Muschamp Says Gators' Young Offensive Line a Focus Early in Camp
Saturday, August 6, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At the Florida football team's Midnight Lift on July 27, some of the biggest names in professional wrestling were on hand.
Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and The Rock were there. So was MMA professional fighter Kimbo Slice. The show they put on had the full attention of the Gators.
The twist to this story is that newcomer Dan Wenger dressed up like Hogan, and fellow offensive linemen Chaz Green (Kimbo Slice), Ian Silberman (The Rock) and Matt Patchan (The Undertaker) played their roles to perfection.
“We did a fun little skit,'' Silberman said Friday. “We had like a fake fight in front of the whole team. We had a lot of fun with that.''
As the Gators reported Friday for their inaugural fall camp under first-year head coach Will Muschamp, one of Muschamp's primary goals is to develop an offensive line on which players perform their roles to perfection.
The Gators lost starters Mike Pouncey, Mo Hurt, Maurice Gilbert and Carl Johnson from last season's offensive line. Pouncey was Miami's first-round pick and Gilbert went to the Steelers in the second round.
So there are a lot of opportunities for young players like Silberman, who said Friday that he has added 27 pounds to his frame since last season and is now listed at 6-5, 300 pounds. Now a redshirt freshman after learning Friday that his waiver for a medical hardship was approved by the SEC, Silberman battled various injuries and his only appearance as a freshman came in the opener against Miami (Ohio).
He enters camp projected to start at left guard next to left tackle Xavier Nixon, the most experience offensive lineman returning. Nixon started eight games a season ago and right guard Jon Halapio started seven. If the season started today, Nixon, Silverman, center Jon Harrison, Halapio and right tackles Chaz Green and Matt Patchan appear front-runners to start.
Muschamp is thankful the Gators have time to sort out some questions in the unit over the next month and labeled it a top priority during his media day press conference on Friday.
“Obviously with the moving parts we had going through spring ball, that's something we need to gel and we need to gel early,” Muschamp said. “We need to get five guys playing well together. And you'd like to build that number to seven, eight, nine, 10 guys if you can; build depth on the offensive line of scrimmage.”
From what Silberman saw over the summer during voluntary workouts, in group meetings, in group outings around town, and in the weight room, the offensive line's chemistry as a unit is strong as camp opens. He said there may be questions but there shouldn't be major concerns.
“Once we get our five starters, I expect this to be a really good offensive line,'' Silberman said. “Move the chains and score a lot of touchdowns just like you guys are used to watching the Gators do.''
Silberman's optimism is fueled by the way the unit worked together in the summer. Nixon said he feels the same way.
“We've been bonding in the offseason,'' Nixon said. “We've spent a lot of time off the field and out of the locker room together just getting to know each other.''
Nixon has also transformed his body since the spring. Due to an illness, Nixon said his weight dropped to around 240 in the spring. He is now listed at 6-6, 290 entering camp and is excited about playing left tackle regularly and serving as the blind-side protection for quarterback John Brantley.
“Playing the left, I can see Brantley's head in my mind,'' he said. “I cannot let Brantley get hurt. That's all I would be able to think about when I go to sleep. I can't let that happen.''
One aspect that could make this year's offensive line different from last year's is the group's athleticism. Nixon, Silberman and Patchan are all 6-5 or taller and good athletes. Harrison is 6-3 and a lean 300 pounds, and Halapio (6-3, 315) and Green (6-5, 305) provide a lot of bulk.
Despite his significant weight gain in the offseason, Silberman said his speed remains the same.
“I feel like I'm running the same exact way I was when I weighed 270,'' he said. “If you look across, none of us are really just fat dudes. We are all big and we're all pretty lean.
“It's hard to get as athletic as Mike Pouncey, but we have guys across the board that I feel – we might not be as strong as some of those guys last year, but I feel like our athleticism is crazy right now.''
Nixon agreed that this unit could have more athleticism that last season's line.
“We're a little bit more athletic,'' Nixon said. “But we've got to come ready to play. We don't have that confidence. We don't have that experience. That's something we've got to work on.''
They worked in the offseason to address some of those concerns. Next is showing what they can do on the field.
Silberman goes back to the Midnight Lift. Dressing up as professional wrestlers and performing skits was a way for the group to bond and let off some steam at the end of summer workouts, but he said it also showed their commitment to making their mark the way last year's offensive line did.
“It wasn't a slack workout,'' he said. “We had fun before the lift and after the lift, but during the lift the focus and energy and intensity was great. You couldn't have asked anything else to wrap up the summer workouts.''
