Spring Primer: Gators Special Teams

Gators head coach Dan Mullen on Tuesday discussing the start of spring camp. (Photo: Alex de la Osa/UAA Communications)

Spring Primer: Gators Special Teams

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter

Florida opens its first spring camp under head coach Dan Mullen on Friday.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dan Mullen and his coaching staff have a lot on their to-do list for spring camp. There's an offense to install. A quarterback battle to evaluate. An NFL-style defensive system to teach.

Don't forget special teams. There's plenty of room to improve there.

Mullen keeps a close eye on special teams at all times. He and special-teams coordinator Greg Knox have a close working relationship in their bid to maximize the unit's potential.

Florida was rarely special on special teams in 2017 when it didn't include punter Johnny Townsend and kicker Eddy Pineiro. Mullen and Co. seek to reverse that trend in 2018.

TOP STORYLINE

46851 — Kicker Eddy Pineiro and punter Johnny Townsend, No. 19, formed a strong tandem. (Photo: Courtney Mims/UAA Communications)

This one is easy. The Gators lost the all-time leading punter in Southeastern Conference history and the most accurate kicker in program history. Needless to say, Townsend and Pineiro leave big cleats to fill.

Townsend averaged 47.5 yards per punt as a senior to lead the country and finish as the SEC's all-time leader in career average (46.2). Pineiro made 17 of 18 field goals – including the final 16 of his collegiate career – to cap an outstanding two-year run with the Gators.

Pineiro made 38 of 43 field goals (88.4 percent) to eclipse Bobby Raymond's school record (minimum 35 attempts) for accuracy. Raymond made 43 of 49 field goals (87.8 percent) over the 1983-84 seasons.

Replacing arguably to best 1-2 kicking tandem in school history won't be easy, but the Gators have no choice.

NEWCOMER OF NOTE

First, a disclaimer: kicker Evan McPherson is finishing his senior year at Fort Payne (Ala.) High and is not due on UF's campus until late summer.

Still, as the Gators seek to replace Pineiro's booming leg, McPherson offers an enticing prospect. He kicked a 60-yard field goal in October that tied the Alabama state record for second-longest in state history.

Sorry for beating your record @4Prospect ?? I would like to thank my amazing snapper and holder @AlexMc83 for allowing me to hit this 60 yrd. pic.twitter.com/qFoUPx0tRw
— Evan McPherson (@McPherson_Evan) October 7, 2017

McPherson, like Pineiro, was a standout soccer player in high school. He originally committed to Mississippi State but changed his pledge to the Gators once Mullen took over. He also had an 84-yard punt in high school, so McPherson could get a lot of work when fall camp starts.

FAMILIAR NAME

46937 — Tommy Townsend, left, and brother Johnny Townsend. (Photo: Tim Casey, UAA Communications)

Johnny is gone, but Tommy Townsend is back.

While his older brother rewrote the school record books with his right leg, Tommy worked out of the spotlight to one day have an opportunity to follow his brother the way he did at Boone High in Orlando. His big brother likes his chances.

"We're pretty similar,'' Johnny said. "We trained with each other all through high school and even in college. I think we have a lot of the same characteristics when it comes to our technique and our approach."

Townsend was ranked among the top punting prospects in the country coming out of high school. He started his college career at Tennessee in 2015. He transferred to UF and sat out the 2016 and did not play in 2017 while Johnny handled the punting and holding duties.

Townsend (6-1, 175), Jacob Finn (6-3, 188) and Jon Gould (6-0, 181) are the three punters on the spring roster. Finn earned Class 5A first-team all-state honors at the Paxon School in Jacksonville in 2016 and Gould turned down an academic scholarship from the University of Delaware to walk-on at Florida two years ago.

RETURNERS WANTED

46816 — Running back Adarius Lemons served as the primary kickoff returner late last season. (Photo: MacKenzie Meyer/UAA Communications)

The Gators struggled in the return game most the last season, amplified by just 66 yards of punt returns all season. The suspension of receiver Antonio Callaway, also the team's best punt returner, stripped the return game of a dangerous weapon.

Brandon Powell, Freddie Swain and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson each took turns, with Swain delivering the best results (13.5-yard average on two returns, including a team-best 17-yard return). Powell has departed but Swain and Gardner-Johnson return.

Sophomore running back Adarius Lemons found a role late in the season as UF's primary kickoff return specialist, averaging 22.5 yards on 14 returns. Receiver Tyrie Cleveland had the longest kickoff return (46 yards) of the season.

Receiver Dre Massey, coming off major knee surgery, averaged 17.5 yards on four kickoff returns. Lemons, Massey and Cleveland are back. Expect Mullen and Knox to take a look at a variety of players this spring in return roles to increase production. Multi-threat option Kadarius Toney could be a factor.

EXTRA POINTS

46418 — Jorge Powell is the only kicker on the roster who has played for the Gators. (Photo: Kelly Streeter/UAA Communications)

With McPherson (6-0, 165) not around this spring, the Gators have three kickers on the roster: redshirt senior Jorge Powell (5-10, 177), redshirt sophomore Daniel Justino (5-8, 160) and redshirt freshman Chris Howard (6-1, 214).

Powell is the only member of the trio to play for the Gators. His only career field goal was a 31-yarder against Ole Miss in 2015 when he took over briefly as UF's starting kicker in place of Austin Hardin. However, Powell suffered a season-ending knee injury covering a kickoff at LSU.

Justino earned Class 5A all-state honors at Middleburg (Fla.) High in 2015 and Howard was a Class 5A all-state kicker in 2016 at Ponte Vedra (Fla.) High.
Senior long snapper Ryan Farr (6-1, 223) returns and is backed up by redshirt junior Jacob Tilghman (6-1, 208) and redshirt sophomore Brett DioGuardi (6-3, 242).