Kyle Trask turned in an outstanding season in 2020 for the Florida Gators, racking up 4,283 yards to go with 43 touchdowns against only 8 interceptions and leading UF to an 8-2 SEC Conference record.

Trask finished fourth in the Heisman voting just behind two other top flight signal callers, Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence, but became the forgotten man by the time the NFL Draft rolled around in April.

Now, Trask is turning heads yet again after Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians shared a few surprising tidbits while watching him go against the Bucs’ defense in OTAs., comparing him to one of the all-time great talents to ever play the quarterback position in terms of one unique trait.

Arians: Trask “Not Far Behind Andrew” in Terms of Mental Makeup

 

Trask retired as Florida’s all-time single season record holder in passing yards, beating out former Florida greats including Rex Grossman and Danny Wuerffel, whose best seasons topped out at 3,896 and 3,625 yards, respectively.

Much like those two legends, Trask doesn’t exactly have the most high end physical tools, size, strength and athleticism, but he is solid across the board in all areas, and makes up for any perceived deficiencies with his football IQ, a trait that Arians pointed out recently in surprising fashion.

“Mentally-wise, he’s not far behind what Andrew did in the same offense, and what Andrew did that (rookie) year (2012) is unbelievable,” Arians, who served as offensive coordinator for Luck’s Colts in 2012, said about Trask to the Tampa Bay Times.

While Arians is known for hyping up his own players preseason, it’s a positive sign considering the amount of time Arians spent coaching Luck in Indianapolis, turning him into one of the top signal callers in the league before injuries derailed his career.

“I’m not saying he’s Andrew Luck, but mentally he’s still really sharp,” Arians added.


Trask will also have the benefit of learning under six-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady, giving him a leg up on the competition.

Brady’s former understudy Jimmy Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl shortly after leading New England as Brady’s backup.

Brady will be 45 during the 2022 season, the last under his current contract.


Could Trask follow in Jimmy G’s footsteps, or perhaps even Luck’s, and become a top-tier QB some time in the near future?

Is he the heir apparent to Brady in Tampa Bay?

He will have to beat out Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin to get reps this season, but he certainly has the talent to do just that.

One thing’s for sure: going against Tampa’s defense in practice should speed up his development.

“It’s not easy when you’re going against our defense,” Arians said about Trask in the early going.

“He is seeing a multitude of blitzes and coverages, so I’m really impressed.

“Having worked with guys for the first time in this offense, he’s at the top of the list as far as the learning curve, and he’s throwing the football really well.”