The Decline of Emory Jones, Florida’s QB

Before the Gators:

Emory Jones was a highly respected and touted recruit that many college football teams had wanted. He had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Florida State, and of course Florida.

In fact, Emory Jones had originally committed to Ohio State University before being convinced to de-commit and join the Florida Gators by Brian Johnson.

He committed to a Gators team that had Dan Mullen returning to be the head coach. Mullen and Jones seemed to have been a great fit for one another. Mullen was renowned to be a so-called “Quarterback whisperer” and ran the offense when Tim Tebow was “raking up” the college football world. He also worked with one of the best Quarterbacks in the NFL, Dak Prescott at Mississippi State. Jones was marked down as a four-star, dual-threat quarterback which would perfectly fit Mullen’s quarterback run offense that he has used much in the future.

Redshirt Season (2018):

Under Mullen’s reign in 2018, Jones was basically an emergency quarterback as he was playing third-string. It was clear that the coaching staff was planning on keeping him redshirted throughout the season and even when starting quarterback Felipe Franks and backup Kyle Trask got injured, he didn’t play. In the final game of the year, which was the Gators’ first New Year’s Six Bowl in more than five seasons, Jones came in the game and took a small workload, yet, showcased his running talents and what he brings to the table for this new and improving team. The future was looking bright for this young quarterback as he was likely to take much more reps in his redshirt freshman year. 

Redshirt Freshman (2019):

Following a 10-win season including a victory in a New Year’s Six Bowl Game, Florida had more confidence than ever. Felipe Franks was the starting quarterback followed by Kyle Trask as backup and Jones as third-string. This was looking like another year where Jones would get very little playing time until Franks suffered a season-ending ankle injury in only the second game of the season. This would bump Jones up to the backup spot. With Kyle Trask starting, who has very little mobility contrary to previous starter Franks), Jones often played one or two snaps a game which were designed running plays. He even took over an entire drive in a top-10 matchup against Auburn due to a minor injury to Trask. In his time during 2019, Jones made very few mistakes and was able to show his importance to the future of the program. 

Redshirt Sophomore (2020):

Coming off of a very impressive season, Kyle Trask would retain the starting job. Jones would be in a similar position as he was in the previous season. Jones, once again, continued to take more snaps than the year prior. In 2020, though, Trask was having one of the greatest seasons in Florida Gators history and had been a finalist for the Heisman. Although not starting, Emory would normally get playing time at the end of games due to an insurmountable lead over the opposing team. 

Going into the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma, most of the Gators’ talent had left early for the draft (Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney, and Trevon Grimes). Trask started the game with plenty of unfamiliar targets. This led to a lot of miscommunication, and after multiple interceptions, he was benched for Jones who was more familiar with the second team. Jones entered the game and brought the Gators back into one possession with efficient running and accurate passing. Although the momentum eventually slowed down and the Gators lost in a blowout (55-20), there were definitely bright spots in Jones’ play.  

Redshirt Junior (2021):

2021 was the season Emory Jones was destined to start. Coming off a very successful season (despite losing three straight games to end the season), the Gators were ranked No. 13 in the country. Although much of their talent on offense was lost to the draft, plenty of fans believed that the Gators had a successful “next man up” system, especially after Trask took over in 2019. The first game was not expected to be competitive in any way, shape, or form, playing against a talent-lacking FAU. The offense started off with plenty of troubles as they only had 14 points at halftime against a non-power five team. Emory finished the game with only 113 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. This was very underwhelming for Florida fans, but there was new hope as back-up Anthony Richardson threw for 40 yards and rushed for 160 and a TD. 

Against USF, Jones once again disappointed as he only had 151 yards passing, one touchdown and two interceptions against another very poorly talented team. Once again, Anthony Richardson stole the show as he threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns on only three passes. Richardson also rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown. Florida fans were nudging coach Mullen to start Richardson although he reaffirmed Jones was the starter.

Alabama was the first true test for this Florida Gators team and it did not start off very promising as the Gators were down 21-3 at the end of the first quarter. Jones threw an early and very disappointing interception as well, and was being booed by the crowd. The defense then settled down and the game went into halftime with the score at 21-9. The Gators ended up losing by two (due to a failed 2 PT conversion), but Jones clearly had more confidence and so did the fans. 

This game doesn’t need any explanation. The Gators destroyed Tennessee in what will most likely prove to be the greatest game in Jones’ career. The Gators won 38-14, as Jones threw for 209 yards (no interceptions) and rushed for 144. This game was likely the peak of his career. 

Skipping over his next four mediocre games, including losses to rivals Kentucky and LSU, Jones showed up against Division 2 Samford, setting a Florida record with total yards of offense. Jones threw for over 400 yards and six touchdowns, which led people to believe Florida may turn the season around (as much as they can). Jones followed this with a loss to Missouri in overtime and getting bailed out against FSU when Richardson came in after halftime. In what was likely his last game as a starter, Jones and Florida suffered an embarrassing loss to in-state opponent UCF, where he was barely capable of moving the offense after halftime. 

Future:

At this point, there is no foreseeable future for Jones. He stated that he would enter the transfer portal before the bowl game against UCF, but he has yet to do so. Unfortunately for Emory, it seems as if his days as the starting quarterback and likely his Gators tenure are over.

(Featured Image Courtesy: @eXjones6/Twitter)