One of the biggest questions surrounding the Gators football team entering the spring was which quarterback would begin practices working with the first-string offense. On Wednesday, redshirt sophomore walk-on Luke Del Rio earned the nod, as he took the first snap with the first team during UF’s 11-on-11 fastball drill.

Following Florida’s Wednesday practice, UF head coach Jim McElwain had plenty of good things to say about the 6-foot-1, 216-pound signal-caller.

"You know, I think one of the things that I love about him is he's kind of a gym rat type of guy,” McElwain said. “You can tell he obviously grew up around the game. He's a guy who enjoys watching film. He enjoys, around the guys, he's does a great job as a leader. I think there's a lot of intangibles there. Not only is he a good quarterback, but just the qualities you want at that position. You can tell he spent a lot of time around the game."

Del Rio spent his freshman season at Alabama in 2013 and then transferred to Oregon State in 2014. After a year with the Beavers, he joined the Gators – his third team in as many years. Del Rio sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules but now has three years of eligibility remaining after receiving a waiver from the NCAA.

During the 2015 campaign, Del Rio spent plenty of time growing accustomed to the Gators offense and better learning McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier’s system. Based off the open portion at the start of Wednesday’s practice, one could tell from the get-go how comfortable Del Rio looked operating UF’s pro-style offense.

“I just remember even when he was in high school and I had him in camp when he was an eighth grader actually," McElwain said. "Of course, when I was in Colorado he was a senior out there playing. You could just tell, the guy has got something to him. There’s a lot of things that have to go along with that. There’s a real confidence when the guy takes the field and takes command of the huddle. It’s kind of those little things that you notice. Just maybe I kind of notice more so how to play the position. It’s good to see."

Linebacker Jarrad Davis was pleased with what he saw out of Del Rio on Wednesday and offered up some praise.

“I love Luke Del Rio,” Davis said. “I’ve been watching him work out throughout the winter and I’m watching him do his thing out there today. He looked natural and very comfortable. I’m excited to see how the competition is going to play out this spring.

“He’s just real cool. He’s not a guy that’s really going to panic. He’s real laid back and he’s dropping back in the pocket real smooth with everything that he does. His reads are perfect. He does a lot of things to separate himself from other guys on the team.”

When asked about Del Rio, Ahmad Fulwood shared the same sentiment – but not without teasing the fellow Jacksonville, Fla., native.

“I’ve known Luke since we played ball back in Jacksonville,” Fulwood said. “You could tell Luke I said this - when Episcopal played B.K. we beat the hell out of him, probably had four picks in the first half. Those are days I don’t like to remind him of because I know he’s gotten a lot better since then. I always tease him about that. We lived right down the street from each other, so we’re pretty close. On the field, he’s the same way. We just feed off of each other’s energy.

“We were kind of opponents before we got here. Not like I hated him, he hated me, but I never really got to know him until he got here, so knowing his name, his dad is a big guy around Jacksonville. It’s kind of helped, but I’ve still got to get to know the guy still.

“Kid is smart,” Fulwood added about Del Rio. “He can make the passes. They didn’t have the playmakers we had on our defense, so that’s probably why he threw us a little bit more interceptions. But I will say, he brought back his team even though we still beat him. He did put his team in position to win. So, I know he’s got some fight in him.”