# List of Florida Gators starting quarterbacks

This list of Florida Gators starting quarterbacks includes members of the Florida Gators football team who have started at the quarterback position in one or more regular season or post-season games. The Florida Gators represent the University of Florida in the sport of American football, and they compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Florida Gators quarterbacks have led their teams to 689 wins, forty post-season bowl games, eight SEC championships, and three consensus national championships.
Three Gators quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), and Tim Tebow (2007). Five have been recognized as first-team All-Americans: Spurrier (1966), John Reaves (1971), Wuerffel (1996), Rex Grossman (2000), and Tebow (2007). Eighteen have been inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, including sixteen recognized as "Gator Greats" for their college sports careers, and two as "Distinguished Lettermen" for their post-college career achievements. Two former Gators quarterbacks have returned to lead the Gators as their head coach: Doug Dickey (1970–78) and Steve Spurrier (1990–2001).

## Main starting quarterbacks
### 1906 to 1911

The following players were the predominant quarters for the Gators each season the team was a non-conference independent team, following the birth of Florida football.
| Name | Years Started | Notability |
| Charlie Thompson | 1906–1908 | The university's first quarterback. |
| Charlie Bartleson | 1908 | He ran in the touchdown to tie Stetson. Freshman Dummy Taylor added the extra point to win 6–5. |
| Edgerton | 1909–1910 | |
| Bob W. Shackleford | 1910–1911 | Once picked second-team for an all-time Florida team in 1927, Shackleford was the quarterback on the 1911 team first dubbed "Gators" and which dubbed itself the "champions of South Carolina." He was later Rex Farrior's law partner. |

### 1912 to 1921 (incomplete)

The following quarterbacks were the predominant quarters for the Gators each season after they joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association until the establishment of the Southern Conference.
| Name | Years Started | Notability |
| Harry S. Hester | 1912 | "Harvey" scored 7 touchdowns in the 144–0 win over Florida-Southern in 1913. |
| George Mosley | 1913 | |
| Rammy Ramsdell | 1913–1915 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Once picked at the position for an all-time Florida team in 1927. The first scholarship athlete at UF. |
| Artie Fuller | 1916–1917 | Fuller was a fullback before he was a quarterback. |
| Horace Loomis | 1917 | |
| ? | 1918 | |
| B. Anderson | 1919–1920 | Rondo Hatton was Anderson's backup. |
| T. Hoyt Carlton | 1920–1921 | |
| Bill Renfroe | 1921 | |
| George Stanley | 1921 | |

### 1922 to 1932

The following quarterbacks were the predominant quarters for the Gators each season after the establishment of the Southern Conference until the establishment of the Southeastern Conference.
| Name | Years Started | Notability |
| Joseph Barchan | 1922 | |
| Stewart Pomeroy | 1922 | |
| Edgar C. Jones | 1923–1925 | He scored all of UF's points in the 16 to 6 upset victory to close the season in 1923 over conference leading Alabama. In 1925, Jones set a Florida Gators football single-season scoring record (108 points) that stood for 44 years. Twice All-Southern. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. He was the university's athletic director from 1930 to 1936. |
| Johnnie Murphree | 1924 | |
| Spic Stanley | 1925 | |
| Goof Bowyer | 1926–1928 | Captain of 1928 team which led the nation in scoring with 336 points. He was later a coach, including the Gators' backfield coach in 1933. University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame. |
| Carl Brumbaugh | 1927 | Member of "Phantom Four" backfield of 1928 which led the nation in scoring. National Football League player. |
| Speedy Walker | 1927 | University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame |
| Clyde Crabtree | 1927–1929 | "Cannonball" was head of the "Phantom Four" backfield of 1928 which led the nation in scoring. He was ambidextrous and could pass or punt equally well with either hand or foot, while on the run or stationary. All-Southern. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. National Football League player. |
| Monk Dorsett | 1930–1932 | |

### 1933 to present

The following quarterbacks were the starters and/or leading passer for the Gators each season since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1933.
| Name | Years Started | Notability |
| Sam Davis | 1933 | The Tampa native was the first captain and quarterback since Bowyer. Davis was then rated the greatest all-around athlete ever to come out of Plant High School. |
| Wally Brown | 1934 | 2nd-team All-SEC. |
| Ken Eppert | 1935 | |
| Bill Stephens | 1935 | |
| Bob Ivey | 1936 | His backup was Tiger Mayberry. |
| Ed Manning | 1936 | |
| Paul Brock | 1936 | |
| Jack Blalock | 1937–1938 | Replaced Brock. |
| Tex Hanna | 1939 | |
| Bill Latsko | 1940–1942 | Grandfather of Billy Latsko. |
| Buddy Carte | 1944 | From Tampa. He was in the backfield with UF Hall of Fame member Bobby Forbes. |
| Earl Scarborough | 1945 | From Jacksonville, he later coached the freshman team. |
| Billy Parker | 1946 | Wendell "Billy" Parker spent 30 years as an educator and 20 years on the Duval County School Board. The Gators failed to win a single game in 1946, but Parker led the nation's 7th best passing attack. |
| Angus Williams | 1947–1949 | Led the "Golden Era" teams which defeated Georgia in 1949. He was later a well known insurance executive in Tampa. |
| Haywood Sullivan | 1950–1951 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. The first sophomore in SEC history to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Major League Baseball player, manager, general manager, and club owner with the Boston Red Sox. Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. |
| Rick Casares | 1952 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame; played multiple running back positions. |
| Doug Dickey | 1952–1953 | Climbed from seventh-string to starter after Sullivan left for the Major Leagues. Dickey also coached Florida from 1970 to 1978. Long time AD at Univ. of Tennessee. Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. College Football Hall of Fame. |
| Dick Allen | 1954; 1959 | |
| Bobby Lance | 1955 | |
| Jimmy Dunn | 1956–1958 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Larry Libertore | 1960–1962 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Tom Batten | 1961 | |
| Tom Shannon | 1962–1964 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Steve Spurrier | 1964–1966 | Coached UF to its first national championship in 1996, and was its first Heisman Trophy winner in 1966. Recognized by The Gainesville Sun as the second greatest player from the first century of the Gators football program. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Jack Eckdahl | 1967-1968 | After the third game of the season against LSU in 1967 Eckdahl had a season ending injury, breaking his leg in practice. |
| Larry Rentz | 1967–1968 | |
| John Reaves | 1969–1971 | First-team All-SEC (1969). First-team All-American (1971). Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. National Football League player. Finished Florida career as all-time NCAA leader in passing yards. Played 11 seasons in the NFL and two in the USFL. |
| Chan Gailey | 1972 | Current offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. Former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills. |
| David Bowden | 1972–1973 | |
| Don Gaffney | 1973–1975 | He was the first African-American to play quarterback for the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida, and was later elected to the Florida House of Representatives. |
| Jimmy Fisher | 1975–1976 | |
| Bill Kynes | 1976 | Son of James W. Kynes. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Ended football career early to become a Rhodes Scholar. |
| Terry LeCount | 1977 | |
| Tim Groves | 1978–1979 | |
| John Brantley, III | 1978 | Father of John Brantley. |
| Tyrone Young | 1979 | |
| Johnell Brown | 1979 | |
| Larry Ochab | 1979–1980 | |
| Bob Hewko | 1980–1982 | Recruited by Steve Spurrier. Started first 3 games of 1980 season, helping to lead major turnaround under offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan. Injured knee in third game and replaced by Wayne Peace. |
| Wayne Peace | 1980–1983 | University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Kerwin Bell | 1984–1987 | SEC Player of the Year (1984). First-team All-SEC (1985). Honorable mention All-American (1985, 1986). University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame. Went on to be successful college coach; currently head coach at Valdosta State. |
| Rodney Brewer | 1986 | Also played on Gator baseball team; spent four years with the St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball. |
| Kyle Morris | 1988–1989 | |
| Herbert Perry | 1988 | Also a key member of the baseball team. Played nine seasons in Major League Baseball. Grew up in same small town (Mayo, Florida) as predecessor Kerwin Bell. |
| Lex Smith | 1989 | |
| Donald Douglas | 1989 | Transferred to the University of Houston. |
| Shane Matthews | 1990–1992 | Led UF to its first official SEC championship (1991). First Team All-SEC (1990-92). SEC Player of the Year (1990, 1991). SEC Player of the Year (1990, 1991). Second-team All-American (1992). Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Terry Dean | 1993–1994 | Threw six touchdowns passes against Louisiana-Lafayette. |
| Danny Wuerffel | 1993–1996 | Led UF to its first national championship in 1996. 1996 Heisman Trophy Winner. College Football Hall of Fame. Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Eric Kresser | 1995 | Transferred to Marshall University, where he threw to Randy Moss. National and Canadian Football League player. |
| Doug Johnson | 1997–1999 | Florida–Georgia Hall of Fame. Played five seasons in the NFL, mostly for Atlanta. Drafted by Tampa Bay Rays and played portions of two seasons in their minor league system. |
| Noah Brindise | 1997 | Started his career as a walk-on. |
| Jesse Palmer | 1997–2000 | ESPN college football analyst. Contestant on ABC's The Bachelor. NFL player. |
| Rex Grossman | 2000–2002 | Consensus All-American. 2001 Heisman Trophy runner-up. Associated Press Player of the Year. Recognized by the Gainesville Sun in 2006 as the No. 10 all-time Gator. University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. |
| Brock Berlin | 2001 | Transferred to Miami. |
| Ingle Martin | 2003 | Transferred to Furman. Spent four seasons with five different NFL teams 2006-2009, played for New York of the UFL in 2009. |
| Chris Leak | 2003–2006 | Led the Gators to the 2006 BCS National Championship, also named MVP. Florida career leader in passing yards (11,213). |
| Tim Tebow | 2007–2009 | Part of two National and SEC Championships (2006, 2008). Twice All-American, thrice All-SEC. 2007 Heisman Trophy winner. SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2008). At the end of his college career, Tebow held five NCAA, 14 SEC, and 28 UF statistical records. He was the SEC's all-time leader in career passing efficiency (170.8), completion percentage (67.1%), passing touchdown to interception ratio (5.5 to 1), rushing yards by a quarterback (2947), rushing touchdowns (any position) (57), and total touchdowns responsible for (145). Played three seasons in NFL. Played minor league baseball for the New York Mets. Signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end, released August 2021. |
| John Brantley | 2010–2011 | Son of John Brantley, III. |
| Jacoby Brissett | 2011–2012 | Transferred to North Carolina State. |
| Jeff Driskel | 2012–2014 | Transferred to Louisiana Tech. Drafted and signed by the Boston Red Sox but never played professional baseball. |
| Tyler Murphy | 2013 | Transferred to Boston College. |
| Skyler Mornhinweg | 2013 | Son of Marty Mornhinweg. Transferred to Columbia. |
| Treon Harris | 2014–2015 | Transferred to Tennessee State in 2016. |
| Will Grier | 2015 | Suspended for PEDs. Transferred to West Virginia. |
| Luke Del Rio | 2016-2017 | Son of Jack Del Rio. Transferred from Oregon State. Offensive quality control coach in the NFL for Washington. |
| Austin Appleby | 2016 | Graduate transfer from Purdue. |
| Feleipe Franks | 2017-2019 | Transferred to Arkansas. |
| Malik Zaire | 2017 | Graduate transfer from Notre Dame. |
| Kyle Trask | 2019–2020 | Started nine games in 2019 and all ten games in 2020. Holds UF single-season passing touchdowns record (40). Drafted by the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 draft, 64th overall pick in round 2. |
| Emory Jones | 2021 | Transferred to Arizona State. |
| Anthony Richardson | 2021–2022 | Played in rotation with Emory Jones in 2021. Drafted #4 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. |
| Jack Miller III | 2022 | Transfer from Ohio State. Started the Las Vegas Bowl. |
| Graham Mertz | 2023-2024 | Transfer from Wisconsin. |
| Max Brown | 2023 | Transferred to Charlotte. |
| DJ Lagway | 2024 | |
| Aidan Warner | 2024 | Transfer from Yale. Preferred walk-on. |