GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ The Florida Gators discovered quarterback Kyle Trask by accident.
They can thank UCF defensive coordinator Randy Shannon, who put his former team on the scent of a talented player toiling in obscurity.
During the spring of 2015, Shannon visited the Houston area to check out four-star safety Derrick Tucker at Manvel High. Along the way, Shannon stumbled upon Trask, the team's backup QB, and immediately was intrigued.
"The head coach (Kirk Martin) said, 'Coach, I have this young man that you might need to take a look at,'" recalled Shannon, a UF defensive assistant at the time. "He had a tremendous arm. But the competitiveness in him was the biggest thing that I liked about him. He was getting on the guys about doing all the right things.
"Very smart, was demanding when he had his opportunity."
The Florida Gators can thank former assistant coach Randy Shannon for discovering Kyle Trask (above), suggesting the backup quarterback get a second look after accidentally discovering him.
The Florida Gators can thank former assistant coach Randy Shannon for discovering Kyle Trask (above), suggesting the backup quarterback get a second look after accidentally discovering him. (Sam Craft/AP)
Shannon made a mental note.
Upon his return to Gainesville, Shannon alerted coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier about Trask, a rising senior ranked outside the top 2,000 players in the nation and without a scholarship offer from a Football Bowl Subdivision school.
Shannon found Trask's anonymity a selling point rather than a red flag.
"The biggest thing that was most important is he was second team and he never wanted to transfer," Shannon said. "He was always going to stay there, he was always going to compete. A lot of different schools from the area were trying to get him to transfer.
"But Trask was a guy that always was going to compete."
Trask soon proved he was worth a risk during two trips that summer to Gainesville, including the 2015 Friday Night Lights recruiting showcase.
Trask's competitiveness would be challenged again when he joined the Gators. But a little more than a year after Trask finally received his opportunity, the redshirt senior leads the SEC with 14 touchdown passes and is the face of an offense ranked in the top-10 nationally.
Trask's story has been told endlessly by now. Trask's discovery by the Gators, though, rarely is ascribed to Shannon but rather to Nussmeier or, maybe, McElwain.
The 54-year-old Shannon, a longtime coach and former Miami Hurricanes linebacker and head coach, remains a team player.
"It's football," Shannon said. "Everybody's going to get credit."
