The wild SEC roller coaster took another back-jarring twist Monday.
On Monday afternoon, the NCAA brought the hammer down on Florida’s starting quarterback Will Grier for failing a drug test, stating that a “banned substance” was found in an over-the-counter supplement he took. According to NCAA rules, it is a year-long suspension, which means that Grier would not only miss the rest of this year, but nearly half of next season as well. To top it off, he also loses a year of eligibility.
The loss of Grier delivers a blow to the Gators SEC title and national title hopes. After a lengthy quarterback competition that lasted up until a few weeks ago, Grier appeared to have settled into the starting role and helped turn around a Gator offense that has been lacking for the last two years. Florida now has to turn to backup quarterback Treon Harris when it plays in Death Valley against No. 6 LSU and Leonard Fournette on Saturday.
For A&M, this means the next two weeks are going to be important. If A&M can get through Ole Miss on the road and Alabama at home, and LSU (assuming they beat Florida at home) defeats Ole Miss and Alabama, then all could be set up for a winner-take-all for the SEC West crown when the Aggies make the trip to Baton Rouge in late November.