Will Grier Leads Florida QB Depth Chart, but Will He Win the Job?

One of the fiercest quarterback competitions in the SEC is currently taking place at Florida, where incumbent starter Treon Harris is battling redshirt freshman Will Grier for the top spot on the depth chart this spring for first-year head coach Jim McElwain.

Who's the leader?

Right now, it's Grier ahead of Harris and junior Skyler Mornhinweg, although that's mostly due to the fact that Harris has missed several practices this spring while dealing with a death in the family.

McElwain recently spoke with reporters about the battle at quarterback:

"

You know, obviously Will’s ahead simply because he’s been here more. ...

Obviously Skyler did a really good job in that first scrimmage. But just for the fact that for an unfortunate situation that has gone on in Treon’s life, obviously Will has been able to take the majority of the reps and Skyler has gotten a little bit better.

"

Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

When all is said and done, could Grier be the man in Gainesville?

Absolutely.

Harris is more of a dual threat, and Grier is a pure pro-style passer. In seven starts last season, Harris attempted more than 12 passes in just two of those games—the 34-10 win over Vanderbilt and 24-19 loss to Florida State.

That was in a system under the old regime that is much more conducive to dual-threat success. The system McElwain was successful with at Colorado State is geared toward pocket passers.

Garrett Grayson set the Rams' single-season record with 4,006 yards, and according to his Colorado State bio, he holds the career record in every major passing category.

Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Grier not only can be that guy; he has to be that guy.

Harris will have a role as a quarterback whether he's the starter or a situational backup, but Grier's accuracy and ability to find open receivers will make him the best option for McElwain and new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.

Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Perhaps even the only option.

Just how good can the 6'2", 200-pound Grier be?

His stat line from high school reads like a video game glitch. He threw for 14,565 yards, 195 touchdowns and 27 picks at Davidson (N.C.) Day from 2011-2013, but as Langston Wertz Jr. of The Charlotte Observer pointed out during his senior year in high school, most of those numbers came against some rather weak competition in North Carolina's Division III and Division II.

Putting on weight has been one of his primary focuses since he arrived on campus last year. Now he's out in front, and a big factor on whether or not he wins the job will be if he can consistently stretch the field deep and become a difference-maker rather than just a caretaker.

Last month, Bleacher Report analyst Michael Felder said the following about Grier:

"

Obviously, he was a monster in high school, but the competition level left me wanting to see more. And, because he's not a physical specimen with a cannon for an arm or 4.3 speed, it is going to take proving he can make throws to the sideline and vertically to convince folks that he can lead the program.

"

That process has already started.

If you're looking for odds on who the next starting quarterback is going to be in Gainesville, the smart money is on Grier.

What's a slight lead now could turn into a big gap by the midway point of fall camp.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.