Jacob Eason to face an imposing Gators secondary

Georgia true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason
Georgia true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason
photo Florida coach Jim McElwain tried to lure top quarterback recruit Jacob Eason to Gainesville after Eason committed to Georgia but before he signed with the Bulldogs. Despite a coaching change in Athens after last season, Eason was not swayed and is preparing to face the Gators on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.

Florida football coach Jim McElwain hoped to have quarterback Jacob Eason on his sideline Saturday in Jacksonville when the Gators face Georgia.

He won't, but not for lack of trying.

"We tried to jump in there late when there might have been a crack," McElwain said. "I don't know how big the crack was."

Eason, the nation's top-rated quarterback in the 2016 signing class, was firmly entrenched as a Georgia commitment until coach Mark Richt was fired late last November after 15 seasons leading the Bulldogs. While Georgia began the process of what became a relatively short search that ended with the hiring of Kirby Smart, Eason took a visit to Florida.

His early December venture to Gainesville certainly caused some intrigue, but Eason reaffirmed his pledge to Georgia in the middle of that month after Smart announced the hirings of offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and offensive line coach Sam Pittman.

"That guy is a special talent," McElwain said. "He understands the game. He grew up in it, and I really enjoyed being around him and his family in the brief time that we were able to. He's a really good player."

Florida wound up signing quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, with each redshirting this season.

When asked in February, Eason insisted his decision was not that close.

"In my heart, I wanted to go to Georgia," he said. "It's a great school with a great tradition and great people, and when they hired Coach Smart, Coach Chaney and Coach Pittman, it was reassuring that I would stick. It's the best decision I've made."

Eason has displayed his talent on numerous occasions this season, but there have been inconsistencies as well in Georgia's 4-3 start that includes a 17-16 home loss to Vanderbilt nine days ago. He threw for 346 yards and a touchdown against the Commodores, but the game before at South Carolina, Eason was 5-of-17 for 29 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Georgia's 29 passing yards in Columbia marked its lowest total since the Bulldogs had 28 in a 1990 loss at Auburn, but that is not an uncommon stat line for quarterbacks who have faced Florida this season.

The Gators improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference with a 40-14 win over Missouri on Oct. 15, holding Tigers quarterback Drew Lock to just 4-of-18 passing for 39 yards and two interceptions. Florida returned both interceptions for touchdowns.

"Our guys had a good plan going in, and you've got to credit our players, who did a great job of the actual studying of the plan and applying the film study piece," McElwain said. "We probably played a little more of a few different coverages, which you do every week based on what you're getting, and I thought our guys played pretty good. They gutted us a couple of times on some inside runs, but I was proud of the way we attacked it and played the game."

Florida, ranked No. 14 this week, enters the showdown at EverBank Field leading the conference in pass defense, allowing 132.8 aerial yards per game. Opponents have completed just 53 of 140 attempts (37.9 percent).

Teez Tabor has four interceptions and Quincy Wilson three for a unit that has tallied 10 while allowing only four touchdown passes this season. Jabari Zuniga, a redshirt freshman defensive end from Marietta, Ga., leads the Gators up front with five sacks in six games.

"It's a great challenge and obviously the biggest challenge thus far," said Smart, whose team is 2-3 in SEC play. "We've had them on tape against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, so we've seen as coaches how fast and physical they are. They are a very talented group.

"They have an elite rusher and they have some good players in the secondary. They do a really good job, but I think our offense is excited about this opportunity."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

Upcoming Events