Gators Spring Preview: Offensive Line
Monday, March 9, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Goodbye Chaz Green and to your 30 career starts.
Goodbye Max Garcia and to your two seasons of excellent service.
Goodbye Tyler Moore and to your 325 pounds of versatility.
Goodbye D.J. Humphries and to your first-round potential.
Goodbye Trenton Brown and to your 6-foot-8 mountain.
The five Florida offensive linemen above combined for 47 starts in 2014 -- or 78.3 percent made by the guys folksy college football announcer Keith Jackson would affectionately refer to as “big uglies.”
In his first season as Florida's head coach, Jim McElwain is in search of the next wave of big uglies to serve as man movers in his offense. That search begins Monday when the Gators open spring camp.
The Gators were set to lose Brown, Garcia and Green regardless after last season, but the lack up depth on the offensive line was magnified when Humphries and Moore opted to forego their final seasons of eligibility to enter the draft.
In Humphries' case, the move is viewed as a wise one. He is projected by several of the most trusted NFL draft analysts as a first-round pick. Moore was not invited to the NFL Combine.
In the wake of the quintet's departure, the Gators are clearly in a rebuilding mode on the offensive line.
McElwain and his staff made significant strides in that quest on National Signing Day by signing six offensive linemen, highlighted by the addition of 6-foot-6, 290-pound Martez Ivey out of Apopka (Fla.) High. Ivey was one of the most coveted offensive line prospects in the country and is considered by some to have the potential to start immediately.
However, Ivey and the newcomers won't be around this spring as the Gators get acclimated to McElwain's offense and try to develop chemistry with the bulk of last season's unit no longer around.
Still, there is talent returning and perhaps equally important, offensive line coach Mike Summers is back.
In his first season at UF, Summers maximized the talent he had to work with and built a cohesive unit that helped the Gators rush for more than 100 yards in every game and limited opponents to 17 sacks, fourth-fewest in the Southeastern Conference.
Redshirt senior guard Trip Thurman is the most experienced offensive lineman on the roster. Thurman started 10 games last season despite battling chronic shoulder issues. Redshirt sophomore Roderick Johnson, who played tackle and guard, is the other returner who started last season.
The Gators have several holes to fill on the offensive line this spring. (Photo: Tim Casey)
The 6-foot-5, 296-pound Johnson improved as the season progressed and started three games, including filling in for an injured Green in Florida's victory over East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl. Sophomore tackle David Sharpe, who is listed at 6-6, 350 pounds on Florida's spring roster – up from 330 pounds a season ago – also gained valuable experience by playing in six games as a true freshman.
Summers is optimistic that Johnson and Sharpe will play vital roles in the future.
“Anytime you see young players that have talent and buy into what you're telling them and get excited about every day at practice, it's encouraging,'' Summers said. “That's what motivates you as a coach. These guys have got talent and they've got energy and they've got a whole lot of football in front of them.”
Much of the focus this spring will center on the development of the small group of scholarship offensive linemen the Gators will have available.
The Gators also lost junior-college transfer Drew Savary, who played in the first four games last season until injuries sidelined him. Savary decided to retire from the sport due to injury concerns.
Redshirt sophomore center Cameron Dillard (6-4, 309), redshirt freshman Travaris Dorsey (6-2, 323), redshirt freshman Kavaris Harkless (6-5, 292), redshirt freshman Andrew Mike (6-6, 302) and redshirt sophomore Antonio Riles (6-4, 312) are the remaining scholarship linemen on the spring roster.
Mike has added 26 pounds since the start of last season, the most of any player on the roster. The added bulk should help in his quest to make an impact. Meanwhile, Dorsey has shed 10 pounds to get in better shape.
With the numbers low this spring, there is always the possibility of cross-training players listed as defensive linemen if the coaching staff opts to go that direction.
There is help on the way, but in terms of the current roster, the Gators will be unusually thin on the offensive line during McElwain's first spring camp.
