True freshman OL drawing rave reviews in Gators’ fall camp
By Andrew Olson
Published:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — True freshmen offensive linemen going up against SEC defensive lines is usually a recipe for disaster.
No matter how big or how quick or how talented a lineman is, there’s (usually) no substitute for experience. The Gators found this out the hard way last season, allowing an SEC-worst 45 sacks while often playing three rookie linemen.
After last season’s offensive struggles, one would expect the Gators to be hesitant about playing a true freshman upfront for any reason other than absolute necessity. There’s one newcomer, however, who is drawing a lot of praise from his coach and his teammates: Jawaan Taylor.
At the beginning of fall camp, coach Jim McElwain was singing Taylor’s praises even before the players put pads on.
“Tell you, Taylor today -– I don’t usually throw out names, don’t think he’s like a first-team All-SEC player, guys — but I will tell you this: I was impressed with (him),” McElwain said after the team’s first split-squad practices.
The praise has continued throughout camp for the 6-5, 340-pound Taylor, a 3-star recruit from Cocoa.
“It’s a long ways to go, but (Jawaan) Taylor has proven that, you know what, he doesn’t care,” McElwain said. “He’s just going to go play hard. We need to get some other guys up there to say, you know what, it’s OK to come off the ball, play with pad level and not maybe be passive, if that’s a good word.”
At his most recent press conference, McElwain praised Taylor’s motor and said he’s giving sophomore OL Fred Johnson, who made two starts last season, some competition at tackle.
“He’s definitely an energizer bunny out there,” McElwain said. “The good thing is he was really pushing Fred, too, at that spot. There again, competition is something that you need. He’s a good player.”
Even if the more experienced Johnson wins that competition, DE Bryan Cox Jr. thinks the coaches will find somewhere to play Taylor.
“He’s stepped in and he’s proved that he can play on the big boy level immediately,” Cox said. “I think he’ll help us very early and often.”
Martez Ivey, who played in 12 games last season and made eight starts last season, knows from experience how difficult it is to play as a true freshman.
“It’s very tough,” said Ivey, a left tackle who played guard last season. “Like they say, most freshmen don’t just come in and play on the offensive line. It was overwhelming for me, and I just dealt with it. It was a lot at some times, but I just fought through it.”
But with Taylor’s skills and attributes, the Gators might just go against conventional wisdom and play the rookie despite having other, older linemen available.
“Dominant. He’s just very physical, you know,” Ivey said of Taylor in practice. “I was just shocked, like me coming in as a freshman and now I’m seeing him doing it – it’s unreal to see how fast he’s picked up the game. He’s just trying to learn. He’s hungry. He wants to play, so he’s going to play somewhere.”
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
