Quarterback Treon Harris did not practice Wednesday. (Photo: Tim Casey)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Late Tuesday afternoon, Gators quarterback Treon Harris finished practice with his teammates and boarded a bus back to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium from the soccer practice fields.
Not long afterward, Harris shared his emotions on Twitter when he learned of the shooting death of his cousin, 16-year-old Richard Hallman of Miami.
"Never thought I could hurt this bad,'' Harris expressed in one Tweet.
Suddenly, the quarterback battle between Harris and Will Grier this spring didn't seem that important.
Harris did not practice Wednesday and Florida head coach Jim McElwain is uncertain of when he will return.
"Really kind of puts everything in perspective when you kind of do this kind of stuff and get involved in these young men's lives,'' McElwain said. "Treon Harris didn't practice today, a heck of a tragedy in his family occurred back home.
"He's still here, but you really kind of wonder sometimes the true importance of what we do when it comes to family and how important third-and-6 is. Right now, our hearts go out to him and his family and what he's going through and we're here to support him and his mom and aunt in every way we can."
A sophomore from Miami, Harris played at Booker T. Washington High, the same school his cousin attended and played football.
The Gators do no practice Thursday and are scheduled to have their first scrimmage of spring camp on Saturday. McElwain did not put a timetable on Harris' return.
"He'll get back when it's time to get back,'' McElwain said. "Obviously, family first in everything that we do in our program here at the University of Florida, and we're with him in every way."
Coincidentally, former Gators linebacker Ben Hanks was touched by similar tragedy Tuesday night only blocks from where Harris' cousin was killed. A 10-year-old boy playing outside was shot in the head by a stray bullet and died.
He was a player in the Pop Warner football league that Hanks represents as commissioner.
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JACKSON'S ROLE
Redshirt freshman J.C. Jackson is one of the most intriguing players on the roster.
You don't need to be a football junkie to see that Jackson clearly has gifted physical tools to succeed. He is a defensive back, but it's not hard to imagine Jackson playing receiver or running back with the way he moves.
J.C. Jackson's natural athletic ability makes him a versatile option.
The same thought has occurred to Florida's new coaching staff.
"You know, we talked about [moving him to offense] in the offseason, but he's a guy I think that is going to have some return role maybe, too, where we can get the ball in his hands,” McElwain said. “There's been some pretty good progress at some of the wideout spots, but he's a guy that we've talked about and yet as of right now he's obviously full-go on defense."
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WELCOME BACK
Former Gators defensive lineman Henry McMillan stopped by Wednesday's practice with his young son. Shane Matthews has been by a couple of times.
Eli Williams and Cheston Blackshear recently visited on the same day. And on Tuesday, "Ricky the Rocket" Nattiel, one of the most excited UF players of the 1980s, came by to meet McElwain and watch practice. (Photo at left is of Nattiel).
While he is new to the Florida program, McElwain has enjoyed catching up with players from UF's past.
"There's been a lot of them. That's exciting to see,'' McElwain said. "For me, that's really what the program is all about. Those guys that gave their all for this university and for them to come back and support these current Gators, that's something that's pretty special."
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QUOTE OF NOTE
"He's such a people person. You can go to him and talk to him about anything else besides football.'' -- Linebacker Daniel McMillian on why he loves playing for McElwain
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QUOTE OF NOTE II
"It was the best thing that could have happened. It got a lot of attention and just put me in a place where I was out there publicly and people knew who I was. I really didn't get a lot of grief from it. A lot of people were really more focused on how well I did in the game than anything. I feel like it was that way because I embraced [the incident]." -- Gators running back Adam Lane on his infamous accident in the Birmingham Bowl
Note: I will have an actual story on Lane later this week. He is a worthy subject. While I was mildly surprised he faced this question today from a reporter, his answer is worthy of sharing.
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QUOTE OF NOTE III
“This is pro-style. Straight pro-style everything -- downhill, one-cut [running]. I feel like this offense should be great and I'm excited to carry the ball. I can't wait." -- Running back Kelvin Taylor on the new offensive scheme
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EXTRA POINTS
The Gators practiced in full pads Wednesday and tackled to the ground for the first time in camp. “We got some really good live drills in,” McElwain said. “Third-and-short was really good from both sides of the ball." ... With no need for a full-time fullback in his offensive system, McElwain mentioned that redshirt defensive lineman Taven Bryan has the potential to be used in the backfield in jumbo packages.
