GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ Florida backup quarterback Kyle Trask will have to wait to resume the race to become the Gators' starter next season.
Five days after he struggled during Friday's spring game, Trask underwent knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear, according to a report by Nick de la Torre of GatorCountry.com.
Trask's recovery should take four to six weeks, leaving him plenty of time to prepare for preseason practices in August. But the 19-year-old from Houston also cannot afford lost time.
Following Friday's game, UF coach Jim McElwain said fellow redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks had continued to distance himself from Trask in the quarterback competition.
Trask finished 6-of-15 for 66 yards and also threw an interception into triple coverage. Meanwhile, Franks finished 8-of-14 passing for 119 yards, including a 46-yard strike on the game's third play and later a 16-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Callaway.
But Trask faced mostly the first-team defense, while Franks went against the Gators' second unit.
"Y'all saw out there it's kind of tough sometimes. You've got the two offense going against the one defense," Trask said. "But at the same time, it's still making you a better player."
Franks and Trask entered spring practices with little separation between them, but Franks' leadership skills and big-play ability opened a gap between the two 19-year-olds. Trask is a more accurate passer, but also more conservative running the offense and more reticent in the huddle.
Trask said he would continue to work to become more assertive like Franks.
"I think he has a lot of confidence at the line of scrimmage," Trask said. "I like how he has that, and I try to take away from that."
For now, Trask will have to recover from surgery and prepare to resume a competition in August that also could include former starter Luke Del Rio and Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire.
Del Rio, who opened 2016 the starter, is coming off shoulder surgery. McElwain also is interested in signing Zaire, a clear indication UF coaches are not sold completely on the QBs on the current roster.
"We gotta go with who's gonna give us the best opportunity to win ball games," McElwain said after the spring game. "And at the end of the day, that's what we've got to do is win ball game."
