After more than a month of spring camp, we’ve finally reached practice No. 15 – the Orange & Blue Debut, set to take place at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday night in The Swamp and air on the SEC Network.
Now with the Gators’ spring game approaching, we take a look at 15 players in particular to keep a close eye on during the spring game, or the “15th spring practice.”
-- Redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks: One of the biggest storylines this spring has been how a confident Franks has gradually gained separation in the quarterback battle against Kyle Trask and strengthened his grasp on a spot with the 1's. Friday gives us an opportunity to truly see how Franks responds to a game atmosphere, especially after he threw three picks in last year's O&B Debut as an early enrollee. Keep a close eye on Franks' improved footwork, tightened throwing motion, and whether he's able to hit his targets on various intermediate routes.
-- Redshirt freshman quarterback Kyle Trask: Friday night's spring game presents Trask with a highly important opportunity. As the 1's will likely face the 2's for a good portion of the spring game - if last year's matchup was any indication - Trask should see a good number of reps against the first-team defense. How vocal he is operating the offense, and how quickly he's able to release the ball, will be worth watching as he squares off against a talented defense. With a very strong performance, Trask could potentially shorten the gap in the quarterback race at least slightly.