To whatever extent dysfunction has marked Florida football over the last couple of years -- and the examples have been many -- a new low might have struck the program when UF police were called to the scene of an altercation Monday night between two Gators teammates. One of them, Skyler Mornhinweg, is the son of New York Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
Defensive lineman Gerald Willis and quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg got into a scuffle outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, but declined to press charges against one another, gatorsports.com reported.
The fight appeared to stem from a disagreement about a missing pair of cleats. According to the Twitter feed of the Orlando Sentinel's Edgar Thompson, Mornhinweg told police he confronted Willis about the cleats, and suffered lip lacerations in the exchange. Willis reportedly told UFPD he shoved the quarterback, indicating that Mornhinweg got off a punch of his own, and that the missing cleats were a misunderstanding rather than a theft.
Mornhinweg isn't the only one involved with a notable family tie. Willis is the brother of Alabama star safety Landon Collins. He has appeared in just two games this season, making four tackles. Mornhinweg saw some late-season action last year in three UF losses.
The Gators are 3-1, but offensive woes and a blowout loss to Alabama have been less than inspiring signs of what is to come for UF and embattled coach Will Muschamp.
The younger Mornhinweg figures to be the backup behind starting quarterback Jeff Driskel this Saturday when UF plays host to LSU. Driskel was benched for ineffectiveness last week, but is now presumably back in a starting role because his replacement, freshman Treon Harris, has been suspended indefinitely after being accused of a sexual assault. Harris led the Gators to a 10-9 comeback victory at Tennessee.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
