With preseason camp over, Gators turn attention to new era
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators broke preseason camp on Friday and turn their attention to New Mexico State on Monday when they return to practice.
The past month has been an important one for the Gators under first-year head coach Jim McElwain. While McElwain was in charge during the spring, the team was limited by major deficiencies at offensive line, key injuries and a steep learning curve that comes when a new head coach arrives.
That's not to say Florida has solved all of its issues in preseason camp. Far from it. However, there is more understanding of expectations, roles and the culture McElwain and his staff have implemented since he took over day-to-day operations of the program in January.
If there is one aspect of McElwain's brief tenure at Florida that stands out, it's his persistent emphasis on attention to detail. Whether it's the designated path the Gators take as they walk back from the practice field to the locker room, or teaching precise route-running by the receivers, McElwain has a defined plan.
You either buy into the plan or get erased from it.
"A little shock for them, the pace at which we go,'' McElwain said after the team's first practice. "They've got to understand what we need to do to be successful and the pace we play offense, the pace we play defense, in and out of different situations, understanding that creating the chaos helps you come game time because during a game there's a lot of things that go on."
There were a lot of things that went on during preseason camp as well. With the start of the season six days away -- Florida hosts New Mexico State on Saturday -- let's take a look at the hot topics of camp:
TWO QUARTERBACKS IN OPENER
The big story line entering camp was the quarterback battle between sophomore Treon Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier. Nothing has changed.
McElwain said last week that he wants to evaluate both quarterbacks in a game and see which one elevates the play of the offense. Harris has six career starts and threw nine touchdown passes a year ago, so he owns an edge in experience.
Grier has yet to take a snap for the Gators but is perhaps better suited to run the fast-paced, pro-style offense McElwain prefers. However, McElwain has said from day one that the offense will be adjusted if needed to fit the personnel he inherited, so based on his statements throughout camp, McElwain is still evaluating this position closely.
A wild card could be transfer Luke Del Rio, who arrived over the summer from Oregon State and has petitioned the NCAA to be able to play immediately. Del Rio took most of the third-team reps as camp progressed but his status remains uncertain.
So, as the season opener approaches, expect to see Harris and Grier get work on Saturday against the Aggies.
INJURY REPORT
The Gators made it through camp relatively healthy other than for the typical day-to-day injuries that surface playing a physical game.
Freshman offensive lineman Martez Ivey suffered the most notable injury, requiring arthroscopic surgery on his left leg Friday. Ivey was in position to start or play significant snaps at left tackle before reporting to trainers on Thursday morning he was in pain. He is out indefinitely but is not expected to miss a large portion of the season.
Safety Keanu Neal has been slowed the past week with a leg injury and freshman defensive back Kylan Johnson has been sidelined due to a leg injury that McElwain said fortunately does not require surgery.
The most surprising injury news of camp was the progress of senior linebacker Antonio Morrison, who suffered a knee injury in the Birmingham Bowl that later required two surgeries. However, Morrison stunned observers with his quick recovery and made more strides in camp.
HANDLING TRANSITION
The first preseason camp with McElwain in charge featured two major transitions the players seemed to handle well.
First, the team moved in together at a local hotel as in years past to build camaraderie but quickly moved out due to practical concerns. The veterans returned to their apartments and the newcomers moved into a different hotel.
Meanwhile, Florida's $17 million new indoor practice facility was ready to use the final week of practice. The Gators practiced at the school's lacrosse stadium to start camp and scrimmaged twice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
McElwain played an important role in developing the final plans for the IPF and the state-of-the-art facility was greeted warmly by the players and coaches as an important addition to the program's future.
REBUILT O-LINE
No one is ready to compare the Gators' 2015 offensive line to some of those towering walls McElwain had to work with in his four years as Alabama's offensive coordinator, but the unit at least has some fresh bodies who got a lot of experience in camp.
In the wake of Ivey's injury, sophomore David Sharpe moved from right tackle to left tackle, and freshman Fred Johnson and graduate transfer Mason Halter are expected to play right tackle. Inside, Trip Thurman (left guard), Cam Dillard (center) and Antonio Riles (right guard) appear the frontrunners to start. Freshman Tyler Jordan earned positive reviews on the inside and redshirt freshman Travaris Dorsey, who missed time early in camp with an injury, has rejoined the mix.
Bottom line, the Gators are in much better shape than at the end of spring practice but with plenty of room for improvement.
CATCH THE BALL
With so many changes at receivers coach in recent years, this group has had difficulty building continuity and had trouble producing. McElwain and receivers coach Kerry Dixon have been very hands-on with the group in camp.
Now, they want the players to be very hands-on when passes are thrown their way in games.
Junior Demarcus Robinson and running back-turned-receiver Brandon Powell will be relied on heavily to help out the young quarterbacks. Sixth-year senior tight end Jake McGee will also factor heavily into the passing game.
After that trio, the door is wide open for potential playmakers to step right up. Ahmad Fulwood, Alvin Bailey, Chris Thompson, C.J. Worton, Latroy Pittman, Ryan Sousa, Valdez Showers and Raphael Andrades are names you know. Freshmen Antonio Callaway and Kalif Jackson gained valuable reps in camp, and behind McGee at tight end, redshirt freshman C'yontai Lewis showed potential. DeAndre Goolsby and Moral Stephens are also at tight end. Transfer quarterback/receiver Josh Grady, who played at Vanderbilt for three seasons, offers some versatility.
As camp closed, McElwain continued to urge this group of largely unproven players to play with a heightened sense of awareness and make a difference.
PERSONNEL NOTE
The Gators will be without three players in the opener Saturday. Pittman, defensive lineman Alex McCalister and defensive back Marcus Maye are suspended due to University Athletic Association policy for the New Mexico State contest.
SAFETY BLANKET
There's still a lot of mystery surrounding the Gators heading into the season opener. That is always the case when a team opens without a clear-cut starting quarterback.
That said, McElwain and his offensive staff can take solace in knowing they have one of the country's top returning defenses to help cover some of the developing offense's warts.
Vernon Hargreaves III is an All-American at cornerback, and sophomore corners Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson could start for about any team in the SEC.
The defensive line is deep with tackles Caleb Brantley, Joey Ivie, Taven Bryan and redshirt freshman Khairi Clark in the middle, and McCalister, Jonathan Bullard and Bryan Cox Jr. experienced on the outside. Sophomore Jordan Sherit, finally healthy, had his moments in camp and could be a factor, and freshman CeCe Jefferson played to good reviews in camp.
Offensively, running backs Kelvin Taylor and true freshman Jordan Scarlett are primed for a lot of work in the running game.
Is this an ideal team for McElwain in his first season? Not even close. Still, he is quick to point out there is good talent on the roster and if the offense progresses and starts to believe it can be as good as the defense, the Gators could surprise some people.
McElwain and the rest of us finally get a chance to see how the Gators look starting Saturday.
