71 Days to Gator Football: Chris Leak

[Escambia94]

Christopher Patrick Leak of Charlotte, North Carolina played quarterback for Ron Zook's and Urban Meyer's Florida Gators from 2003 to 2006. Chris came to Gainesville as a Parade All American Player of the Year, 5-star player, and #3 QB of the 2003 recruiting class. He made an immediate impact as a freshman and took over as starter in game 5 against Kentucky. He set the SEC record for wins by a freshman with a 6-3 record as starter, threw for 2435 yards (190/320, 59.4%, 16 TD, 11 INT) and was named to the All-SEC Freshman squad. Chris tied the school record with 6 TDs against South Carolina his sophomore year while throwing for 3197 yards (238/399, 59.6%, 29 TD, 12 INT). In his junior year, Chris struggled with the option portion of Urban Meyer's spread-option attack, but improved once Coach Meyer adjusted the offense halfway through the season to suit his skills and he finished with 2639 yards (235/374, 62.8%, 20 TD, 6 INT). By his senior year, he and freshman QB Tim Tebow made a formidable spread-option tandem as he threw for 2942 yards (232/365, 63.6%, 23 TDs, 13 INT) on the way to Florida's second national championship, where Chris was named the offensive MVP of the 2007 BCS National Championship game. Chris finished as the Gator career passing yardage leader.

Career Passing:​

895/1458 (61.4%), 11213 Yds, 88 TD, 42 INT, 140.1 RAT​

Career Rushing:​

311 Att, 137 Yds, 0.4 Avg, 13 TD​

 

[DRU2012]

Chris was a fine all-around college QB, whose natural strengths and skills happened to provide ample demonstration of Urban Meyer's weaknesses AND growing-strengths as a Head Coach in modifying HIS offensive philosophy, embodied in "the Spread Option", by adapting it to better fit whatever quarterback was on the field and running it at a given time. Of course, this was aided (and further developed) in the arrival of Tim Tebow for Leak's senior year, not coincidentally the year of our first National Championship with Meyer at the helm.
I'm not sure why Chris was so under-appreciated so much of his time at UF, but he was, and to a great extent it continues even now, in retrospect. Perhaps that will change, the "never enough" attitude regarding his skills, achievements and leadership, his true value and importance to the team's achievements more appreciated as Meyer's continued fluctuation between "master of his own best strengths" and "victim of his own blindness and excess" led to new heights and failures, and HIS resulting re-evaluation among Gator fans continues. For this list's current entry, though, perhaps we can agree that we'd ALL take a Chris Leak-level QB, right NOW.

 

[Escambia94]

Chris Leak is my highest ranked QB without All American honors. He is one of my personal favorites. I really have no idea why he did not get a lot of respect. It may be due to that Prevent Offense that Zaunbrecher put him into during the 4th quarter.

 

[Leakfan12]

Chris Leak is my highest ranked QB without All American honors. He is one of my personal favorites. I really have no idea why he did not get a lot of respect. It may be due to that Prevent Offense that Zaunbrecher put him into during the 4th quarter.

Well it didn't help he started under Zook. Also I think he would have been a All-American if he had the same offense he did in his sophomore year 0r if the stupid clock rules didn't take place in 2006. I think if the Gators had more luck in his Freshmen and Junior seasons, I think they would have won more SEC titles. However, I sure he doesn't care since he's going the remember as a Championship QB. Nearly passed Peyton in career TD passes in the SEC. Saw him play in the AFL.

 

[Escambia94]

Well it didn't help he started under Zook. Also I think he would have been a All-American if he had the same offense he did in his sophomore year 0r if the stupid clock rules didn't take place in 2006. I think if the Gators had more luck in his Freshmen and Junior seasons, I think they would have won more SEC titles. However, I sure he doesn't care since he's going the remember as a Championship QB. Nearly passed Peyton in career TD passes in the SEC. Saw him play in the AFL.

I totally agree, but I have to be objective in the rankings and stick with the following criteria in order of precedence modeled after University Athletic Association (UAA) criteria. Chris Leak was a victim of having a different offense every year, starting with the Prevent Offense with bits of the Fun N' Gun-light, then the Prevent Offense, then spread option with emphasis on option, then spread option balanced.

1. Ring of Honor
2. UAA Hall of Fame (Gator Greats)
3. major coaching accomplishments
4. major national awards (Heisman, Rimington), NCAA/SEC player of the year, major NCAA/SEC/school records
5. Consensus/Unanimous All American
6. 1st team All SEC/ Freshman All SEC
7. major bowl MVP
8. historical greats
9. 2nd team All SEC
10. key member of national championship team

 

[Leakfan12]

Well 3 different offenses in four years. He could run Meyer's offense unlike that Brantley kid and Leak had to run it from day one unlike Brantley who sat for three year and still played like crap. I know beating on a dead horse.

 

[FrozenGator]

I totally agree, but I have to be objective in the rankings and stick with the following criteria in order of precedence modeled after University Athletic Association (UAA) criteria. Chris Leak was a victim of having a different offense every year, starting with the Prevent Offense with bits of the Fun N' Gun-light, then the Prevent Offense, then spread option with emphasis on option, then spread option balanced.

1. Ring of Honor
2. UAA Hall of Fame (Gator Greats)
3. major coaching accomplishments
4. major national awards (Heisman, Rimington), NCAA/SEC player of the year, major NCAA/SEC/school records
5. Consensus/Unanimous All American
6. 1st team All SEC/ Freshman All SEC
7. major bowl MVP
8. historical greats
9. 2nd team All SEC
10. key member of national championship team

11. 2009 Grey Cup Champion

 

[Escambia94]

11. 2009 Grey Cup Champion

Uh oh. Maybe you found the loophole for me to bump up his ranking. I hate having him so low in the list.

 

[InkedAdrenaline]

^i would take Leak right now as qb...

 

[Escambia94]

^i would take Leak right now as qb...

Oh, I would abso-freaking-lutely take him as a QB today. The problem I am struggling with is ranking him amongst the many great Gators we have, much less the great Gator QBs. Just in the objective list of Gators who played QB (not necessarily ranking them as quarterbacks, but as greatest Gators) we have the following:
1. Steve Spurrier (score bolstered by head coaching credentials on top of QB credentials)
2. Tim Tebow
3. Danny Wuerffel
9. Rex Grossman
14. John Reaves
15. Kerwin Bell
19. Shane Matthews
47. Tom Shannon
57. Larry Libertore
71. Chris Leak

The highest I can rank Chris leak without an All American award is #38--34 of the top 36 Gators are All Americans AND Gator Greats.

The highest I can ran Chris leak without an All American but with a UAA Hall of Fame "Gator Great" award is 59--56 of the top 59 are Gator Greats.

The highest I can rank Chris Leak without just the All American is #71, which is where he is now--66 of the top 70 are All Americans.

If we were to rank just the QBs, he would probably come in behind Shane Matthews based on statistics unless the national championship were a very strong criterion.

 

[Leakfan12]

Honestly I rank him ahead of Matthews and the two other QBs rank below Matthews (they didn't win jack s--t with Shannon and Libertore plus Libertore ended his career as a DB). Bell I'm 50-50 because Bell put up some good numbers in his first two years especially when SEC was mostly running conference and if it wasn't for the NCAA playing favorites he would had some SEC and National titles (seriously BYU as 1984 champs they had trouble beating a 6-6 Michigan).

 

[Escambia94]

We need another thread to rank the QBs. This thread ranks the players on individual accolades as a total athlete. As an athlete with awards, he is ranked appropriately. As a QB, I agree he needs to be ranked right there under Grossman somehow.

 

[Escambia94]

Okay. I threw together a comparison of the best Gator passers at http://www.gatorenvy.com/threads/top-gator-passers.15527/. Chris Leak weighs in favorably as a pure passer, right around 2nd or 3rd. Later on I will run some comparisons of QB passer ratings.