Florida quarterback John Brantley apparently did not spend his Christmas break contemplating whether he will return to the Gators for the 2011 season.
As difficult as it might be to believe, Brantley said he used the past two weeks to prepare only for this week's Outback Bowl match-up with Penn State, not the possibility of transferring to a new school for his senior season.
"We haven't discussed much about it right now," Brantley said Monday after Florida's practice at the University of Tampa. "I'm a Gator. I always wanted to be a Gator. We're going to go home, talk to my parents, weigh the pros and cons. That's all I can say right now.
"I want to give my full attention to this game."
Brantley, a red-shirt junior, wrapped up his first year as Florida's starting quarterback by taking fewer than half the snaps in the final regular season game, a 31-7 loss at Florida State on Nov. 27.
In 12 starts, Brantley completed 61.4 percent of his passes and threw for an average of 168.3 yards per game. Florida coach Urban Meyer said early in the season Brantley needed to throw for a minimum of 200 yards each week for the Gators to win.
Brantley threw six touchdown passes and one interception as Florida began the season 4-0, but crumbled in the final eight games with three touchdown passes and eight interceptions. The Gators went 3-5 during that span and head into the Outback Bowl unranked at 7-5.
But the cause of Brantley's problems is yet to be determined. It is possible, despite being one of the most highly recruited and productive high school quarterbacks in the history of the state, that Brantley does not have enough talent to play in the SEC. Or, perhaps, Brantley had no chance of succeeding in an offense that did not suit his strengths.
With Meyer resigning after the Outback Bowl and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio set to take the head job at Temple, new coach Will Muschamp has an opportunity to persuade Brantley to stay. In his introductory press conference earlier this month, Muschamp said he plans to run a pro-style offense, as opposed to Meyer and Addazio's spread-option attack.
Brantley said Muschamp and Meyer both tried to talk him into staying. He also said he has not contacted any other schools about transferring.
While recruiting him from Ocala-Trinity Catholic, the Gators sold Brantley on a plan to switch to a pro-style offense by the time he became the starter. Florida seemed to try that earlier this year, but struggled and reverted back to the spread-option.
Brantley was ineffective in that scheme, so the Gators gradually increased freshmen Trey Burton and Jordan Reed's playing time at quarterback. Burton plays three other positions on offense and Reed started the year as a tight end.
Brantley and some of his teammates said they have continued practicing the three-quarterback system and plan to use it against Penn State (7-5).
If Brantley wants to leave Gainesville, his options are limited. The NCAA instituted a rule in 2006 that prohibits players from transferring from the FBS, formerly Division I-A, to a program in the FCS, formerly Division I-AA, unless they have multiple seasons of eligibility remaining. Brantley can transfer and play immediately for a Division II or team.
He could also attempt to follow a path similar to the one former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli took last year. Masoli, facing a possible suspension at Oregon, completed his graduation requirements and transferred to Ole Miss as a graduate student. He could only maintain his eligibility for the upcoming season if he chose an Ole Miss graduate program that was not available at Oregon.
That route is risky. The athlete needs an NCAA waiver to circumvent the standard transfer policy of sitting out one year before playing. Brantley cannot red-shirt next year because he did so in 2007.
The NCAA denied Masoli's waiver request last summer, but Ole Miss appealed the decision and won, allowing Masoli to play this year.
Brantley also could attempt to turn pro, but that is the least sensible of his choices.
Several Gators said they talked with Brantley recently and believe he will be back at Florida next year.
"I spoke with him and he said he wasn't going anywhere," receiver Frankie Hammond said. "He said he was set."
