Five key Gators to watch this spring
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Gators Territory continues to look towards spring practice. This time we focus on the players we feel can become important members of the 2020 squad.
This list will not focus on the obvious players, like quarterback Kyle Trask. This list will focus on players that will need to have an impact in their position due to veterans leaving or depth concerns at their respective position.
OL Richard Gouraige
Lets start in the trenches. We have discussed the offensive line in almost every spring football preview but it's a fact that UF needs better line play this upcoming season. The Gators did lose Nick Buchanan to graduation and now John Hevesy is looking to shuffle his line a bit this spring.
And where Richard Gouriage lines up will be the key to understanding the plan moving forward.
Brett Heggie is expected to take the center position, which means a guard spot is open. One can assume that the guard position left vacant by Heggie is expected to be taken by either Gouraige or Ethan White. However, we could even see Gouraige take a starting tackle position, either bumping Jean Delance to the second team or moving him inside - that will depend on guys like Michael Tarquin and Josh Braun and how far they have come this offseason.
Could there be a rotation between Delance, Gouraige and Forsythe?
RB Dameon Pierce
Florida is hoping better line play will help the Gators establish a better run game in 2020, which means Dameon Pierce will have to perform at a high level.
The Gators lost a workhorse in Lamical Perine this year. The Alabama native was an all-around good back: helping UF as a pass catcher and as a blocker in 2019. Pierce has some big shoes to fill.
Last season, Pierce averaged 5.6 yards per carry after running for 305 yards and four touchdowns on 54 attempts. He also showed a willingness to catch the ball and caught four passes for 30 yards.
Behind Pierce Florida has Lorenzo Lingard (will need waiver to play this year), Malik Davis and Iverson Clement. Davis is the only player to have had significant playing time for the Gators between the latter two, and he is still working his way back to his former self.
DB/LB Amari Burney
The STAR position has seen a lot of changes in the last two seasons.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson made the nickel position his two years ago, and continues to do so in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints. However, the Gators have yet to find a consistent answer at the position since the Cocoa, Fla. native left the program.
UF started 2019 by playing Trey Dean at the position, since Amari Burney was in the linebacker rotation after serving as Gardner-Johnson's back up the year earlier. Todd Grantham and company ultimately moved Marco Wilson to the position after a few stumbles by Dean during the year.
With John Huggins' leaving the program, Florida had some number concerns at the position and even saw Jeremiah Moon take some reps at the position last year.
This season Burney is expected to return to STAR this spring, considering UF has plenty of numbers at the linebacker position. Behind Burney, Chester Kimbrough could see his name in the two-deep at nickel.
Teams like Georgia picked on Florida by exposing the weakness at STAR, the Gators will hope to sure up that position up this spring.
WR Trevon Grimes/Jacob Copeland/Kadarius Toney
This is cheating I know, but the wide receiver room lost all of its starters from last season. Josh Hammond, Freddie Swain, Van Jefferson and Tyrie Cleveland have all gone, and three of them are currently competing in the NFL Combine.
So I need to include the trio of: Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland and Kadarius Toney on this list. Can this group shoulder much more responsibility this season? How do they respond?
BUCK Brenton Cox
Brenton Cox is finally eligible.
The five-star Georgia transfer was forced to sit out last season due to transfer rules, however, he can now participate with the first team this spring. With the Gators losing Jon Greenard and Jabari Zuniga, Cox, Jeremiah Moon and Zach Carter will all have important roles this upcoming season.
Honorable Mentions: CB Chester Kimbrough, DT Kyree Campbell, DT Tedarrell Slaton, TE Keon Zipperer, OL Ethan White, OL Josh Braun, QB Emory Jones and wide receivers, DE Zach Carter, WR Trent Whittemore, WR Ja'Markis Weston and WR Dionte Marks.