GAINESVILLE, Fla. – If it seems like just a couple of weeks ago the Gators doused head coach
Jim McElwain with Gatorade after their 30-3 thumping of Iowa in the Outback Bowl, you're not that far off.
It was 53 days ago.
Still, there McElwain was on Thursday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium holding a press conference to preview the start of spring camp, which opens Tuesday. Football is back, at least for the next month.
This will be McElwain's third spring camp at Florida and the quarterback position remains the headliner, which we all knew before he stepped to the podium Thursday. That is going to be the case every couple of years at most schools, but at Florida in recent years, the search for a steady quarterback has been the headliner almost
every year.
While we'll certainly touch more on the quarterback battle between redshirt freshmen
Feleipe Franks and
Kyle Trask the next few weeks, here are five immediate takeaways from McElwain's press conference on Thursday:
*****
1 – Dawson tops list of players changing positions
McElwain said "that's huge for us" when asked about the return of senior defensive backs
Duke Dawson and
Marcell Harris. Both players contemplated declaring for the NFL draft but opted to return to school for more seasoning on the advice of NFL evaluators. Dawson has played primarily nickel in his career but McElwain said Thursday the plan is to move Dawson to cornerback. The Gators lost both starting corners –
Teez Tabor and
Quincy Wilson – to the draft. Dawson isn't the only player who will be in a new position this spring. Junior
Martez Ivey is moving from left guard out to left tackle with the departure of
David Sharpe,
Richerd Desir-Jones is moving from the offensive line to defensive line,
Tanner Rowell from defensive line to offensive line, and tight end
Camrin Knight from tight end to linebacker. For Desir-Jones and Knight, a pair of players who have had trouble cracking the regular rotation, the position changes offer a fresh start.
*****
2 – Massey returns, several others out
The injury report revealed no major surprises. Seven Gators will miss spring practice due to injury: offensive lineman
Antonio Riles (ACL), quarterback
Luke Del Rio (shoulder), defensive back
Jeawon Taylor (shoulder), linebacker
David Reese (wrist), defensive end
Jordan Sherit (knee), receiver
Freddie Swain (shoulder) and defensive back
Quincy Lenton (foot). Meanwhile, three other players – receiver
Dre Massey, early enrollee linebacker James Houston and defensive back
C.J. McWilliams – are listed as non-contact during spring. Massey's return provides the Gators with a valuable offensive weapon they hoped to use last season. However, Massey suffered a season-ending knee injury on the opening kickoff in the first game. "That was a piece of the offense that we can put back now,'' McElwain said. "We'll see what he can handle."
*****
3 – Urgency level on high
No offense to New Mexico State or UMass – Florida's opponent in the first game the past two seasons – but they are no Michigan. The Gators open the 2017 season in the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium against the Wolverines. Like McElwain, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh enters his third season in Ann Arbor. The two programs met at the end of the 2015 season in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. Michigan won 41-7 to leave a sour taste in the Gators' mouth all offseason. The UF-Michigan game will be on national TV and a marquee matchup the first weekend of the college football season. McElwain said the matchup can keep the Gators focused and on high alert knowing the challenge they face in the first game. "That sense of urgency about, 'no, it isn't a warmup game and then we'll get into the SEC season.' You need to be ready to go,'' he said.
*****
4 – Add Toney to QB mix
True freshman
Kadarius Toney thrilled fans of Blount (Ala.) High with his dazzling combination as a passer and runner as the team's starting quarterback the past two seasons. While Toney is listed as an "athlete" on the roster, McElwain said to expect Toney to get a lot of snaps at quarterback this spring behind Franks and Trask. Toney ran a spread offense in high school and has a different style than is typical of quarterbacks McElwain has used in his pro-style offense at Florida, Colorado State and Alabama. Still, the Gators want to get a good look at Toney to see what he offers at the position. He definitely provides a different skill-set than Franks and Trask. While both are mobile and have good athleticism, they fit the mold of your traditional drop-back passer more than Toney.
*****
5 – Receivers a "real group of strength"
The Gators loaded up on receivers in the 2016 signing class and three of those true freshmen –
Tyrie Cleveland,
Josh Hammond and
Freddie Swain – each had at least 118 yards receiving (led by Cleveland's 14 receptions for 298 yards and two touchdowns) in their first season. They joined a group of receivers that returns upperclassmen
Antonio Callaway and
Brandon Powell, plus a solid tight end group that features
C'yontai Lewis,
DeAndre Goolsby and
Moral Stephens. Add freshman early enrollee tight end
Kemore Gamble to the group, plus wideouts
Rick Wells,
Kalif Jackson and Massey, and McElwain considers the receivers corps a "real group of strength." In addition, 2017 signees
James Robinson and
Daquon Green are potential playmakers come fall.
*****
BONUS NUMBERS
Here are the jersey numbers of the five early enrollees in camp this spring: 88—Gamble; 41—Houston; 17—Toney; 55—DT
Kyree Campbell; 76—OL
Kadeem Telfort.
