Spring football is finally here.
Over the past few days, the Inside the Gators staff has answered questions about some of the hottest topics surrounding the Florida football team before the spring kicks off, but today we enlisted three other Florida beat writers who follow the program day in and day out to share their insight about the Gators.
Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald and Ryan Young of SEC Country join us to answer a number of questions about the Gators.
------
* Limited Time Offer: Four Free Months of Access
* Gators 2017 Spring Preview: Quarterbacks and Running Backs
* Spring Practice Roundtable: Early enrollees and making strides
* Roundtable: Predicting the breakout players
* Spring Positional Preview: Offensive Line
* Roundtable: Starting Quarterback & Sink or Swim
* Anonymous Player: Breaking down the offense, playcalling
* Anonymous Player: Taking a closer look at the quarterbacks
* Anonymous Player: Florida football behind the scenes
------
Who do you expect to come out of the spring with the edge in Florida's quarterback battle and why?
Hall: I expect Feleipe Franks to be named the starting quarterback by the end of spring, but I think it will be a closer race than most expect. Although fans are longing for a clear cut favorite, I believe Jim McElwain and Doug Nussmeier will take their time evaluating Franks, early enrollee athlete Kadarius Toney and Kyle Trask and wait until just before the Orange and Blue Debut game to name a leader.
McPherson: As much as I want to say Trask is going to come out of the gates and take the starting quarterback job, I can't. While I feel Trask has more upside than Franks in the long run, I think Franks is more game-ready at this moment. If his accuracy has improved from the spring (cue that three-interception spring game), Franks will take Florida's first snap against Michigan.
Young: I honestly don't think we're going to have much of answer as it pertains to the fall. I expect Franks to remain ahead of Trask through the spring, but I think we go deep into August before they feel comfortable making any decision.
Who do you expect to turn some heads and dramatically improve his standing during spring ball?
Hall: Tyrie Cleveland should take the leap and emerge as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver alongside Antonio Callaway, giving the Gators a formidable duo at wide receiver for next season. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Jeremiah Moon is healed and ready to contribute in the linebacker corps. I expect Moon to solidify a spot in the rotation next season with a strong Spring.
McPherson: Vosean Joseph. The linebacker showed his big-hit potential in spurts as a freshman, none more spectacular than when he lit up LSU quarterback Danny Etling near the goal-line during the upset win. With more first-team reps and more responsibilities this spring -- especially with David Reese having to sit out -- I like Joseph's chances of building his stock heading into the season.
Young: I'll take a shot in the dark here and say Antonneuous Clayton at defensive end. Obviously the transition to SEC football was tough for him last year. He admitted it was a "wake-up call." If he's fully healthy, I think he comes in highly motivated to prove he's still the caliber of player that had everyone so excited on NSD last year.
In your opinion, which player has the most to prove this spring?
Hall: No matter who is named Florida’s starting quarterback, he’s toast without an effective running game. And you can’t have an effective rushing attack if you can’t stop the opposition’s defensive tackles, meaning the Gators will look for a center to replace Cam Dillard. While I believe redshirt freshman Brett Heggie will compete for a spot in the rotation, T.J. McCoy must prove this spring he can build on his promising play late last season.
McPherson: I'm going to stick with my defensive trend and go with Chauncey Gardner. He was good for Florida in his last three games as a hybrid cornerback/nickel/safety with 17 tackles, three interceptions -- including one for a touchdown in an MVP effort during the Outback Bowl -- and a pass breakup. The questions, however, still remain. Can Gardner hold up that type of production throughout an entire season? Can he be a leader in a secondary that loses three of its best players in Jalen Tabor, Quincy Wilson and Marcus Maye?
Young: The quarterbacks are the easy answer, obviously. Going away from that, I think the offensive guard spots are wide open. It was interesting to hear McElwain challenge Tyler Jordan to improve his conditioning and performance. I think new OL coach Brad Davis is going to give those guys a fresh evaluation and nothing will be guaranteed based on experience.
Which early enrollee do you expect to make the biggest impact from the get-go for Florida?
Hall: I’m going to go with Kadeem Telfort out of Booker T. Washington High in Miami. Telfort’s size (6-foot-7, 300 pounds) and skillset (No. 14 offensive line prospect in 2017 class by Rivals) make him a prime candidate to earn early minutes on Florida’s offensive line next season.
McPherson: Kyree Campbell, without a doubt. Florida's depth at defensive tackle is slim behind Taven Bryan, Khairi Clark and Jachai Polite. This means Campbell, the true freshman from Virginia, will get a lot of reps early. He has the size (6-foot-3, 323 pounds) to excel on the interior for Florida and help alleviate the loss of Joey Ivie and Caleb Brantley if he can catch up to the speed of the college game in the spring.
Young: Tough one. I'm really high on offensive lineman Kadeem Telfort. He's a tackle so he's blocked by Martez Ivey and Jawaan Taylor, but I think he earns some playing time. He's a massive individual who was sold on the idea of immediate playing time at Florida. He believes he's going to win a starting job as a true freshman. That won't happen unless they decide to move Taylor to guard, but I think he makes a strong impression and at least provides valuable depth while being rotated in. Look at how Taylor seized his job last year.
What under-the-radar storyline about this Gators football team are you the most interested in following this spring?
Hall: Jim McElwain spoke of getting tougher on the offensive line, but what about Florida’s defensive line? Will CeCe Jefferson make the leap? Will Clayton become a consistent contributor? Will Florida take a step back after the loss of defensive linemen Caleb Brantley, Bryan Cox Jr. and Joey Ivie?
McPherson: I'm looking forward to seeing how the pecking order at wide receiver pans out. Callaway is back. Cleveland is back. Brandon Powell is back. Dre Massey returns from his torn ACL after one half of football last year. Plus, you throw in Freddie Swain, Josh Hammond, and early enrollee Kedarius Toney (not to mention James Robinson and Daquon Green once they enroll in the summer) and Florida all of a sudden potentially has a lot of weapons in the passing for only a set amount of passes. Receivers will need to separate themselves early in order to get playing time.
Young: I'm so intrigued by Gardner and where he ends up playing. I think it will ultimately be safety or nickel, but I'm excited to see him get some opportunities at corner to match up with Florida's best receivers this spring.
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.
