Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators held their first practice of the season on Thursday, a split-squad session that featured veterans on the field the first hour and younger players during the second hour.

Gators head coach Jim McElwain sounded pleased overall, saying "the pace was outstanding." Much like we saw in Year 1 under McElwain, the Gators moved briskly from drill to drill with little down time in between.

"The thing that kind of caught me was just how much farther along we are from a standpoint of the standards we expect,'' he said. "It's the little things. Guys were in early, getting taped … it's a detail that helps you be successful and ready to go. The mindset was right."

The team practiced inside its indoor practice facility, which was already scheduled prior to a shower that moved through the area not long before the Gators took the field.
 

In his press conference afterward, McElwain was upbeat and touched on several topics, including the addition of transfer punter Tommy Townsend from Tennessee. If the name sounds familiar, it should.

Townsend is the younger brother of Gators punter Johnny Townsend. He played at Orlando Boone High School like his older brother and was ranked among the top prep punters in the country coming out of high school.

He signed with the Vols and redshirted a season ago.

"Kind of excited about that,'' McElwain said. "I know this, they've got a heck of a punter. A really good one. Not only that, sounds like they've got some of the best players in this league."

Besides the addition of Townsend, here are some topics McElwain touched on after the first practice:

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QUOTE OF NOTE
"I don't think there's any doubt about it." -- McElwain on whether quarterback group is more advanced than a year ago at start of camp

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-- McElwain said both Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby took significant reps at quarterback as the competition in preseason camp between the two took off. "What were we trying to get out of that position today? I'd say more than anything a command of what we're trying to get accomplished,'' McElwain said. "To get the other people lined up and see if mentally they were able to handle some of the changes at the line of scrimmage within a play call."

McElwain also mentioned how good the quarterbacks, including true freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, looked physically.

"You can tell that they really took the weight room to heart," he said. "You're talking about good weight they put on. The drops under center seemed to be footwork-wise, seemed to be pretty good."

-- Sophomore receiver Antonio Callaway participated in his first official practice with the team since the bowl game. Callaway returned to summer workouts over Summer B, but Thursday was his first outing under the direction of coaches. McElwain said it looked as though Callaway "didn't miss a beat." The Gators are still awaiting a final ruling on whether Callaway will be eligible to play. "He made some plays, got lined up, messed up on a smash concept versus press coverage, so that tells me he's not all the way there yet," McElwain added.

-- Junior-college transfer Joseph Putu, a defensive back, was at practice after arriving on campus and passing his physical. Putu played at North Dakota State College of Science last season and was one of the final additions to Florida's 2016 signing class.

-- Have been asked on Twitter about freshman receiver Tyrie Cleveland's number change from 2 to 89. Here is what McElwain said when asked if that was part of Cleveland's punishment for an on-campus BB gun incident over the summer. "Guys, I don't look at jersey numbers. I don't know. There were a lot bigger consequences than a jersey, believe me."

-- Nothing more than a personal observation, but defensive back Quincy Wilson and linebacker Alex Anzalone looked impressive physically. Both appear to have added muscle since last season and certainly passed the eye test on the first day of practice. Anzalone, coming off shoulder surgery, will be limited at the start of camp for precautionary reasons.