Driskel answering skeptics on road to NFL
Jeff Driskel sat there and took every question.
There were plenty. Peppered over and over again about why things didn’t work at Florida, the former four-star quarterback who transferred to Louisiana Tech seemed to answer each one honestly. He talked about moving forward and hoping for an opportunity to play in the NFL.
When you meet with teams do they ask you about why you transferred?
Driskel: “Absolutely. That’s a big question. That’s a thing that needs to be answered and the way I’ve been answering it is that I needed a change, I moved on and it was a great decision. It was a decision that I did a lot of research on and it turned out to be good for me. I’m all about moving forward and that’s what I did this past year. I put myself in position to be here at this time.”
Driskel, who starred at Oviedo (Fla.) Hagerty and who was the top-rated pro-style quarterback in the 2011 class, was sitting on a dais at the Reese’s Senior Bowl Media Night answering these questions.
Not many people, if any, asked about his time at Louisiana Tech, where he threw for 4,033 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season. Everyone wanted to know about his time with the Gators and why it didn’t work out.
Did what you did this past year answer some questions about yourself and your confidence?
Driskel: “Answered questions to myself? I think it answered other people’s. I think I’ve always been a confident guy. You’re going to go through ups and downs. That’s part of playing the position and you have to be able to respond to that. The way I did so by coming back and having a great year just shows that my goal has always been to play in the NFL and to play in the NFL at a high level, and I’ve put myself in the position to achieve those goals.
What was it like for you starting at Florida and then having to go to a different school?
Driskel: “We all have our routes. It’s all about how you end up, where you end up and the final destination. I didn’t plan for that to happen. I really liked my experience at Florida, met some great people, won a bunch of games. That gets lost. There are always going to be ups and downs and it’s all about moving forward.
Are there any regrets from Florida? Anything you would change if you could go back?
Driskel: “I don’t think so. It obviously didn’t work out like I wanted it to but I wouldn’t change my decision to go there. Everything that happened along the way I think it made me who I am. I wouldn’t change anything. We all have different routes.”
The four-star quarterback went to Florida and there were certainly highs and lows during his time in Gainesville.
As a sophomore, Driskel helped lead the Gators to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. But there were valleys as well. In the third game of his junior campaign, Driskel broke his fibula and missed the remainder of the season.
The next year Treon Harris replaced him as the starting quarterback. There was some good, a bunch of bad, but then Driskel moved on to Louisiana Tech where he had a phenomenal season.
He successfully reinvented himself after transferring.
Is there an unfair stigma about guys who transfer? There seems to be more questions about guys who do that.
Driskel: “I understand it. Scouts and NFL personnel want to know why. They don’t have the inside scoop. They don’t understand what was going on and the reasoning. They want to hear what really happened and do their investigations.”
And this all leads to the present where Driskel continues to answer questions about why it didn’t work out, all as he tries to kick-start a future in the NFL.
Lessons have been learned but the biggest one Driskel has learned from high school to college and hopefully to the NFL is that if you’re good, you’ll play.
With your journey as a recruit, you were a highly-touted guy. You had to take your route as you mentioned. What advice would you give kids in the recruiting process since you’ve seen a lot.
Driskel: “The recruiting process is great and the recruiting process is awful at the same time. There are a lot of guys who are under-recruited and a lot of guys who are over-recruited. You never know. There are guys here from programs like Ohio State, from Florida and there are guys from Louisiana Tech. It only takes one offer to go play someplace and realize your goals. If you’re talented enough the NFL will find you.”