Every team in preseason camps right now is at a different level of readiness.
For some, the defensive line, the secondary, and the linebackers are all good to go, but the quarterback is still undecided. For others, the quarterback has been busy going through drills with their main receivers, but the coaches are still trying to figure out where best to put the offensive linemen.
And for the Gators, both their quarterback and their offensive line is still up in the air.
When projecting stat leaders, we try to go for the less-obvious categories because everyone knows that it’s the quarterback’s job to have the most passing yards and it’s the running back’s job to have the most rushing yards. In Florida’s case, for example, we know that Kelvin Taylor will dominate on the ground and Vernon Hargreaves III will disrupt the most passes.
However, there are seemingly obvious things that we don’t yet know about Florida, like who will have the most passing yards? We also want to know who will force opposing offenses to move backward, and who will have the most kickoff/punt return yardage.
Here are some of Florida’s potential stat leaders of 2015.
CAPTAIN OF THE SKIES — WILL GRIER
We’re calling it. Will Grier is our prediction for the starting quarterback job. It’s not about factoring in Treon Harris’s mediocre statistics from last year, in a different system. There is no denying that Harris’ true strength lies in his footwork, his agility to keep plays alive and his running ability. His strength is not in passing the football.
Grier’s strength is exactly that. In his last year of high school, he passed for 4,899 yards and 77 touchdowns. In a single game, he once threw for 837 yards. Although the first glimpse of Florida’s passing offense during preseason camp revealed that it’s atrocious, Grier has plenty of time left to work with his wide receivers and build chemistry.
Note: This superlative only relates to the fact that Grier will be the team leader in passing yards. We’re not trying to say that he will always make the best decision during play, or that he’s top-notch with ball security. We hope those things are true. But as a freshman college football player working with the offensive line that he has, Grier could be in for a rocky year.
NEGATIVE YARDAGE EXPERT — ALEX MCCALISTER
Dante Fowler Jr. dominated in every defensive statistic for Florida last year. However, McCalister was usually right below him. McCalister had 8 tackles for a loss last season for a total of 43 yards, which was second only to Fowler’s 78 yards.
McCalister will be working alongside Jonathan Bullard and, hopefully, a healthy Antonio Morrison to represent Florida’s defense. McCalister can and will be the monster who brings down the opposing team’s quarterback and rebuffs its running game. He had plenty of experience sacking quarterbacks in 2014, which he no doubt will do again.
RETURN MAN — DEMARCUS ROBINSON
Andre DuBose was the best kickoff and punt returner Florida featured in a long time. Last season, he racked up 519 yards on kickoff returns and 323 on punt returns. But now DuBose has departed for the pros, leaving no solid option for a replacement in his wake.
Wide receiver Brandon Powell had the second-most kickoff return yardage in ‘14 with 98 yards. However, during Florida’s spring game it was Demarcus Robinson who served as the primary kick returner and who ran one kickoff back for an unofficial touchdown.
Robinson had 821 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns last season. He was credited for converting 12 third downs, something that was hard to come by for the ’14 Gators. In other words, Robinson has the speed and power to get things done on the field which is exactly what you need for a successful kickoff returner.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
