Monday Notebook: Mum is the word on starting quarterback

Jim McElwain plans to keep everyone guessing on who will be Florida’s starting quarterback on Saturday against Michigan.

McElwain would only say “we have plan that’s in place” in his opening statement, and he didn’t elaborate much further when taking questions from the media.

Even a legitimate question about whether the plan has changed over time was outright dismissed. At one point, McElwain joked it would be someone other than Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks or Malik Zaire.

"I'm going to let you in on a hint: We're going to open up in wildcat with Kadarius Toney there, all right? There you go,” McElwain said. “There's your starter."

The wide receivers weren’t much help either. Sophomore wide receiver Josh Hammond was asked what he knew about the plan right off the bat.

“Nothing at all,” Hammond said. “I don’t know what the plan is but I’m pretty sure It’ll work. We’ll roll with it.”

Hammond said he’s not even curious about which signal-caller gets the nod.

“Not really,” Hammond said. “I think all the quarterbacks are ready. So whatever the plan is I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine.”

During Hammond’s freshman season, the Gators had a two-man race between Del Rio and Austin Appleby. He recognizes that having a three-way race, especially when all three have unique skill sets, is different for the receivers.

"Definitely different,” Hammond said. “You know you gotta be ready to adjust. But I think going with all three quarterbacks will definitely help our offense grow, because when they’re competing, it helps everyone else compete at a high level. So I think having all three of them go on different days and just competing helps our offense a lot.”

Redshirt junior wide receiver Dre Massey said the media might be overlooking one candidate.

“I might be in the race,” Massey joked. “I don't know.”

Freshman wide receiver James Robinson will not be playing in the Michigan game. Robinson and freshman linebacker Ventrell Miller were cited last week for marijuana possession in a campus dorm.

Though Robinson has been practicing, unlike Miller and the other six players suspended from team activities for reported misuse of student funds, he will not be playing on Saturday.

"No. Thought that was perfectly obvious,” McElwain said when asked about the wideout. “Of course not. Come on."

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* McElwain PC Blog: No quarterback named

* Take Five: Florida Football Camp Breakdown

* Breaking down each and every defensive player

* Breaking down each and every offensive player

* Robinson, Miller, cited for possession

* Freshmen Report: Predicting who plays in defense

* Freshmen Report: Predicting who plays on offense

* 10 things we've learned from fall camp

* Handicapping Florida's quarterback battle

* On the Mark: Five thoughts on the seven suspensions

* GET TWO MONTHS OF FREE ACCESS

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With freshman linebacker Nick Smith recovering from surgery and freshmen James Houston and Ventrell Miller suspended, depth at linebacker is a major concern for Florida heading into the Michigan game.

McElwain had a positive update on one key injured linebacker Kylan Johnson, who missed much of camp with a hamstring injury.

“Kylan I guess is the one that’s still a little iffy,” McElwain said when reviewing injuries, “ and he’s a guy we need to have, but he went through practice on Friday, some of the individual stuff and some of the walk through stuff. We’re looking to see how that goes today, but we’re expecting him to be able to play.”

When asked about depth, McElwain also mentioned redshirt freshman Jeremiah Moon. Including Moon, a starter in three-linebacker sets, could be a hinting that the Gators will be playing nickel defense on Saturday.

"Obviously, we haven't talked much about Jeremiah Moon and his impact as well,” McElwain said of the depth. “Kylan Johnson, obviously, coming back. Jumping on in there, Lacedrick Brunson had a really good camp. He'll be ready to go as well."

Brunson, a late add to the 2017 recruiting class, was thought to be a project, but has impressed in camp and could be seeing playing time. Former walk-on Cristian Garcia is also considered an important depth piece at the position as someone who can play all three spots.

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