Florida's Chris Leak, who quarterbacked his team in a 30-28 loss to Tennessee in 2004, has a new coach and a new offense that doesn't exactly fit his style. Leak has led the Gators to early season victories over Wyoming and Louisiana Tech. The Vols and Gators play Saturday night in Gainesville.GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A young quarterback can do all the right things and end up at the wrong place.

He can practice the right drills, eat the right foods, go to the right camps and end up at the wrong school.

He can study every Division I-A program and still choose the wrong one.

Recruiting is a gamble. And it's a bigger gamble for quarterbacks.

I understand why Chris Leak eschewed the University of Tennessee. He didn't like the way UT treated his older brother, C.J., who was cast aside after playing poorly in his one college start, against Georgia in 2002.

I also can understand why Chris Leak chose to play football at the University of Florida, whose numerous assets included an opportunity for immediate playing time.

You couldn't argue with his decision when he signed with Florida. His choice looked even better when he became Florida's starting quarterback in the first month of his freshman season.

Yet two years later, he's in the wrong offense.

New Florida coach Urban Meyer might be an offensive guru. Leak might be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. But Meyer's offense doesn't fit his quarterback.

Meyer doesn't say that. He says the first things he looks for in a potential quarterback are high character, intelligence, throwing ability and athleticism. He says Leak has all those qualities.

I won't argue with the coach. But do you really think he would have recruited Leak for this offense? And do really think Leak would have been attracted to an offense that incorporates the option?

Leak is a drop-back passer, who delivers the ball with accuracy and a feathery touch. He can move well enough to execute the option, but he has no flair for it.

He doesn't have the legs for it, either. He simply doesn't run well enough to threaten a defense.

Never mind that UT defenses have struggled against the option in the past. If UT defensive coordinator John Chavis includes football in his prayers, he's saying, "And please let the quarterback run."

Don't get the wrong idea. Meyer's newfangled offense is nothing like Nebraska's old offense. The option isn't the entire offense. It's just one element of a diverse, potentially dynamic offense that mixes drop-back passing with runs and options.

And it can be very quarterback friendly as Alex Smith, Meyer's quarterback at Utah, will attest. You don't become a No. 1 NFL draft pick as a pure option quarterback.

The offense also can be demanding. So can Meyer.

In Leak's first game with the new offense, he threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed a school-record 17 consecutive passes.

Meyer told the Florida media afterwards: "In case you're wondering what the offense should look like, that wasn't it. Chris Leak's got a lot of work to do, as does our offensive line. I thought I was watching a different game when they said he had 17 straight completions."

You don't have to watch Smith to see what Meyer is looking for in a quarterback. Just watch Florida freshman Josh Portis, who originally committed to Meyer when he was at Utah, then followed him to Florida.

He's big (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and fast, as he demonstrated in the season opener when he rushed for 45 yards on five carries against Wyoming. He might even play on a limited basis as a change of pace against the Vols on Saturday night.

Florida likely will use the option the same away -- as a change of pace. Meyer's track record suggests he's too good a coach to force the option on an option-challenged quarterback in a game as big as this one.

His best chance of beating UT is with Leak throwing, not running. Better to test UT's questionable pass coverage than his quarterback's questionable option skills.

To paraphrase the coach: In case you're wondering what the offense should look like, you probably won't see it Saturday night.

Instead, you will see two guys -- a coach and a quarterback -- adjusting to one another and making the best of a partnership that was formed by happenstance, not choice.