Clay Millen gives Florida some respectable depth at the QB position. (Photo via Clay Millen)
With the departures of both Jack Miller and Max Brown this offseason, Billy Napier has added a veteran signal-caller to replace them.
Colorado State QB Clay Millen, the son of former NFL quarterback Hugh Millen, has announced his intentions to transfer to Florida. A four-star prospect from the state of Washington, he initially committed to play for Nevada in 2021. He threw two passes there as a freshman and transferred to Colorado State in 2022, where he completed 169 of 234 passes for 1,910 yards. That 72.2% completion percentage actually set the school’s all-time record for completion percentage in a single season for any quarterback to attempt over 100 passes. It’s also an FBS freshman record.
But he was benched after a dreadful opener against Washington State, in which he threw for just 110 yards and an interception, and never saw thee field again in his second season in Fort Collins. That led him to transfer again. Because he only appeared in one game in 2023, he was able to preserve the year of eligibility. Thus, he has three years of eligibility left.
Millen visited Florida this weekend, and was hooked. Now he’ll join a loaded quarterback room in Gainesville.
Incumbent Graham Mertz is Sharpied in as the starter, and the long-term future of the position runs through five-star signee DJ Lagway. But there’s also something to be said for having depth at the QB position. Only once since 2008 was Florida not forced to resort to its backup quarterback, either due to injury, opt-out, or struggles, in a meaningful situation. And ideally, you don’t force a true freshman into that role if he isn’t ready.
There’s definitely potential here in Clay Millen, because you never know when you’ll have to turn to your backup, And even though he did transfer from both Nevada and Colorado State due to a lack of playing time, you could certainly do a lot worse for your backup plan.
