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Mom tells newspaper Portis will transfer from Florida
Posted: Friday December 9, 2005 3:40PM; Updated: Friday December 9, 2005 5:51PM
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Freshman quarterback Josh Portis has decided to transfer from Florida, a newspaper reported Friday.
Portis' mother, Patricia, told The Gainesville Sun that her son plans to leave school after the No. 16 Gators play No. 25 Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2.
Patricia Portis cited a lack of playing time as the main reason for her son's decision.
"The bottom line is [the coaches] won't let his talent be shown on the field," she said. "Maybe he needs to be at an institution where all his talents can be taken care of. He needs to grow. He needs to be in a situation where they will develop him and not put him in one play and take him out the next. They would only let him run the ball and if he made one mistake and they would take him out.
"A lot of things were told to him in recruiting. Coach [Urban] Meyer never told him he would start [as a freshman], but he said he would give him a fair chance to compete. Josh feels he hasn't gotten that chance."
Patricia Portis, who lives in Los Angeles, does not have a listed phone number and could not be reached by The Associated Press on Friday nor could her son. The university is on its winter break and the Gators weren't practicing Friday.
Meyer, who did not immediately return a call from the AP on Friday, said earlier in the week that he hoped to give Portis some playing time in the bowl game.
Portis, who committed to Utah and then followed Meyer to Gainesville in January, has played in six games this season as Chris Leak's backup. He was 6-of-12 passing for 81 yards with an interception and ran for 163 yards on 29 carries.
Patricia Portis said Florida's recruitment of St. Augustine Nease quarterback Tim Tebow, one of the nation's top prep prospects, was not a factor in her son's decision.
"Heck no," she said. "It doesn't matter who they are going after. There are just a lot of things Josh is capable of doing and he hasn't had a chance to do them. There are no hard feelings. He's just going to do what he feels is best for him."
Without Portis, the Gators would have only two scholarship quarterbacks -- Leak, a junior, and redshirt freshman Cornelius Ingram. Meyer had planned to move Ingram next spring.
Gavin Dickey also could return to quarterback, where he played his first two seasons before moving to receiver this fall.
Mom tells newspaper Portis will transfer from Florida
Posted: Friday December 9, 2005 3:40PM; Updated: Friday December 9, 2005 5:51PM
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Freshman quarterback Josh Portis has decided to transfer from Florida, a newspaper reported Friday.
Portis' mother, Patricia, told The Gainesville Sun that her son plans to leave school after the No. 16 Gators play No. 25 Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2.
Patricia Portis cited a lack of playing time as the main reason for her son's decision.
"The bottom line is [the coaches] won't let his talent be shown on the field," she said. "Maybe he needs to be at an institution where all his talents can be taken care of. He needs to grow. He needs to be in a situation where they will develop him and not put him in one play and take him out the next. They would only let him run the ball and if he made one mistake and they would take him out.
"A lot of things were told to him in recruiting. Coach [Urban] Meyer never told him he would start [as a freshman], but he said he would give him a fair chance to compete. Josh feels he hasn't gotten that chance."
Patricia Portis, who lives in Los Angeles, does not have a listed phone number and could not be reached by The Associated Press on Friday nor could her son. The university is on its winter break and the Gators weren't practicing Friday.
Meyer, who did not immediately return a call from the AP on Friday, said earlier in the week that he hoped to give Portis some playing time in the bowl game.
Portis, who committed to Utah and then followed Meyer to Gainesville in January, has played in six games this season as Chris Leak's backup. He was 6-of-12 passing for 81 yards with an interception and ran for 163 yards on 29 carries.
Patricia Portis said Florida's recruitment of St. Augustine Nease quarterback Tim Tebow, one of the nation's top prep prospects, was not a factor in her son's decision.
"Heck no," she said. "It doesn't matter who they are going after. There are just a lot of things Josh is capable of doing and he hasn't had a chance to do them. There are no hard feelings. He's just going to do what he feels is best for him."
Without Portis, the Gators would have only two scholarship quarterbacks -- Leak, a junior, and redshirt freshman Cornelius Ingram. Meyer had planned to move Ingram next spring.
Gavin Dickey also could return to quarterback, where he played his first two seasons before moving to receiver this fall.