GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Chris Bleich arrived at Florida last year and after sitting for a season, he has been practicing with the first-team offensive line all spring. As it sits right now, it like Bleich is set to be one of the key pieces within the offensive line.
While he knows he has to step up, Bleich is not worried about being under the gun.
“I feel like that would be most people’s perspective of it, but I also feel like it’s not really pressure because with Coach Hevesy and our strength coach we just try to get better each day,” Bleich said last week.
“We really don’t think about that because right now it’s spring ball. It’s more about teaching lessons.”
The offensive line as a whole has a lot of growing to do before the season opener August 24 against Miami.
A big matchup to kick off the season a week early adds that much more pressure to their development, and offensive line coach John Hevesy is pushing these guys every day. Sometimes that pressure can cause a young guy to fold, but Bleich welcomes it.
“No, not really,” Bleich said when asked if he’s being pushed to be ready quickly. “I feel like it’s a mindset at the same time. If you want it, you’ll get it. I never really got discouraged by that.”
The redshirt freshman guard arrived last season from Pennsylvania not ready to contribute as a freshman. He was slow and unsure of himself, but as time has gone on he has learned the system and is feeling more and more comfortable.
"Yeah, for sure,” Bleich said when asked if he’s playing faster. “Like last year I felt swallowed because I kept looking and I was like 'What's happening here? Shit.' But now it's just a more comfortable feeling for me."
“The thing about college is you're not blocking a person, you're blocking a gap. In high school, they came in here, your coach tells you who to block. But in college, anything can happen. So you're blocking your gap and you have to move with your gap and stuff like that. So you could block anyone on the field at that point."
One thing that’s been a big help for Bleich as he transitioned from high school to college, as it has been for a lot of guys, has been the strength program. And it has prepared him for what he will be seeing physically on the field this fall.
“It helped me tremendously,” Bleich said. “My strength coach, Coach Tanner, he’s the one who usually deals with O-linemen. He helps me so much. He always gives me extra work. Before class I always come in, he stretches me out and everything. I think going forward it’s only going to get bigger and better.
“If you watch Mississippi State’s players you could just tell they looked huge and freakish. I know being under them in a couple of more years hopefully I will be like that, which I think I will.”
With Noah Banks banged up and a lot of inexperience and youth on the line, Bleich has been asked to take on a lot and quickly. He has welcomed it though and continues to improve as he prepares to take on a starting role.
“Long ways, long ways,” teammate and fellow lineman Jean Delance said of how far Bleich has come. “I've been here the same as Chris Bleich and he has come a long ways. Watching him from day one to until now and playing next to him, it's a lot.
“It's a good thing. It's a good feeling. That being said what coach Hevesy is doing is working. He has a guy like Bleich and I'm with him on that line... Everything he does... everything he does wrong, I do wrong. When I do wrong, he does wrong. We hold each other accountable and he is doing a good job.”
