Treon Harris transferring from Florida

Florida Gators quarterback Treon Harris is transferring out of the program.

Former starting quarterback Treon Harris is transferring, according to 247Sports. Harris gained starting experience as a true freshman in relief of Jeff Driskel and was last year’s opening week starter before giving way to Will Grier.

Now, head coach Jim McElwain is without Harris and without Grier who transferred to West Virginia earlier this offseason after he tested positive for a banned substance.

The biggest problem for the Florida Gators since Urban Meyer left the program and Tim Tebow graduated is finding and developing quarterbacks. McElwain hopes to change that as he begins Year 2 in Gainesville but will be turning to a former walk-on in Luke Del Rio to man the quarterback position.

Losing Harris isn’t so much of a loss considering he was asked to convert to wide receiver and wasn’t a factor in the quarterback competition. He will have to sit out this season if he transfers to another FBS program and would have two years of eligibility remaining.

If he transfers down to the FCS level he will be eligible to play right away.

The former four-star recruit completed 50 percent of his passes for 1,676 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions last year as a sophomore.

Harris may be exploring his options to continue playing quarterback at another school. If he wants to have a professional career, then his best chance at doing that would be changing positions, something he was asked to do at Florida.

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A fresh start could be good for Harris, but he’ll need a strong coaching staff to keep him focused on football and to bring out the most of his talent and potential. If that doesn’t happen, then Harris will essentially become irrelevant in major college football.