Just a few weeks ago, Florida didn’t have a quarterback commit in its 2022 class. Four-star Texas prospect Nick Evers was pledged to the Gators for a while, but he decided to exit the class after the coaching change and signed with Oklahoma in December.
Even with the acquisition of Jack Miller from Ohio State via the transfer portal, coach Billy Napier still wanted to add a quarterback out of high school. The staff quickly identified Central Michigan commit Max Brown as a target, and it was able to sway him from his pledge to the Chippewas and add him to the 2022 class.
Brown is certainly raw. The three-star quarterback is just the No. 1,555 player in the nation and the No. 95 quarterback per the 247Sports composite, but Napier said during his press conference on Wednesday that he likes the upside for Brown.
“We’re very fortunate to add really two good quarterbacks to the team with Jack and Max, and certainly I think Max, when you turn the tape on, you can immediately see the baseball background,” Napier said, according to 247Sports’ Thomas Goldkamp. “The off-platform throws. Really a natural thrower. A guy that is projected to be kind of a middle-round draft pick in baseball.
“He was 6-foot-1.5 inches, 200 pounds on his visit. Dad played receiver in the National Football League. Really a good-looking athlete. We think he has upside. He just started playing quarterback two years ago. And a good runner. The guy can make some plays with his feet.”
With Brown’s addition, Florida’s quarterback room gets a bit crowded. It returns both primary quarterbacks from last year in Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson despite reports that the former planned to enter the transfer portal, and it also returns backups Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna in addition to Miller and Brown.
There will almost definitely be some attrition at the position following spring practice, but for now, the Gators have a lot of options. They will just hope Brown is able to develop into a valid one, and Napier certainly thinks that will be the case.
“We were able to go out to his school, observe him and were very impressed,” Napier said. “So there’s some pedigree there. The guy’s a winner. I’ve been impressed with his leadership skills. And I think his best football is in front of him.”
Florida has signed 17 players in the 2022 class — three of whom have already enrolled — and its class currently ranks 19th in the nation and ninth overall in the SEC.
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