Floyd shines as member of Gators' freshman class
Monday, November 8, 2010 | Football, Men's Golf, Scott Carter
When it comes to evaluating the true freshmen on the Gators' roster, multi-purpose quarterback Trey Burton has been head of the class.
However, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd is beginning to garner more attention following his performance on Saturday at Vanderbilt.
Floyd had a career-high seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss.
“He graded out 90 percent, had a bunch of production points,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said Monday. “He played very well. He is playing the way he is practicing.''
Floyd was ranked by one prominent recruiting website as the nation's top defensive tackle prospect last year coming out of Philadelphia's George Washington High. At 6-foot-3, 311 pounds, he is an imposing presence in the middle of the defensive line with good athleticism.
“You usually don't have freshman come in like that,'' senior center Mike Pouncey said Monday.
Floyd is one of seven true freshmen to play every game this season, and one of four to start at least one game. He now has 18 tackles, five for loss.
“I'm one of the freshmen that the coaches look at a lot,'' Floyd said after Saturday's game. “They expect a lot out of me, so I give them what I can and go as hard as possible.''
Meyer hopes it continues as he looks for increased production from the group of first-year players.
“Sharrif Floyd is playing like we thought he would play,'' Meyer said. “There [are] a lot of freshmen we were counting on playing and for whatever reason the development hasn't been quite as rapid. I wish it would've happened a little earlier, but that's just a true freshman.''
