GAINESVILLE – A full beard notwithstanding, there’s still no hiding the smile or that twinkle in Luke Del Rio’s eye.

You’d never know by his demeanor, and certainly not his refreshing candor, that Del Rio has gone from starter to almost an afterthought in the Florida quarterback sweepstakes.

Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire is the new flavor of the month, evidenced by the swarm of TV cameras and tape recorders he attracted Wednesday at UF Media Day. In many observers’ minds, Zaire and Feleipe Franks, the presumptive starter coming out of the spring, have moved ahead of Del Rio on their unofficial depth chart.

Del Rio doesn’t hide from his obvious popularity downgrade. The redshirt junior is fully aware he became a social media punching bag during an injury-marred 2016 season, but Del Rio doesn’t let any of it rattle him. He just keeps on smiling.

"Let’s be honest, everybody lies when they say, ‘Aw, I don’t read [negative publicity].’ " said Del Rio. "The notification pops up in your face [on social media]. Everybody sees it. They’re [UF] fans who are frustrated and just want to win. I get it."

Now get this: Del Rio wants more. Not more vitriol and insults, but the opportunity to change opinions of his worthiness as the starter by regaining the job in an open competition, which is how UF coach Jim McElwain describes this quarterback derby.

Less than 11 months ago, it was Del Rio’s job to lose. Then came a knee injury (sprained MCL) against North Texas State, a torn labrum after his return when two Georgia defenders fell on his shoulder, followed by a disastrous outing against Arkansas in a 31-10 loss as McElwain foolishly tried to play his hurting quarterback.

"Basically, my arm’s kind of dinged up, [thinking] I’ll just use my legs, really get some power and grit and play in the game," Del Rio said. "I couldn’t really compensate either way, so I lost a lot of velocity. Accuracy went after that.

"Your mechanics change when you can’t use the limbs that you have. It was frustrating. I was in the training room all day for six months."

He also took a much-needed break from monitoring social media. Del Rio didn’t want the aggravation because the rehab process was already taxing enough.

"I had to separate myself and literally block it out," said Del Rio. "I just stopped going on Twitter and Instagram for a while. It kind of let me get back into a positive mindset. It let me get my guard back up and not be so defensive.

"Right after the season, I’d go on and post something, then turn it off. I wouldn’t wait to see who said what."

As quarterback competitor Kyle Trask put it: "You can’t worry about what people are saying about you in the media. You can’t let that get in your head and distract you."

Del Rio, son of Jack — the Oakland Raiders coach and former Jaguars coach — is plenty familiar with the fame/infamy that football brings to anyone in a high-profile position. While his skin is thick enough to handle criticism, he also knew people didn’t have the proper medical context by which to judge.

Fans had no idea how much resistance his body was giving him, which included missing spring football after surgeries on both shoulders in January and March. While Del Rio rehabbed, Franks became the clubhouse leader. Since Zaire and his magnetic personality recently arrived, he’s emerged as a quasi-fan favorite.

So is Del Rio bitter over his perceived standing? Maybe for a little while, but now he’s focused on competing for the job he believes would still be his property had he stayed healthy.

Del Rio uses any criticism of his 2016 performance, which included six of his eight interceptions after the knee injury, as fuel to rejuvenate his college career.

"Absolutely, yeah," said Del Rio. "It’s funny they say, ‘he doesn’t have a strong arm,’ but I played with a grade three AC joint sprain. [New England Patriots quarterback] Jimmy Garropolo stopped playing with a grade one. I hurt it in the same (North Texas State) game that I hurt my knee.

"At Arkansas, it got to the point, where I couldn’t even lift my arm. People didn’t really realize how hurt I was. I understand the frustration with my performance. I didn’t play well, but I was injured and probably shouldn’t have played that Arkansas game. I’m moving on, excited for this year. My right arm is stronger than it was last summer."

Since the first week of July, after a month of intermittent throwing, Del Rio has felt 100 percent physically. While he emphasizes a team-first mentality, Del Rio isn’t going to resign himself to a depth chart downgrade, not after being a non-factor in previous stops at Alabama and Oregon State.

Nobody in the locker room is dismissing Del Rio’s chances, especially after watching him rehab to get his whole body functioning properly.

"He likes being the underdog," said sophomore receiver Freddie Swain. "You can tell it’s a different Luke. There’s a fire about him."

Del Rio maintains a team-first attitude about competition and holds no bitterness toward McElwain, who admits putting his quarterback in a bad position by playing him at Arkansas. He understands the coaches’ challenge in a tight race for the starting job.

"I can sympathize with it, especially having grown up with the situation that I did," said Del Rio. "Whatever reps I get, I get. Hopefully, one of us will step up and make an easy decision for [McElwain]. We’re all going to do our best to be that guy."

A lot of UF fans think Del Rio is yesterday’s news, that he had his shot and it’s time for the Gators to find another quarterback. Just don’t expect Jack’s kid to go down without a fight.

Gene.frenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540