Florida football: Kyle Trask is the 2020 Heisman underdog

Can Kyle Trask bring the Heisman trophy back to Florida football?

Kyle Trask‘s improbable journey from being a 2-star recruit to Heisman hopeful is pretty interesting. Not only was he doubted in high school, but his scholarship offer from Florida football was highly critiqued as most considered it a throwaway and waste.

If we’re being honest, who could blame those non believers?

He’d never even started a varsity game during his entire high school career and you’re telling me Florida offered this kid a spot on the team?

Oddly enough, the decision to do so turned out to be the greatest gift that Jim McElwain gave to Florida football.

Not only did the 6’5 passer exceed expectations in Gainesville, but Trask increased them.

Following his killer performance in Kentucky’s Kroger Stadium, Trask managed to quietly take the SEC by surprise on a week-to-week basis.

After all was said and done, Trask finished the year with 2,941 yards passing and a 25-7 touchdown to interception ratio, placing him 2nd overall in passing for the SEC.

The former backup behind Feleipe Franks hadn’t even started a game until the fourth contest of the season, indicating that he could have padded the stats a little more had he secured the #1 spot from the start.

And truthfully, he definitely should have.

But I would be lying to you if I told you that anyone, including Coach Mullen, was advocating for a Kyle Trask-led football team. It just wasn’t a serious conversation.

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If we’re being honest, you would have been laughed out of the building for implying that the 2-star backup could compete with the talented SEC defenders.

Fast forward eight months later, and here I am writing an article based on his legitimacy as a Heisman candidate.

Furthermore, despite owning a lengthy reputation of proving critics wrong, Trask is still fighting against the noise which insists that the underdog could never win the coveted Heisman Trophy.

But instead of disputing their disapproval with words, Trask would rather direct his attention towards what truly matters.

Playing the game of football.

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There’s no doubt that Dan Mullen deserves a legitimate amount of credit for developing the unlikely hero, but Trask’s most valuable asset is his very own never-ending drive to succeed.

His mindset is truly what sets him apart from others in the league.

During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Trask explained how important preparation was to him.

"“Even as the backup, I always prepared like I was the starter. I never wanted something like that to happen, and I go out there on the field with no clue what I’m doing, I don’t want to embarrass myself out there, so obviously I’m going to prepare to the best of my ability, even if I was the backup.”"

This is perhaps one of the most consoling quotes that we’ve heard from a Florida quarterback in a very long time.

If you’re a Gator fan, it’s nice to know that your passer will always be the most prepared person on the football field- after all, it’s kind of a necessity if you plan to have success.

The biggest advantage that Trask carries against his opponents isn’t his arm strength, or speed. His maturity and self awareness allows for him to meekly grasp the realization that he’ll never be the most physically gifted person on the field.

Instead, Trask gains leverage by working on the tangibles. Unfortunately, there’s only a small cupboard full of college players who practice this.

There’s always those guys who have naturally equipped God-given talent, but really don’t spend as much time as they should working on the mental aspect of their game.

This has never been a problem for Trask. As a matter of fact, it’s actually the reason he’s currently tied for 10th in Heisman odds at +2500.

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The reason Trask is my 2020 Heisman dark horse favorite isn’t because of his natural ability.

He can’t escape the pocket as well as Sam Ehlinger. He doesn’t have Bo Nix’s raw talent. He won’t showcase Justin Field’s electrifying tendencies. And he’ll never out-velocity Trevor Lawrence.

And all of that is OK.

#11 has something that you can’t coach, or teach. What he has can only be found internally- and that’s heart and commitment.

Sure, he’s not the most talented, but that doesn’t matter.

In the end, Kyle Trask will out-Trask all of them to bring the Heisman back to Gainesville, Florida.

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