Calm on the surface, Florida QB Kyle Trask can flip his switch on a dime

By Michael Phillips
October 16, 2019
Calm on the surface, Florida QB Kyle Trask can flip his switch on a dime
Football

Image Credit: Twitter / GatorsFB

Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask has burst onto the college football scene and taken the country by storm thanks to his ability to continuously execute no matter the situation. It is the emergence of Trask, in the face of classmate and position-mate Feleipe Franks going down with a season-ending injury, that has given the No. 9 Gators hope at the midway point of the 2019 season.

At LSU, newly minted as the nation’s No. 2 team, last Saturday, Trask completed 23–of-39 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a passer rating of 146. This at Death Valley, one of the most hostile environments in college football. Trask managed it as if he had been doing it for years. He remained calm, cool and collected as he always seems to be.

However, as even-keeled as Trask appears to be, he does have another side.

“He definitely gets fired up,” senior wide receiver Josh Hammond said of his quarterback. “It can be at practice, in scrimmage or it can be game day. He gets fired up for those things.”

Hammond was part of the same recruiting class as Trask and admits, when he first saw Trask hit that second gear, it was a bit shocking.

“Probably the first time he did that it did surprise me just because I did not expect it to come out of him,” Hammond said. “You know, it’s football. Guys get excited for football. So like, when it happened, it was like, ‘Oh, it’s Kyle,’ but like after that I expected it out of him. He brings that switch when it’s time to go.”

Typically, it is best for quarterbacks to keep a calm demeanor in order to process the game plan, make adjustments and not let the pressure or the moment get to them. However, in this sport, it’s nearly impossible not to let out that fire on occasion, and Trask certainly is no exception. 

“I guess that’s just my personality,” Trask said when asked if he turns it lose a little bit on the field. “I’m just a laid back kind of person, but once it’s time for business, it’s time for business.”

This past weekend on the road in a top-10 matchup that saw both offenses match one another blow-for-blow for two-thirds of the game, business was booming for Trask. On the opening drive of the second half, the Gators marched down the field to take a 28-21 lead. That’s when the competitiveness and fire came out.  

“If we are tied at 21 and we got to get a drive, I think Kyle will be more calm and poised within that moment to makes sure everybody is doing the right things and make sure our offense is going in the right direction,” Hammond said. “He handles adversity really well — whether we are high or low, he tries to stay medium and just keep everybody’s head above float and keep everybody on the same page. Now, if we go down and score and go up 28-21, then that Kyle, the excited Kyle comes out and is ready to go.”

You won’t see it much. Trask simply doesn’t get too high or too low. It’s just his personality and a major plus as a quarterback. Nothing seems to faze him, and he almost seems unimpressed with his play and how he’s doing. 

But when that flip is switched, a different guy can come out — one that is full of emotion and excitement. It’s always there for when he needs it even if it is rarely used. His drive to win never changes, but sometimes it shows up in different ways for Trask.

We will see which version of Trask leads Florida at South Carolina on Saturday. The Gators are likely hoping for a little bit of both.

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