Early Enrollee Preview: Toney focused on playing quarterback
If you plan on being a contributor as a true freshman in the SEC - though it isn’t a necessity - it certainly helps to be an early enrollee. This past season Florida saw early enrollees Chauncey Gardner, Freddie Swain and Mark Thompson all make an impact to some degree after taking advantage of being on campus in the spring to learn the playbook, condition with the team and get acclimated to college life.
Pritchard (Ala.) Blount three-star athlete Kadarius Toney is going to Gainesville this spring with the same mission on his mind.
“Getting to learn the playbook and I can get early playing time,” Toney said when asked about the most important advantage of being an early enrollee.
Though Toney is listed as an athlete, he has one position in mind: quarterback.
“I’m going in to play quarterback. There’s no other position on my mind but quarterback,” Toney said.
He will be joining a quarterback room that will include Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask, and incoming freshman Jake Allen. That battle for reps is going to be fierce and that’s why Toney wants to come in and prove himself early.
What separates him from the rest of the quarterback field is his athletic ability. Along with 2,894 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns, he finished with 894 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
With the pass rushing talent in the SEC being superior to that of most conferences, it’s beneficial to have a guy with Toney’s skillset.
And he’s not worried about the scheme changing on him in college, “I’ve been playing quarterback all my life,” he said. “Switching from spread to under center is not that big of a deal.”
In order to help situate himself, Toney has already been in contact with several players on Florida’s roster.
“I talked to Brandon Powell before...Tyrie Cleveland and a couple of more freshman that I know.”
Probably the most valuable friendship that Toney has is with Gators running back Lamical Perine, who is also an Alabama-native. Perine came in last fall to a crowded running back room and quickly got himself into the rotation and by the end of the season he was the number-two option.
“It’s going to be good because there’s nothing like going somewhere and you knowing somebody who can give you more insight,” Toney said.
It is going to be much harder for Toney to make the jump that Perine made over the course of the season, but Perine’s work ethic could certainly rub off on the young quarterback.
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.
