McElwain says Gators running back Kelvin Taylor to 'play a ton'
Thursday, September 17, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – If you have followed the Gators closely on social media this week, you know one of the most popular questions has been how much will Kelvin Taylor play at Kentucky.
When Florida's weekly depth chart was released Monday, Taylor was dropped to third behind true freshmen Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkrite at tailback.
This in the wake of Florida head coach Jim McElwain's very public outburst at Taylor following his 15-yard penalty for a throat-slash in last weekend's 31-24 victory over East Carolina.
If No. 21 is your favorite Gator, McElwain said you can rest easy until kickoff Saturday night against the Wildcats.
“There may be some other guys over the course of time that may be anointed as whatever they are, but there's certain things that you just kind of send a message a little bit,'' McElwain said. “But he'll play a ton.”
Taylor has accounted for 48 percent of the carries from the backfield trio (24 of 50) with a team-high 109 yards and two touchdowns. Cronkrite has 71 yards on 14 carries and Scarlett 58 yards on 12 carries.
“Our rep count there at that position has been pretty good,'' McElwain said. “We're going to try and stay on that same thing and keep them all fresh. And there again, hopefully go with the hot hand.”
As for Taylor, McElwain voiced remorse this week at the way he handled delivering his message to the junior running back, son of former Gators All-American Fred Taylor.
Based on what he said Wednesday, Taylor has responded well and will be heavily involved in Saturday's game plan against the Wildcats.
“He's been good. I think the one thing that gets lost in all this is what a great person, what a great player, what a great teammate Kelvin Taylor is,'' McElwain said. “He's a guy that doesn't miss anything. He's always there early. It's important to him. His teammates respect the heck out of him, and that's what you want.
“He's a wonderful guy to be around and it's important to him. And another thing, the Gators mean a lot to him. A lot. That's pretty cool.”
