Chris Leak Christopher Patrick Leak ( born May 3 , 1985 ) is an American professional football player who is a quarterback who is currently a free agent . He played college football for the University of Florida , and led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game . Leak has also played professionally for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League ( NFL ) , the Hamilton Tiger - Cats and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) , and the Jacksonville Sharks of the AFL . Early years . Leak was born in Charlotte , North Carolina in 1985 . Leak received national attention as an 8th grader in 1998 when Wake Forest coach Jim Caldwell , who had just signed his older brother C . J . , offered him a college football scholarship . He attended Independence High School in Charlotte , where he played for the Independence Patriots high school football team . In three years as the Patriots ' starting quarterback , Leak led his team to three consecutive North Carolina 4 - A state championships and losing only once as a starter under head coach Tommy Knotts . He set North Carolina state records for passing yards in a career ( 15 , 593 ) and completions in a career ( 1 , 013 ) , as well as the national record for touchdown passes in a career ( 185 ) . He was recognized as a " Parade " magazine All - American as well as " Parade " ' s Player of the Year in 2003 . The Scout . com recruiting service ranked Leak as a five - star prospect and the third - best quarterback in the 2003 recruiting class . College career . Leak received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he played for coach Ron Zook and coach Urban Meyer ' s Florida Gators football teams from 2003 to 2006 . Leak was known for his quiet leadership as a quarterback , and was elected a team captain by his teammates two of his four years as a Gator . Leak began his career at Florida as a freshman , seeing playing time in the first few games , and taking over as the starter in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats . Leak finished his freshman year with a Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) record for a freshman , posting a 6 – 3 record as a starter , including wins over the eventual national champion LSU Tigers and the rival Georgia Bulldogs . Leak was named to the SEC All - Freshman Team and Rivals . com ' s Freshman All - America Team . During his sophomore season in 2004 , Leak ' s quarterback skills progressed , transforming him into one of the notable quarterbacks in college football . He started all of Florida ' s games , including a memorable school record - tying six - touchdown performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks . However , following a disappointing loss to the unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs and an on - campus confrontation with fraternity members , head coach Ron Zook was fired . After Zook was fired , Leak was rumored to be considering a transfer . In December 2004 , Urban Meyer replaced Ron Zook as Florida ' s head coach and introduced Meyer ' s spread offense to the Gators . Dan Mullen was introduced as the new offensive coordinator — Leak ' s third offensive coordinator in three years . Heading into his 2005 junior season , Leak had to learn his third offensive scheme in as many years , but was touted as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate . Leak won his first five games , including a big win over the SEC East rival Tennessee Volunteers , but struggled in the option portion of the Meyer ' s offense . Since Leak was a drop - back passer and not the ideal choice to run Meyer ' s spread option offense , Meyer tweaked the offense to tailor it to Leak ' s abilities after the Gators struggled midway through its schedule . The result was successful with the team winning its last two games against ranked competition . Before the beginning of his 2006 senior season , there was speculation that Leak might not be the Gators ' starting quarterback due to the emergence of talented freshman Tim Tebow . Instead , Meyer publicly endorsed Leak as the starting quarterback and confirmed Tim Tebow would be the back - up . Preseason analysis projected that Florida would have the hardest schedule in the country , including back - to - back games against Tennessee , Kentucky , Alabama , LSU , Auburn and Georgia . The 2006 season proved to be a redemption year for Leak : leading the Gators to their first SEC Championship since 2000 , and a spot in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State University ( the Gators ' first championship game appearance since 1996 ) . Leak also broke many Gators ' passing records set by Heisman Trophy - winner Danny Wuerffel , including Wuerffel ' s record for career passing yards set during the 2006 SEC championship game . Leak led the Florida Gators to their second consensus national championship with a 41 – 14 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 8 , 2007 , taking home the offensive Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) award for the game . His performance was solid throughout the BCS championship game , completing his first nine passes at the start of the game , and finishing with twenty - five completions in thirty - six attempts for 213 yards and one touchdown . Leak was listed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll each year he attended Florida , and was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy , also known as the " Academic Heisman " for college football players . He graduated from the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a bachelor ' s degree in sociology , with honors , in December 2006 , and was a keynote speaker during the graduation ceremony . Leak is remembered for volunteering with children in the Goodwill Gators Program , encouraging them to put school first and avoid drug use . At home in Charlotte , North Carolina , he also worked with the Boys and Girls Club and the Steele Creek Youth Athletic Association , served as an inspirational speaker with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes , and spoke at area middle schools encouraging students to stay focused on their goals . Professional career . NFL . Leak was not selected during the 2007 NFL Draft . The Chicago Bears signed him immediately after the draft . He spent the summer of 2007 working with the team , and training under former Gator Rex Grossman . However , Leak only saw playtime during the final game of the preseason , where he completed eleven of sixteen passes for eighty - eight yards , an interception and touchdown . He was eventually cut from the Bears roster on September 16 , 2007 . For the 2008 season , Leak tried out with the Kansas City Chiefs . AAFL . In November 2007 , Leak announced his intentions to play for Team Florida in the All American Football League . He was later drafted in the 6th round by Team Florida . Lacking start - up capital , the AAFL ' s first season was postponed until 2009 ( and later canceled ) . Leak , like all AAFL players , was released from his contract . CFL . On June 3 , 2008 , Chris Leak signed with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League . He was claimed by the Montreal Alouettes on June 9 after being released a day earlier . With backup quarterback Adrian McPherson injured , Leak was on the active roster for the August 21 , 2009 match against the Saskatchewan Roughriders , in which he threw his first CFL touchdown pass on his first play . Leak was part of the Montreal Alouettes who won the 2009 Grey Cup . On August 19 , 2010 , in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , Montreal starting quarterback , Anthony Calvillo , got taken out with an injury which gave way to Leak to finish off the game . Leak would lead the Alouettes to a 39 - 17 win over the Bombers . Leak made his first CFL start at quarterback on September 3 , 2010 against the BC Lions . However , he was on the short end of a 38 - 17 score , going 15 for 27 for 135 yards with two interceptions and a fumble . Leak suffered an apparent injury early in the fourth quarter and did not return . On May 5 , 2011 , Leak signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a free agent . On June 25 , 2011 Chris Leak was cut from the Saskatchewan Roughriders . Arena Football . On September 26 , 2011 , it was announced that Leak would sign with the ArenaBowl XXIV champion Jacksonville Sharks to replace star quarterback Aaron Garcia , who joined the San Antonio Talons for the 2012 Arena Football League season . In his only game in which he played for the Sharks , he completed twenty - one of thirty - one passes for 196 yards and five touchdowns in a 52 – 28 victory over the Kansas City Command . After it was subsequently announced that Garcia ' s former back - up would start the next game , Leak was suspended after skipping the following team practice . On April 10 , 2012 , he was placed on the left squad list , effectively ending his time with the Sharks . On April 23 , 2012 , Leak signed with the Orlando Predators .