Wideouts (left to right) Chris Thompson, C.J. Worton and Ahmad Fullwood mug for a selfie Wednesday during UF Football Media Day, the symbolic prelude to the start of preseason practice.
Gators Have Numbers at WR ... Time to Put Up Some Numbers
Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | Football, Chris Harry
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Addition of five receivers in latest class gives UF depth at a position that was lacking in 2015.
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier expects significant development and production from his wide receivers corps this season. Not that he didn't expect good things last season — and we all know what happened to the Florida offense in 2015 — but the growth he anticipates seeing this fall is a matter of simple math.
Pure addition, actually.
"The influx of new players," Nussmeier said Wednesday. "You add five new wide receivers to our depth at a position, obviously, [where] we didn't have a great depth last year."
Or many big plays, for that matter.
Last year, the Gators offense ranked 111th out of 127 FBS programs in total offense, including 87th throwing the ball. If there was a bright spot in that facet of the offense it was true freshman wideout Antonio Callaway, who snared 36 balls, scored four touchdowns and led the Southeastern Conference in yards per catch at 19.8, but his status for the season remains cloudy due to an offseason off-field issue.
So that means junior slot man Brandon Powell (in and out with injuries last season), senior Ahmad Fulwood (just 35 career catches his first three seasons), plus junior C.J. Worton (11 career catches) and senior Chris Thompson (9) are the most seasoned guys that Coach Jim McElwain and Nussmeier know for certain will be on the field when the Gators face Massachusetts in the season opener on Sept. 3.
Those four, plus Callaway and a handful of others, however, will be running around Thursday afternoon when UF kicks off its preseason practice. It's those others, such as junior college transfer Dre Massey, who enrolled in January alongside Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain, and who were joined in Summer "B" by Tyrie Cleveland, arguably the top-rated player in the '16 signing class, and Rick Wells to round out a four-freshman wideout class.
That's a lot of bodies. A lot of new blood. Better yet, a lot of competition.
And therein lies one of themes of the offense. From the quarterback spot to the backfield to the offensive line to tight end to wide receiver, some very talented guys are going to have to fight their way through some other very talented to guys to get on the field.
"There are a lot of things up in the air right now, but that's OK, because without competition guys can get complacent, get comfortable and don't push to be their best like when someone is breathing down their necks," said redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Del Rio, who is battling Purdue transfer Austin Appleby and a couple true freshman for the No. 1 job under center. "I think the competition is really going to help us and decide who can step up in the big moments — and there's a lot of it at receiver."
Should Callaway return, he'll occupy one of the starting spots, but the UF offense is multi-faceted with its formations and position groupings. Lots of guys could play.
"The talent in the [receivers] room is up to the ceiling," said Worton, who had something of a breakout moment in the SEC Championship Game last December when he soared above a pair of Alabama defensive backs to haul in a 46-yard touchdown pass late. "We've got some additions, with Dre Massey and some of these young-ins. The chemistry is already there and we definitely feel like we have something to prove because we all know we have the talent and we hear from the defense all the time we have the talent. It's a matter of us doing it in the game."
UF wideout C.J. Worton skies over two Alabama defensive backs to grab a 46-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the SEC Championship Game last December at the Georgia Dome.
That very talking point has bubbled in Fulwood's head since he arrived at UF in 2013 by way of Jacksonville Bishop Kenny. At 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, Fulwood looks the part of a guy who could be a big-time, top target in this league. In scrimmages the past few years, he's made some eye-catching plays.
But Fulwood's career stats to date add up to just 35 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons.
"We need him to step up and be aggressive," McElwain said.
It's a refrain Fulwood is sick of hearing, which might be why he's talking like he is these days.
"It's my time, yes," Fullwood said. "It took me a while to figure some things out. The last few years haven't gone that well for me and last year really brought it all to light. I was selfish. When things didn't go my way I sort of took myself out mentally, but now I'm going to turn that frustration into productivity on the field. No more talking. Time to focus. I have to show I can play."
If he doesn't, others will. Dre Massey
Take Massey. He was a quarterback at Greenville (S.C.) Maulden High, where he once accounted for 567 yards (including 354 rushing) and 11 touchdowns in an 83-70 win. He had to go the JuCo route, so after a couple seasons at Holmes CC in Mississippi, Massey made the jump to UF in the winter and was last seen catching a 19-yard touchdown pass in the spring game.
At 5-9, 183 and with excellent speed, he's going to compete with Powell for the slot receiver. Getting both guys the ball in space and turning them loose in the open field figures to be a staple of the offense.
"I pride myself on what I can do after the catch," he said. "Hopefully, I can surprise some people."
Massey, by the way, confessed to being surprised how much the Gators struggled offensively last season.
Reminder: 111th.
"It's really hard to believe knowing the talent we have here," he said. "But once everybody sees what we're bringing this year, that number is going to change. We're going to blow that out."
Some interested (and knowledgable) bystanders agree:
>>> Tight end DeAndre Goolsby: "They're definitely explosive. They were learning new schemes this offseason, but the talent level at receiver has definitely picked up a lot. We still have to put it all in and see how they function as a group and how they benefited from the offseason. But I think they're going to make a big jump."
>>> Cornerback Quincy Wilson: "They really enhanced their games in the spring and offseason. We have a lot of freshmen who are young and hungry. We know because going against our secondary has helped them. You're going to see some of these freshmen in the game."
>>> More from Del Rio: "We know they're all really athletic, all smart. They have to be because our offense is not simple in any way. Their ability to handle it, mentally, which they can and have done, will go far with their development, even more, I think, than a 40 time or great hands would. They're work has been consistent, which is another great sign."
