Football
Associated Press 17y

Defending national champs trying to determine Tebow's backup

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Urban Meyer wants to play
two quarterbacks, hoping to find the same type of rotation that
propelled the Gators to the national championship last season.

It might not be possible.

Highly touted sophomore Tim Tebow, a formidable runner who
successfully shared snaps with Chris Leak last year, has taken over
the starting job.

Behind him, though, things are far less clear.

"I have no idea which way that's going to go," Meyer said.

Mobile and strong-armed freshman Cameron Newton was supposed to
be Tebow's backup. The 6-foot-5 Georgia native enrolled in school
in January and seemingly locked down the No. 2 job in spring
practice.

But Newton injured his back during the summer and is still
experiencing pain that could limit him during fall practice. Also
concerning, Newton missed the first week of practice while trying
to take care of some academic work.

Newton practiced for the first time Saturday afternoon. He said
his back was "doing all right," and when asked about whether he
had completed his course work, said, "I can't answer that."

Meyer said Newton's performance in the next few days could
affect Florida's depth chart.

"He hasn't done a whole lot," Meyer said. "The quarterback at
Florida has got to get out there and throw, so we'll know soon. The
other ones are throwing it pretty decent."

Fellow freshman John Brantley and junior college transfer Bryan
Waggener have taken advantage of Newton's absence, getting more
repetitions in practice than they normally would.

Brantley, the nephew of former Florida star linebacker Scot
Brantley and one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation,
has been impressive in just a short time, showing Meyer and
offensive coordinator Dan Mullen talent comparable to Leak and
former Utah quarterback Alex Smith.

"He's as natural a passer as Danny and I have had," Meyer
said. "That's pretty good considering there's a bunch of
professional quarterback that have played for us. Chris was a very
natural guy, but this guy might even be a more natural thrower.
He's tremendous."

Although Brantley is turning some heads, he also is preparing to
redshirt this season and create another year of separation between
himself and Tebow.

"I wouldn't mind redshirting at all," said Brantley, a
standout at Ocala Trinity Catholic who was coached by former Gators
quarterback Kerwin Bell. "If it happens, I would just have more
time to develop as a quarterback, get the offense down and get
bigger."

Waggener, like Newton, enrolled in January but missed most of
spring practice because of a broken left foot.

Meyer said Waggener was "way behind" entering fall practice.
Newton is quickly falling into the same position, leaving the
Gators with few options behind Tebow and the season opener against
Western Kentucky just three weeks away.

"We have an issue at that position, and it's a positive one,"
Meyer said. "Who do we get ready? We have to put pressure on Dan
to make that decision. Once that's made ... then you get that
package ready. If that young person can do it, we'd like to have a
little change of pace."

The system worked to perfection last season, with Leak passing
for nearly 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns and Tebow making big plays
in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

But can the Gators find it again?

"We have a long way to go before we figure any of that out,"
Mullen said.

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