Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask has been waiting his whole life for a season like this. He sat behind D'eriq King at Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas, and then patiently waited for his name to be called at the University of Florida, and he's proving he's much more than a career back-up.
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The Texas Gunslinger leads the entire NCAA in passing touchdowns, passing yards and passing yards per game. Despite those numbers, he's stupidly not expected to win the Heisman Trophy.
Florida fans have celebrated the redshirt senior's talent all year expecting this to be his final season in the orange and blue. However, given the NCAA's blanket decision to allow players another season of eligibility given a wild COVID-19 season, that means Trask can spend a sixth year in Gainesville if he chooses to do so.
Here's my plea, Kyle Trask: Please return to Florida and become a hero to Gator fans.
Why? Three reasons.
1. Trask Can Become a Hero like Tebow
Where’s the Trask statue going? pic.twitter.com/EVVyrJVbmk
— Rowdy Reptiles (@UFRowdies) November 15, 2020
RELATED: Kyle Trask's Replacement Could Be the Son of a Longtime NFL Starter
After helping Florida win two national championships (and a Heisman Trophy in 2007), Tim Tebow had seemingly done everything possible in three seasons.
When he announced he was returning with a simple "oh, by the way, let's do it again. I'm coming back," to 40,000 people at the team's national championship celebration, he instantly was cemented a hero.
Kyle Trask can put himself in that same echelon if he chooses to do the same. Tebow, Danny Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier are undoubtedly legends in The Swamp for what they accomplished.
To this point, Trask has an 11-2 season and a three-loss season to his name. He risks being forgotten in the same way Rex Grossman did. Grossman, of course, never won a national title and placed second to Nebraska's Eric Crouch in the 2001 Heisman voting.
2. Win a National Title and Heisman Trophy
We'll just leave this here...@ktrask9 x #GatorStandard pic.twitter.com/qk8WOf4nqr
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 21, 2020
What do those three legendary Gators all have in common? A Heisman Trophy and a hand in a national championship.
Spurrier won the program's first Heisman then coached the school to its first national title under Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel. I don't even need to recap what Tebow did.
If Trask plays a sixth season, he could very well accomplish one of both of those next year. Alabama remains the biggest obstacle in the SEC, but quarterback Mac Jones may enter the draft and leave the Crimson Tide in a brief state of flux.
Trask hasn't given us any idea as to what he wants to do.
"I haven't really thought too much," Trask said when asked about his future after the SEC Championship Game. "I'll talk with my coaches and my family, make that decision in the future, the near future."
3. Improve NFL Draft Stock
Six quarterbacks have Round 1 grades from me right now (key words: right now)
Trevor Lawrence
Justin Fields
Trey Lance
Zach Wilson
Kyle Trask
Mac Jones— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) December 9, 2020
The 2021 NFL Draft class is most definitely a quarterback class. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is a good bet to either go first to the New York Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars. Ohio State's Justin Fields, North Dakota State's Trey Lance and BYU's Zach Wilson all rank ahead of Trask by most NFL mock draft websites.
WalterFootball.com says he's likely to be selected between the second and fourth rounds. Pro Football Focus ranks him No. 5 behind those other passers but says he's "putting together a first-round resume."
The issue here is that his resume just isn't long enough. I know LSU's Joe Burrow only started one year (and broke every freakin' record possible en route to winning the College Football Playoff) and the Cincinnati Bengals took him with the first-overall pick.
But Trask is a different quarterback. He's a pocket passer who isn't as mobile. If he stays a year and enters the 2022 NFL Draft, there's a good chance he lands atop the quarterback rankings given his track record.
Burrow played his way into $36 million. Why can't a surefire stud like Trask solidify himself as the No. 1 pick as well?
If Trask is told he'll be a back-end first-round pick (hello, Pittsburgh Steelers) this year, he should go to the NFL. If not, come back to school and make yourself a few more millions.
I'm sure Trask is weighing all of his options right now. His star tight end Kyle Pitts has already declared for the draft. Head coach Dan Mullen might be preparing to make Emory Jones his starter. Maybe it's time for a new quarterback in Gainesville.
All I'm saying is Kyle Trask would become a legend if he told everyone, "I'm coming back." He should.
