Byrum Brown (Credit: USF Athletics)

Early 2025 Quarterback Situation With Each Of Florida’s Seven FBS Teams

Byrum Brown (Credit: USF Athletics)
Byrum Brown (Credit: USF Athletics)

USF’s Byrum Brown and FIU’s Keyone Jenkins are the only quarterbacks among the state’s seven FBS teams who started the 2024 season opener and remain with their teams.

UCF’s KJ Jefferson, Florida’s Graham Mertz, Miami’s Cam Ward and Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei will attempt to make it in the NFL while FAU’s Cam Fancher transferred within the Sunshine State.

Here is a glimpse at each team’s quarterback situation at the beginning of 2025, which will likely change following spring drills.

USF Bulls
Brown was sidelined for the final eight games (save for a bowl cameo) with what coach Alex Golesh ultimately revealed was a broken bone in his left leg sustained during a Week 5 loss at Tulane. Bryce Archie took over the offense with Izzy Carter serving as the primary backup.

A healthy Brown would presumably run the show once again. Archie’s effort – and class when meeting with the media – was admirable in making the first eight starts of his career. Consistency, though, was often lacking during a season in which he threw nine touchdown passes and 10 interceptions while posting a pass efficiency rating that was 111th of 119 qualified FBS quarterbacks.

Byrum Brown (USF Athletics)
Byrum Brown (USF Athletics)

Carter entered the portal for the second time in as many years. This time around he committed to FCS member Norfolk State where he will play for first-year coach Michael Vick. Carter appeared in four games and threw four touchdown passes.

Golesh’s 2025 signing class included Locklan Hewlett, who led St. Augustine High to the Class 4A semifinal the past season. Hewlett, who originally committed to Wake Forest in the spring of 2023, is the son of quarterback instructor Will Hewlett. The elder Hewlett has worked with the likes of Brock Purdy.

READ: USF’s Nay’Quan Wright Competing In Trillion Tropical Bowl In Daytona Beach

UCF Knights
Coach Gus Malzahn reeled in Jefferson from Arkansas a year ago. The former is now the offensive coordinator at Florida State and the latter started five games before he was benched. That was the beginning of a revolving door at the position saw Jefferson, a 17-year-old E.J. Colson, Jacurri Brown and Dylan Rizk, who started the final four games, run the offense.

Scott Frost returned to Orlando with much work to do, including sorting things out at quarterback. Gone are Jefferson, who graduated and Colson, who transferred to Purdue. Frost added Fancher and Tayven Johnson. Fancher totaled more than 6,400 yards in 34 games with FAU and Marshall and Jackson has thrown for 1,300 yards in 13 games with Indiana, where he backed up Kurtis Rourke in 2024, and Tennessee.

Florida Gators
The 2025 season arrived early and saved 2024 in the process. D.J. Lagway became the face of a team that won its last four games with the true freshman under center in place of the injured Mertz. There were growing pains, for sure, though nothing that dulled the enthusiasm among Gator Nation, especially as Billy Napier’s team turned 4-5 into 8-5.

Billy Napier and D.J. Lagway (University Of Florida Athletics)
Billy Napier and D.J. Lagway (University Of Florida Athletics)

Harrison Bailey committed to UF on Monday after spending the past two seasons as a backup at Louisville. The Gators will be Bailey’s fourth team after he began his career at Tennessee before transferring to UNLV. He has thrown for 1,190 yards and 10 TDs in five seasons. Napier needed a backup after former Charlotte signal caller Deshawn Purdie decommitted.  

READ: USF Football Actual Home Attendance In 2024

Florida State Seminoles
Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek all started for Mike Norvell during a 2-10 season. Only Brock returns as Uiagalelei declared for the draft and Kromenhoek transferred to Mississippi State.

Brock will compete with Thomas Castellanos, who returned to the Sunshine State to reunite with Malzahn, his coach at UCF as a freshman in 2022. Castellanos was the starter at Boston College the past two seasons (21 games, 47 total TDs), though his 2024 campaign was cut short due to injury.

Miami Hurricanes
Mario Cristobal landed Ward a year ago and welcomes Carson Beck to Coral Gables for 2025. Beck, who won a pair of national championships as a backup to Stetson Bennett at Georgia, was the Bulldogs’ starter the past two seasons. He threw for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns during his four years in Athens.

Carson Beck (Credit: University of Georgia Athletics)
Carson Beck (Credit: University of Georgia Athletics)

Emory Williams is the only other experienced quarterback on the roster. His lone career start was against Clemson in 2023 and has attempted 97 passes in two seasons. Reese Poffenbarger, who transferred from Albany and attempted seven passes last season, entered the portal and landed at North Texas. Six-foot-six Judd Anderson, who saw action in one game as a true freshman last season, is among others on the roster.

FAU Owls
The last four seasons have seen 11 different quarterbacks attempt at least one pass. Fancher started in 2024 and transferred to Florida State while backup, Tyriq Starks, moved on to Jackson State. Another backup, Kasen Weisman returns. Zach Kittley, the Owls’ 33-year-old first-year coach, plucked Caden Veltkamp from the portal. Veltkamp was the Conference USA offensive player of the year in 2024 after throwing for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns.

FIU Panthers
Jenkins entered the portal and withdrew his name less than two weeks after former FAMU coach Willie Simmons was hired in December to lead the program. Jenkins started each of the last two years under Mike MacIntyre and showed much improvement last season when he threw 22 touchdown passes. With Amari Jones transferring to South Carolina State, senior Chayden Peery is the lone experienced backup.

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