Countdown to Camp: Receivers

Junior Freddie Swain, who caught the game-winning TD pass last year at Kentucky, figures to be one of the most polished, reliable wideouts back for the UF receiving core.

Countdown to Camp: Receivers

Friday, July 27, 2018 | Football, Chris Harry

The third installment of our position-by-position look at the Gators heading toward the start of preseason practice Aug. 3.

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

RECEIVERS

They're back: Wideouts — Tyrie Cleveland (6-2, 205, Junior); WR Freddie Swain (6-0, 194, Junior); Kadarius Toney (5-11, 194, Sophomore); Josh Hammond (6-1, 187, Junior); Dre Massey (5-9, 186, R-Senior); Daquon Green (6-1, 195, Sophomore); Rick Wells (6-0, 202, R-Sophomore). Tight ends — C'yontai Lewis (6-4, 235, R-Senior); Moral Stephens (6-4, 251, R-Senior); R.J. Raymond (6-2, 253, R-Senior); Kemore Gamble (6-3, 245, R-Freshman).

Fresh faces: Wideouts — Van Jefferson (6-2, 192, R-Junior); Trevon Grimes (6-5, 214, Sophomore); Jacob Copeland (5-11, 196, Freshman). Tight ends — Kemore Gamble (6-3, 245, R-Freshman); Lucas Krull (6-7, 255, R-Sophomore); Dante Lang (6-5, 222, Freshman); Kyle Pitts (6-6, 239, Freshman).

Van Jefferson (right) was a standout wideout with nearly 1,000 receiving yards at Ole Miss the last two seasons.

Overview: UF's 2008 national-championship team had a core of receivers in Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy, Riley Cooper, David Nelson and Deonte Thompson that represented the most talented and productive group since the Gators rolled out Chris Doering, Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard and Jacquez Green in their devastating four-wideout sets for Steve Spurrier more than a decade earlier. Both of those units, though, had proven quarterbacks chucking them the ball. It's Coach Dan Mullen's charge to do something about the

the guy in the pocket, but whether it's Feleipe Franks or whoever is backpedaling, he's going to have weapons downfield the likes of which the Gators have not collectively rolled out since Tim Tebow was throwing to Harvin, Murphy, Cooper, et al. Such a statement is not made lightly, and may be viewed with some skepticism. But if UF is able to field its full complement of receivers this season — and that means with transfers Jefferson (Ole Miss) and Grimes (Ohio State), both of whom are awaiting appeals from the NCAA, and depending how the findings of an off-field incident this week — the statement will be accurate. Let's start with the known commodities, none of whom have impressive statistics to back up their potential because the passing game was so underwhelming under the previous coaching staff. Cleveland (22 catches, 410 yards, 2 TDs) missed three games last season due to a high-ankle sprain, and the Gators lost all three (LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia). A hamstring injury sidelined Cleveland all but four practices in the spring. Still, his offseason conditioning was exemplary. Everyone knows about his explosive-play ability (98-yard TD at LSU as a freshman; the 63-yard game-winning "Hail Feleipe" against Tennessee last year). For Cleveland, it's a matter of staying healthy and being on the field. Same for Toney (15 catches, 152 yards), whose play-making was on display at Kentucky last season when he ran for a 36-yard touchdown out of the "wildcat" formation and also completed a 50-yard pass on a reverse. He played in eight games, but sparingly in most because he was banged up. Mullen and the staff love Toney's potential in space and threw a bunch of passes his way in the spring. Unfortunately, he dropped too many and has spent a good deal of the offseason working on his hands. Swain (8 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD) and Hammond (18 catches, 246 yards) are solid, reliable and experienced players who may not be flashy, but will rely on proper technique and route-running to do their jobs. Massey, the former junior college standout, was one of the most underutilized players on the offense last

season. His role is to be determined. Same with Wells, who sat out last season due to the credit card fraud case that resulted in nine suspensions. Green remains an unproven commodity and Copeland was a five-star signee and highest-profile member of Mullen's first recruiting class. OK, now on to Jefferson and Grimes. Jefferson looks like the best wideout to come through here in a decade. He's rangy, plays big, has great hands, not to mention pedigree, as the son of former NFL wideout and current Miami Dolphins receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. He's also a fourth-year junior who understands the spread, having played in Hugh Freeze's bombs-away system with the Rebels, where he caught 99 passes for 999 yards and four touchdowns. Grimes was a five-star signee out of powerhouse Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, though he suffered a knee injury to start his senior prep season. He played just two games at OSU and caught three passes for 20 yards, but he is a thoroughbred at 6-5 and has all the tools. If the NCAA grants both waivers for instant eligibility — Grimes petitioned to be closer to his sick mother, and Jefferson because of the probation sanctions levied on the Rebels — the stable of horses in the passing game could look like a racing farm in Ocala. As far as the tight end position, it's been even more underused in recent years than the wideout spots, but a lot of that was because of offensive line issues. Tight ends (sometimes two) were needed to block just to run simple plays. Lewis is a beloved teammate and good blocker, but has just 27 receptions for his career. Stephens (6 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD in '17) will be in the mix, as will Raymond, the former walk-on, who caught a touchdown in the spring game. Gamble, too. An intriguing and unknown guy is Krull, the former JuCo baseball player who gave up that sport to play football and transferred to UF in July. He was a standout tight end at his high school in Kansas and caught 13 TDs for a state-championship team as a senior before opting to pursue the baseball route.

After suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2016 opener, and being drastically underused in '17, is this the year fifth-year senior and former JuCo star Dre Massey (9) breaks through as a playmaker in among Florida's receivers?

If the season started today: Good thing it doesn't because there's not a lot of clarity. Assuming all hands but Jefferson and Grimes were on deck, the Gators likely would send Cleveland, Toney and either Swain or Hammond out with the first unit. Much depends on the development of all the receivers as they grow more fluent with Mullen's offense, of course, and that will play out in camp. Should word come that Jefferson and Grimes (or better yet, both) get cleared, they will be on the field from Day 1 ... and a ton.

Speculation: Toney did not take one QB snap during the spring, but that doesn't mean there won't be a "wildcat" package of some kind for him back there. Doesn't mean there will be, either, given the arrival of true freshman QB Emory Jones. With so many receivers, the separation of playing time among the core figures to determine the red-shirting options.

Up next: Offensive line

The Series
Part 1: Quarterbacks
Part 2: Running backs