Spring football primer: Florida
Spring game: Friday April 8, 7 p.m., EDT
Year 2 expectations typically exceed Year 1 expectations, but that won’t be the case at Florida, where Jim McElwain’s second Gators team won’t be the preseason favorite despite winning the SEC East last year.
The primary reason is the same one that doomed the Gators in the second half of 2015: quarterback play. The bad news for McElwain is Gators fans already are tired of hearing about it, and they want a solution in 2016.
The clock started ticking on a resolution as soon as the Citrus Bowl beatdown against Michigan ended.
Three biggest questions
1. Who wins the quarterback job?
McElwain never envisioned being in this situation. Will Grier was going to be his guy for the next three years, and adjusting to quarterback curveballs in mid-season is virtually impossible.
McElwain has gone for the quick fix in graduate transfer Austin Appleby, who will compete with transfer Luke Del Rio. There are others in the mix, most notably touted signee Feleipe Franks, but redshirting Franks makes more sense than throwing him into the fire immediately.
Appleby, a former starter at Purdue, has the most experience. This spring will prove whether that matters.
2. Can the running backs help?
The Gators must replace 1,000-yard rusher Kelvin Taylor.
Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett were two of the top running backs in the 2015 class. Both played well in supporting roles last season, though Scarlett was suspended and missed the bowl game following a mid-December arrest.
McElwain added another quick-fix in JUCO transfer Mark Thompson, who ran for almost 1,300 yards last season at Dodge City (Kansas) Community College.
Thompson could be a step-in starter.
3. Can Antonio Callaway catch Ridley, Kirk?
Callaway was the Gators’ second-biggest surprise in 2015, just below Grier’s dominant start.
Now, armed with film that doesn’t lie, coordinators will line up coverages to take him away.
Callaway was ranked the No. 47 receiver in the 2015 class. Calvin Ridley was No. 1. Christian Kirk was No. 4.
Thirteen other receivers who signed with SEC schools were ranked ahead of Callaway.
Think the analysts would like to re-do those grades?
He averaged 19.37 yards per catch as a freshman, best in the league. He was just as exciting in the return game.
He’s the most dangerous weapon Florida’s offense has. The challenge now is: Everybody knows it.
Newcomers to watch
JUCO RB Mark Thompson has the best chance to make an immediate impact, though the Gators added a trio of four-star receivers in Tyrie Cleveland, Freddie Swain and Joshua Hammond who will provide depth, if not more, to a receiving corps that returns starters Callaway and Brandon Powell.
Offensive starters to replace
- QB Treon Harris (changing positions)
- WR Demarcus Robinson
- RB Kelvin Taylor
- TE Jake McGee
- OL Trip Thurman
- OL Mason Halter
Taylor and Robinson left early for the NFL, and Florida’s shaky quarterback situation could be partly to blame.
Harris is moving to receiver but could be replaced by Appleby, a former starter at Purdue.
McElwain’s offense typically showcases tight ends, and McGee was a good one, but the Gators return DeAndre Goolsby, who had 17 catches for 277 yards.
Defensive starters to replace
- DE Jonathan Bullard
- DE Alex McAlister
- LB Antonio Morrison
- S Keanu Neal
- CB Vernon Hargreaves III
- DB Brian Poole
Hargreaves is the biggest loss, but his early departure is mitigated somewhat by the emergence of rising junior Jalen Tabor.
Morrison led the Gators with 103 tackles, but Jarrad Davis’ decision to return for his senior season helps fill the void. Davis had 98 tackles last season.
Top returners by category
- Top returning passer*: Austin Appleby (1,260 yards at Purdue in 2015)
- Top returning rusher*: Jordan Scarlett (181 yards)
- Top returning receiver: Antonio Callaway (678 yards, 4 TDs)
- Top returning tackler: Jarrad Davis (98 tackles)
- Top returning pass rusher: CeCe Jefferson (3.5 sacks)
- Top returning pass defender: Jalen Tabor (4 interceptions)
* Treon Harris led Florida in both categories in 2015 but is being moved to receiver.
Position of concern: Quarterback
There are questions along the defensive line, at running back and to a lesser extent the secondary, but they all take a backseat to quarterback.
The Gators in 2015 were a championship-contending team with Grier. Without him, they struggled to gain first downs, much less score points.
Del Rio is a veteran without actually playing and has been in McElwain’s system.
Appleby is a big, physical, tough football player in the Tebow mold — minus the accomplishments, of course.
Franks represents the future, but probably not the immediate future. He didn’t play well in the U.S. Army All-American Game — 1-for-7 with 2 interceptions — and while those games can be overrated as scouting tools, Shea Patterson flourished — and he’ll spend the season sitting behind Chad Kelly at Ole Miss.
Appleby, at least, has proven he can produce numbers against Power 5 competition.
The spring will set the pecking order, which in turn will set expectations for 2016.
Florida, picked to finish fifth in 2015, wildly exceeded them, primarily because of Grier.
Whether Appleby or Del Rio plays more like Grier or Harris will determine whether McElwain and the Gators meet or exceed expectations in 2016.