Freshmen usually do not make a big impact in their first season, as most high school players need some time to adjust to the college game. However, there are always a few that burst onto the scene and hit the ground running
As of July 3, the Florida Gators 2018 recruiting class is all enrolled and ready to go, but which new faces can make an impact this season?
Gators Territory takes a look.
Emory Jones - QB
Jones is probably the most obvious answer to this question. The freshman signal caller enrolled early in January and participated in spring ball.
Jones comes in as the only quarterback on Dan Mullens roster that fits his mold since he is a true dual-threat option.
Currently, he is very raw, specifically as a passer, but he showed flashes throughout spring practice of his ability. He is a dynamic runner and has a strong arm; he just needs to develop more.
Jones will not start during game one, but he could make a big impact in certain packages in the offense this season. He would provide a change-of-pace to the offense the other quarterbacks cannot.
His play may come in small doses in 2018, but he his impact could be huge.
Jacob Copeland - WR
Copeland comes into a deep wide receiver room. Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Trevon Grimes are all top tier talent at the position, while, Rick Wells, Josh Hammond, and Dre Massey are no slouches either.
So how would a true freshman receiver be able to make an impact right away? He may be what puts this group over the top.
Copeland will not garner the attention the rest of the group will. There is no scouting report on him yet.
In high school, the four-star receiver totaled 2,261 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns on 104 receptions. He averaged nearly 22 yards a catch.
Copeland gets a bit of a late start as he just arrived just this week. So, he has a lot of learning to do in a short amount of time, but if he can grasp the offense quickly he could become a very valuable receiver even as a freshman.
If nothing else, Copeland could round out one of the best receiving cores in the country.
Trey Dean lll – DB
Dean is another early enrollee that benefited greatly from participating in spring ball.
We know Marco Wilson and C.J. Henderson are the starting cornerbacks, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is the nickel guy, but after that, the cornerback position is a bit unclear.
Throughout spring, Dean took advantage of his opportunities and impressed with his cover skills and ability to locate the ball. He really stood out and played well against a really good receiving core.
The defensive backs are young and inexperienced. Dean can provide great size, at 6-foot-2, and feature as the third corner and come in on big receiver sets and hold his own.
He is a very talented athlete and at his size receivers will not be able to out jump him for 50/50 balls either.
Dean fills a big hole as the third corner on the Gators defense and should see a good amount of playing time.
Evan McPherson
McPherson may provide the biggest impact of any of the freshmen this season.
With the departure of Eddy Piñeiro and no proven backup on the roster, McPherson will become the Gators starting place kicker.
McPherson was the number one kicker in the nation and when Mullen left for Gainesville, McPherson followed.
At Fort Payne high school in Alabama McPherson made a 60-yard field goal, which was just one yard shy of the Alabama high school state record.
He was also rated as the number one kicker by the Kohl’s Kicking Camp and was selected to the Under Armour All-American Team.
McPherson has some big shoes to fill, but looks to be up to the challenge. As now the starting kicker in all likelihood he will need to be.
Dameon Pierce - RB
Pierce, like Dean and Jones enrolled early and benefited from spring practice.
His speed and elusiveness jumped out immediately and he can accelerate very well. However, what stood out the most was his ability to explode into the hole. He has a great first step.
Like receiver, running back is another loaded position and Pierce will be far from the starter, but he should get his fair share of carries.
The running backs will likely be run as a committee rather than one feature back and backups that come in to spell him.
Pierce compiled 6,779 yards on the ground in his high school career and finished with 90 rushing touchdowns.
In his senior year he rushed for 2,123 yards on 227 carries and scored 32 touchdowns. He averaged 9.4 yards a carry and 293 yards a game.
He has already turned heads at Florida and will probably continue to do so.
Dante Lang and Kyle Pitts - TE
These two were paired together because they both play tight end and are both a much-needed commodity at the position.
We have talked about this before, but tight end is one of the worst positions on the Florida roster right now.
Lang and Pitts can improve that immediately.
The Gators also beefed up the tight end room with the addition of Lucas Krull, and he should be the feature tight end, but outside of Cyontai Lewis, Lang and Pitts may be the next guys on the depth chart.
Both tight ends are big guys and fit the position well. Lang is 6-foot-5, 222 pounds and Pitts is 6-foot-6, 239 pounds.
The pair recently arrived on campus this past week so they have some catching up to do, but with the lack of production and talent at the position in recent years Lang and Pitts could see the field right out of the gate.
LB David Reese
With the numbers low at linebacker, David Reese will provide an instant impact to the depth at the position.
Reese does a good job at operating in space and in changing direction. Reese is impressive at staying under control for his size. He can also chip in as a pass rusher since his fluid, smooth style can help him redirect his route.
He is one that will benefit in Nick Savage's weight program and he has the frame for it.
Richard Gouraige and Chris Bleich - OL
Gouraige and Bleich are in a similar spot to Lang and Pitts. Their position is one of the weaker ones on the team.
Bleich participated in spring ball, but Gouraige did not. Gouragie enrolled at UF on May 14 but he was on campus plenty during spring practices - often seen with a notebook in his hand taking notes from practice.
Bleich did not show a ton of great talent during spring but not many linemen did. He has great size at 6-foot-6, 305 pounds and has good explosion at times.
He is a better run blocker than pass blocker, and shows good power but he needs to remain balanced.
Gouraige has a ton potential. The four star, 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect out of Tampa could develop into a great tackle at some point. He has good flexibility and uses his body well to gain leverage. He really just needs to add some weight.
Both of these guys have developing to do, but Mullen would like to have a lot of depth along this line and these two can be key contributors in the rotation.
