Kyle Trask wasn’t even Florida’s starting quarterback to open last season but is now among the Heisman favorites for this year. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Trask’s Heisman Trophy chances and Florida’s 2020 college football season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Kyle Trask Heisman Trophy Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Heisman Trophy odds: Trask is +1000
- Odds to win national title: Florida is +2500
Trask attended Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas, graduating in the class of 2016. He actually didn’t start any games at quarterback after his freshman year during his prep career as he was a backup to D’Eriq King – who is now with Miami (Fla.). King went on to set the Texas Class 6A state record for career touchdown passes with 140.
King estimated that his senior season included six games in which he played just the first quarter. Manvel would race out to a lead and Trask would come in so he could get time with the first team before halftime. In his final two seasons, Trask completed more than 70% of his passes, for 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
“When I got there, I was the eighth quarterback on the depth chart,” said King, recalling his freshman season. “[Trask] was No. 3. Out of those eight quarterbacks, six of them transferred and he’s the [other] one that stayed.”
Trask didn’t play either of his first two years at Florida. Florida. He was to compete with Feleipe Franks for the starting job in 2017, but suffered an injury which cost him the season. In 2018, he played in four games as a backup to Franks, completing 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. His season came to an end after he again injured his foot during practice.
Last year, Franks suffered a major injury vs. Kentucky and Trask took over – Franks has since transferred to Arkansas.
“Even as the backup, I always prepared like I was the starter,” said Trask. “I never wanted something like that to happen, and I go out there on the field with no clue what I’m doing, I don’t want to embarrass myself out there, so obviously I’m going to prepare to the best of my ability, even if I was the backup.”
Trask led the Gators to an 11-2 record, finishing the season with 237-of-357 passes completed (66.9%) for 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns, and seven interceptions (156.09 rating). His 25 touchdown passes made him one of 27 FBS quarterbacks with at least 25 in 2019. His 156.09 passer rating was the ninth-highest rating for a season in school history, and the highest passer rating by a Gator since Tebow’s nation-leading 164.2 in 2009.
Trask threw three touchdown passes at LSU and followed it up with a career-high four touchdowns at South Carolina, making him the first Gator since Tim Tebow (2008 – at Vanderbilt and Florida State) to throw at least three touchdowns in consecutive road games. Trask also became the first Gator since Rex Grossman (2001) to throw for three-plus touchdowns in consecutive outings against SEC teams. He threw for 305 yards during Florida’s victory over Virginia at the Orange Bowl, which were the seventh-most passing yards by a Gators quarterback at a bowl game in school history.
Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nag has compared Trask to former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who of course won the Heisman last year. Nagy raved about Trask’s poise and calm demeanor in the pocket. Nagy tweeted that Trask is rated at the same position as Burrow prior to the 2019 season.
“Studying (Florida) QB Kyle Trask,” Nagy wrote. “Incredible how slow the game happens for a guy that hadn’t started since 9th grade prior to last fall. Has poise of a guy that’s played a ton of football. (Kyle Trask) is on our (Senior Bowl) board in the exact same spot Joe Burrow was last summer.”
Florida opens the season Sept. 5 against Eastern Washington, which is a terrific FCS program. It’s the first-ever game for EWU against an SEC team. The game was scheduled back when Jim McElwain was the UF coach. McElwain spent 15 years at Eastern Washington from 1980-94 first as a player and then as a coach.
