Florida Will Play Both QBs in Opener, but Consider Will Grier the Favorite

If you're waiting on the edge of your seat to find out who's going to be Florida's primary quarterback in 2015, it's time to sit back, relax and get comfortable.

It might take a while.

First-year Gator head coach Jim McElwain confirmed Thursday afternoon that both of his quarterbacks—sophomore dual threat Treon Harris and redshirt freshman pro-style QB Will Grier—will play in the season opener versus New Mexico State, according to Chris Harry of GatorZone.com:

That's not terribly surprising considering Harris has the experience from last year under his belt. Plus, Florida has a tune-up with the Aggies before hosting a solid East Carolina team that the Gators played in the Birmingham Bowl last year and heading on the road to Kentucky for the SEC opener.

Wading into the season rather than jumping into it feet-first is a luxury McElwain has due to the schedule. Doing that might be more attractive now based on some recent events that have occurred along the offensive line.

Florida also announced Thursday that star freshman offensive lineman and likely starter at left tackle Martez Ivey will have arthroscopic knee surgery Friday. According to Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel, that could keep Ivey out for nearly a month:

That's key, because suddenly Florida's patchwork offensive line—which appeared to be coming together nicely during fall camp—has to shuffle some pieces around quickly before toe meets leather for the 2015 season.

With that in mind, it's probably a good idea for McElwain to keep his options open a little bit more with Harris in case he needs to use his legs to evade the pass rush when protection breaks down.

Sooner or later, though—perhaps when Ivey returns and the offensive line is solidified—this is going to be Grier's job.

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McElwain made his mark first as Alabama's offensive coordinator and then as Colorado State's head coach running a pro-style system. His system is based on pounding the rock and working off of play action with a quarterback who can make smart decisions and difficult throws from sideline to sideline and stretch the field deep.

"They hired a great coach," ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said. "I know 'Mac' very well. He will bring a certain toughness to the offensive side of the football that's been missing for a number of years. It's going to take some time for [McElwain] to develop a team that he wants on that side of the ball."

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Grier is the only guy on the roster who can make McElwain's system click, although the specific circumstances surrounding this offensive line—particularly the recent news of Ivey's injury—might force it to take longer than expected to make that official.

Earlier this month, I wrote that it was time for McElwain and new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to step out and officially name Grier the starting quarterback.

I still feel that way because it's important for Grier to learn what to do—and more importantly, what not to do—in game action.

But the curveball that Ivey's injury threw to the coaching staff makes it understandable that McElwain might want to play it safe and keep his options open during the season opener.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national 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.