Florida football has made it through spring ball and it’s time to look forward to the 2018 season. What’d we learn about the Gators this spring?
One of the many teams dealing with a coaching change this offseason is Florida. The Gators have parted ways with Jim McElwain and hired Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. The hire was eye-opening as he left one SEC program for another, making for some bad blood in the conference.
The Gators are on the up-and-up under Mullen and the expectations are on the rise, too. Florida could soon be back to contending for SEC titles and this spring was proof of that.
Florida’s offense looked much improved this spring while the defense produced some new stars. The quarterback position is still a bit shaky and undecided, but we learned more about the Gators this spring.
What’d we learn about the Gators this spring?
5. Antonneous Clayton could break out
There’s a reason Florida struggled over the past few seasons and it’s because some stars were buried on the depth chart and misused. One of those stars is former blue-chip recruit Antonneous Clayton, junior a defensive end.
At one time, Clayton was thought to be one of Florida’s gem prospects and a future defensive star for the Gators.
The 6-3, 254-pound defensive end from Georgia had a strong spring and there are many who believe he could become an All-American type of talent. He’s had a slow, humbling start to his college career, but we may soon find out just why he was a five-star recruit.
After adding about 35 pounds since stepping foot on campus a few years ago, Clayton looks the part and he’s primed to break out this season.
4. Amari Burney is standing out in the defensive backfield
Florida has been known for churning out elite defensive backs over the years and Dan Mullen may have a taste of his first elite member of the secondary and NFL prospect in former four-star recruit, and early enrollee, Amari Burney.
Burney decided to enroll early at Florida to push for playing time in year one, and he did just that. He was earning first-team reps this spring and led the team with seven tackles during the spring scrimmage.
The freshman safety should have a chance to see the field early on, especially with two new starters at the position earning spots in the fall. He will be duking it out with sophomore Brad Stewart, junior Jeawon Taylor and sophomore Shawn Davis for starting snaps. He looked the part of a first-teamer this spring.
Not many expected him to jump into the spotlight this quickly, but a need for safeties has pulled him out of the background.
3. Jordan Scarlett could be 1,000-yard rusher
Although Lamical Perine is back as the team’s leading rusher from a season ago, Jordan Scarlett has 1,000-yard potential. He rushed for just shy of 900 yards as a sophomore in 2016, but was suspended for the entire 2017 season due to felony fraud charges, but has since been allowed to rejoin the team.
Scarlett learned from his mistakes and earned his way back onto the team, giving Perine a strong backfield mate. Everyone expects Scarlett to be the starter as he has All-SEC potential, but Perine also had a strong spring.
Losing an entire season due to suspension didn’t look to hurt Scarlett’s game at all as he starred in the Gators’ spring game, rushing for 58 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. He was strong through tight gaps and made up for the offensive line’s mediocre play.
Scarlett has 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry in his Gator career, but he could top those numbers in his junior season ago.
The Gators have been struggling offensively as a team for the past couple of years, but that could change with Scarlett as the next 1,000-yard rusher.
2. The quarterback battle will rage on into the fall
Both Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask made some good plays during the spring scrimmage and made their cases for starting quarterback, but there was no real separation.
Trask, a sophomore, wasn’t as highly-touted a recruit out of high school as Franks, but he had a decent spring game, completing 12-of-24 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He made some big throws to keep drives alive and looked to be a strong passer.
Franks, on the other hand, was accurate, going 8-for-12 through the air with 117 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 63 yards and two scores. If Mullen wants a dual-threat quarterback like he had in Nick Fitzgerald, there’s a good chance he could be sticking with Franks who is also just a sophomore.
The highly-regarded recruit out of high school led the Gators with 1,438 passing yards and nine touchdowns in 2017, but his eight interceptions and 55 percent completion rate were a bit of a concern.
After spring ball, it’s clear the quarterback battle will rage on into the fall.
1. Dan Mullen is bringing fun, excitement back to Gainesville
The fun is back. It’s been a while since we could say that about the Florida Gators, but Dan Mullen has a different energy than the last number of coaches in Gainesville.
Jim McElwain wore out his welcome and before him Will Muschamp had the same fate. The two coaches didn’t quite bring the fun to Gainesville like Urban Meyer did before them and Mullen is doing ahead of the 2018 season.
Fans loved the high-scoring first half as well as some trick plays, which involved former Thorpe Award winner and SEC champion defensive back Lawrence Wright catching a touchdown pass from Kyle Trask.
https://twitter.com/onlygators/status/985241729740754945
Wright hasn’t played college ball since 1996, but he sprinted down the sideline line a young wide receiver, but his fall into the end zone wasn’t as graceful.
Mullen is all about fun and the fans are benefitting — and so are the players.
Next: Way-too-early 2019 NFL Mock Draft
As long as the team feels comfortable and play with an upbeat style, the Gators are going to ease back into their winning ways. With that fun comes excitement and expectations.