GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- It is no secret, the Gators are loaded with talent at receiver.

Van Jefferson, Trevon Grimes, Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond, Kadarius Toney, and Freddie Swain have all featured in Dan Mullen's offense during his first season. However, the future of the position also provides some security.

Waiting in the wings are playmakers like Jacob Copeland, Rick Wells and true freshmen, Dionte Marks, Ja'Markis Weston and Arjei Henderson (when enrolled).

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Copeland was Mullen's highest ranked recruit in his first class as Florida's head coach. The wide receiver has had some injury issues since his arrival in Gainesville, however, that has not stopped him from working in the weight and film room.

"He’s got a great skillset," Mullen told reporters on Monday. "He’s got size, power and speed, and he catches the ball pretty well. So, I think we gave him the ball once. He had like one touch for like 20-something, bunch of yards last year. His yards-per-touch last year was pretty good, so we’ll have to try to get him the ball some this year.”

The Sunshine State native earned a redshirt his freshman season after only featuring in three games - playing at both receiver and special teams. In his first year, Copeland finished with one catch for 16 yards and one kick return for 26 yards.

After working back to health for a few games in the fall, Copeland was once again sidelined this past spring.

"It’s almost like he’s an advanced freshman because he hasn’t got the reps to even do it, so he’s still learning the offense," explained Mullen. "Now kind of the second time around, it’s all kind of new for him. He’s a little more advanced because he’s kind of been through it in the meetings and learning it and been around it, but he hasn’t been out there on the field doing it. But, he’s looked pretty good at picking things up."

"The one thing I will tell you that he’s done a great job, not a good job, a great job, is learning," Florida receivers coach Billy Gonzales told the media back in the spring. "Some guys when they get hurt, you see it in different places or who it is, different people. They don’t always -- they drift away and they don’t always focus into the learning curve. I’ll tell you what. He’s done a fabulous job.

"You ask him a question; he can spit it out. We go out and review, we go through a walk through, he’s the guy reading me the script. So, now he’s reading the script, he’s constantly learning, taking the rep mentally. He’s done a fantastic job."

The receiver room is packed with talent, but the staff understands that in order to prepare for a future without Jefferson, Cleveland, Grimes, Swain and Hammond, they need to allow others, like Copeland, to shoulder more reps in 2019.

"If you look at guys like him and Rick Wells that are really kind of the guys that are going to be coming next in the future, " said Mullen. "I’s our job to get those guys in the game and get them reps and get them to play and get them experience but also to try to make sure we’re putting them in situations to go be successful.

"We’ve got to get them ready to be every-down players. You never know. But, even this year, let’s get them some get-it-to. Get them in the game, let them do some things they do well and build some confidence so they get ready to be every-down players.”