johnny Townsend — argued to have the suspension reduced to the remainder of the 2015 season in a conference call on Monday, after filing his appeal with the organization earlier in November.

But while there was cautious optimism about Grier's chances of having his sentence commuted, as it were, the NCAA apparently found none of his explanations for his failed test convincing — as is typically the case with suspensions stemming from failed NCAA drug tests, which are rarely, if ever, overturned or augmented on appeal.

The suspension remaining in place means that Grier will be ineligible to play for Florida — or participate in team activities beyond practices, essentially — until an October 15, 2016 game against Missouri.

Grier has been permitted to practice this fall, but has not — at the direction of Florida's Jim McElwain — so as to not be a distraction.

It seems likely that Grier will take part in a quarterback competition that should also feature Treon Harris, Luke Del Rio (currently ineligible thanks to NCAA transfer rules), and whatever other quarterbacks the Gators bring in through their recruiting efforts. Florida's only committed quarterback in the 2016 class is Texas passer Kyle Trask, viewed widely as a developmental prospect, but the Gators remain in pursuit of several other higher-profile signal-callers.

We'll have more on this tomorrow — but I just got home after a cross-state drive and have dinner to eat. Feel free to freak out in the comments!