With his coaching seat nice and toasty, Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators are desperately looking for playmakers to emerge as they set to begin the 2014 season in a little more than a week.
Last season, Vernon Hargreaves emerged as arguably the team’s best player, despite being a true freshman. While I don’t expect the players below to reach Hargreaves’ level this season, breakout performances from these five guys will help cool off that hot seat for Muschamp as they navigate through one of college football’s toughest schedules.
1) WR Demarcus Robinson
Hampered by suspensions in his freshman season, Demarcus Robinson’s first year with Florida was rocky to say the least. The four-star wide receiver from the class of 2013 was tabbed as a freshman that could make an instant impact for the Gators, but that didn’t happen. Robinson finished the season with only five catches.
After Muschamp explained at the end of last season that Robinson needed to start acting right, it seems the sophomore wide receiver heeded the advice of his head coach. Reports out of Florida’s camp suggest Robinson is primed for a big season.
“He has done some fantastic things in the passing game. He’s an explosive receiver,” Muschamp said this spring. “He’s a tough matchup one-on-one because of his size, his athleticism. He’s got really good ball skills down the field.”
Fans got a glimpse of what Robinson could do this season during the Spring Game. The sophomore hauled in five catches, including a 31-yard touchdown catch-and-run. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Robinson can be a breakout start for Florida this year. If his attitude his right and he’s grown up since last year, he has all of the physical tools and ability to make a difference in one of the Gators’ weakest position groups.
2) OL DJ Humphries
Humphries was a five-star recruit coming into Florida and was named a Freshman All-American by Sporting News after starting three games in his first year with the Gators. Unfortunately for the Gators, his sophomore season was cut short by a knee injury.
Although last season was rough performance-wise for Humphries, a lot of that was attributed to playing through injury. Now he enters 2014 completely healthy and ready to be the anchor for the offensive line.
For a line that allowed 27 sacks last season, the presence of a fully healthy Humphries will be a big boost for the upcoming season.
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3) WR CJ Worton
Worton was a late recruiting flip for the Gators this past National Signing Day. The South Florida native was committed to in-state rival Florida State until a late switch to the Gators brought him to Gainesville. And it sounds like the late commitment will pay off for Florida.
It’s looking more and more like Worton will see the field as a true freshman. Muschamp has emphasized the importance of getting the football into Worton’s hands more.
“We had a meeting Sunday night as a staff after the scrimmage, and he was a guy that we talked about as an offensive staff,’’ Muschamp said earlier this month. “We need to get [him] more snaps. He really can run on the top end, he’s got good ball skills.”
Worton’s emergence may have been a surprise to most, but he’s shown the ability to be a playmaker thus far, which is something the Gators desperately need on offense.
4) Keanu Neal
The Gators will need to sort our a young secondary before the start of the season, but if there’s one thing that indicates how good Neal can be this year, it’s that he’s already been named a definite starter, along with Vernon Hargreaves.
According to Muschamp, Neal is the team’s best safety. As a true freshman, Neal was a special teams standout and was tied for the team lead with five special teams tackles. He’ll bring tenacity to the Gators secondary with his ability to deliver punishing hits on opposing receivers and he passes the eye test with his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame.
There’s so much talent with Neal and he has a real chance to be a defensive standout for the Gators during the rest of his time at Florida.
5) DE Alex McCalister
McCalister has had limited production thus far in his career, but at 6-foot-6, 246 pounds, he’s been commonly referred to as a freak athlete.
I believe McCalister will take full advantage of his first opportunity to make a significant contribution to the defense. Until this year, McCalister wasn’t big enough to see much playing time as a defensive end.
But after redshirting his freshman year and seeing limited time as a sophomore, McCalister has added more than 20 pounds to his frame and seems physically ready to become a part of the rotation. In addition to defensive end, McCalister could see time at outside linebacker as well.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
