10 biggest spring storylines for Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Before the calendars flip to March, Jim McElwain and the Gators are starting practice. Florida opens spring practice on Tuesday, Feb. 28 this year, getting in a pair of practices without pads before UF students, including the football team, go on spring break the week of March 6. Between depth-chart battles and position changes, there’s something to watch at nearly every position group, though one position will get the most attention between now and the Friday night, April 7 spring game.

Here are the 10 biggest spring storylines for the two-time defending SEC East champs:

1. Feleipe Franks vs. Kyle Trask: Heading into Tuesday’s first practice, the eyes of Gator Nation are on the quarterback race. Last season, graduate transfer Austin Appleby and journeyman Luke Del Rio split the team’s 13 starts at the position. Now, Appleby is out of eligibility and Del Rio is sidelined due to recent shoulder surgery. That leaves Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Kadarius Toney to take all the reps during this spring’s 15 practice.

Franks and Trask, early enrollees from the 2016 class, have an obvious leg up on Toney, a 3-star athlete signed as part of the most recent recruiting class. Not many people outside their coaches and teammates have seen Franks and Trask in game-like situations. A year ago, Trask had the better spring game, but in the fall, Franks was the reported backup when Del Rio was injured.

2. Will Jordan Scarlett take the next step? As a sophomore, Jordan Scarlett emerged as Florida’s top ball-carrier in their four back rotation. He rushed for an impressive 889 yards on 179 carries, which sets him up for a likely 1,000-yard season in 2017. One thing that could keep him from getting more carries this year, however, is that his pass-blocking is dangerously lacking.

The Gators recently made changes to their staff, and new hire JaJuan Seider will be coaching running backs with former position coach Tim Skipper sliding over to linebackers. If Seider can get through to Scarlett on pass-blocking, the former 4-star recruit might finally become a complete back.

3. Duke Dawson at cornerback, who else? Florida’s starting cornerbacks from last year, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson, are both skipping their senior seasons to enter the NFL Draft. Help is on the way this fall; the Gators signed five cornerbacks in the 2017 class. The spring secondary depth chart, however, is thin.

Last year’s starting nickelback, Duke Dawson, will slide to cornerback. It’s not clear heading into spring who will start opposite Dawson. Sophomore DB Chauncey Gardner Jr. (below) was a cornerback in high school, but played at nickel and safety last season. Coach Jim McElwain indicated Gardner will be used at all three spots this spring.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Spring practice will be critical for corners Joseph Putu, Chris Williamson and McArthur Burnett to make a positive impression before the five newcomers arrive.

4. Position changes: The Gators are doing some shuffling this spring, with Richard Desir-Jones moving from offensive line to defensive line and Camrin Knight switching from tight end to linebacker. The UF defense could use some depth this spring at both defensive tackle and linebacker. LB David Reese is one of 10 Gators out for the spring.

5. Does the staff have a use for a dual-threat quarterback such as Toney? Toney, who committed to UF as a 3-star athlete, was reportedly going to play wide receiver before Del Rio’s announcement about shoulder surgery. When it looked like the Gators might be down to just Franks and Trask at the position, Florida asked Toney to work at quarterback for the spring.

In addition to signing Toney, and playing him at quarterback instead of receiver, the Gators have also been recruiting dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2018 class. McElwain has signed primarily pocket passers, but it appears the staff has warmed up to dual-threat quarterbacks, possibly even for this season.

6. Will Martez Ivey step up at left tackle? Ivey signed in 2015 (McElwain’s first class) as a 5-star offensive tackle. In two seasons, Ivey has played some tackle, but he’s spent more time at left guard. David Sharpe, last year’s starting left tackle, was the only offensive Gator to declare early for the NFL Draft. With Sharpe onto the next level, the coaches will try Ivey at the most important position on the line. If Ivey impresses at left tackle, he could be on his way to the NFL as well.

7. Healthy wide receivers’ chance to shine: With C.J. Worton’s decision to transfer, Freddie Swain’s injury and Dre Massey’s recovery from a torn ACL, Florida is down to five scholarship wide receivers for the spring (Massey will also do some non-contact drills). Assuming Swain and Massey are healthy this fall, that number will be up to a solid nine receivers once newcomers James Robinson and Daquon Green arrive.

While five scholarship wideouts might make it difficult to have two full offenses for a spring game, in practice it presents a chance for those players to shine. Antonio Callaway, entering his junior year, has established himself as the go-to receiver. The team will be looking for a No. 2 wideout to step up, most likely Tyrie Cleveland. In addition, Brandon Powell, Josh Hammond and Rick Wells should all take advantage of the extra reps.

8. Dangerously thin at safety: Florida will have to get creative or use some non-scholarship players to come up with enough safeties for two teams. The Gators have a grand total of two healthy available safeties, Marcell Harris (below) and Nick Washington. Two of their backups, Jaewon Taylor and Quincy Lenton, are sidelined this spring due to injuries.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The position will get better this fall with the arrival of 3-star S Donovan Stiner. Another 2017 signee, 3-star DB Brian Edwards, played cornerback and safety in high school.

9. New coaches: Seider was mentioned earlier, but there are two more new faces on staff this spring. After National Signing Day, McElwain hired Seider, Corey Bell and Brad Davis. Bell replaces Torian Gray, who left to take an NFL position, as defensive backs coach. Davis is the offensive line coach after Mike Summers left for a co-coordinator opportunity with Louisville.

While all three are expected to bring some new energy to the recruiting trail, this spring fans and media members will be watching how the new coaches handle teaching and developing players. Returning veterans make life easier for Seider and Davis, but the pressure is on Bell to coach up the cornerbacks.

10. The bigger picture quarterback battle: The quarterback situation is so important this spring that it needs three storylines. The biggest storyline at the position is definitely Franks vs. Trask, and there is something to watch with how Toney plays in the system and how the coaches might use him. The bigger picture storyline, however, is can these quarterbacks prove that the signal-caller for 2017 and beyond is on roster.

An interesting story emerged last week, in which former LSU QB Brandon Harris talked about potentially joining an SEC team as a graduate transfer during a radio interview. Harris described a couple teams’ quarterback situations, and one sure sounds like Florida.

By the end of spring, McElwain will have a good idea of what he has in Franks, Trask, Toney and Del Rio. Those four quarterbacks will be joined in the fall by Jake Allen, a 3-star pro-style prospect. Maybe Harris could help Florida in 2017.

McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier obviously know more about quarterbacks, especially their own, than any fan or media member. If you’re a Florida fan, however, the most encouraging thing for the future of the team would be if McElwain told Harris no thanks after watching Franks and Trask this spring.