Notebook: Still no leader in the battle for starting quarterback
During Jim McElwain’s Friday press conference, the Florida head coach touched on a number of topics, including the quarterback battle, some of the young players that have stood out in Fall camp, while also providing an injury update.
As far as the quarterback battle is concerned, McElwain says that the front runners will have an even amount of reps during Friday’s scrimmage and whoever moves the ball up the field will earn more reps at the position.
McElwain also stated that there is no front-runner in the quarterback battle at this point.
"Um, you know, it's tough to say,” expressed McElwain on the quarterback battle. “We'll take a look at how they handle another opportunity where no one's on the field. It's you executing the calls, handling the fastballs, getting guys in right formations, understanding the snap counts, all those type of things. I think it goes back to putting in as many game-type situations as possible. Here's one great thing here: Being able to go out and execute a practice scrimmage in The Swamp, it elevates these guys because it's part of the reason they're here. I always like to see the reaction as to how they elevate when they're in a great environment."
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McElwain expressed how pleased he is with how graduate transfer Malik Zaire has come in with a certain mindset to prepare himself for this tight competition.
"Well, here's what I would say. I've been really kind of pleased with how the guys that were here kind of accepted the challenge when Malik came in,” explained McElwain. “I like the way Malik prepares. In other words, looking at it as he's really competing against himself, and he truly understands what that means. I wish every player got that, because you're never competing against anybody. You're actually competing against yourself. Your ability to go out and perform. From a mindset standpoint, that to me is what it’s all about. You’ve got to throw all the exterior stuff away in whatever it is you’re doing and focus on what you do. That’s the one thing each one of us can control, what we do. Not worry about this and that, but actually focus on whatever that rep is, whatever that task is we’re doing that do, and do it to best of our ability. I see our kinds in that quarterback room kind of figuring that out.”
Freshman Standouts
Even with the plethora of talent that surrounds the quarterbacks, McElwain says that he has been particularly impressed with how freshman wide receiver Daquon Green has handled his business on the field, and he believes that freshman defensive backs have taken advantage of some of the injuries in the secondary.
"Boy, he's done a good job,” explained McElwain on Green. “Obviously swims a little bit on some of the things we're asking him to do, and yet that's why even today's going to be really good for him. But he's a guy that, what I like, he goes out and goes about his business. He's got really good hands, and he's got a big strong body. Some of the things that he's done away from the ball has been really good. Like I said, those three young guys, we need to get a really good look at them today and see how they do. And he's a guy too that figures into special teams. Sometimes we always think it's defensive guys, but those offensive guys as well have got to be a huge part of that.
“I think that’s one of those positions you kind of talk about where next man up and he’s taken advantage of a lot of that,” expressed McElwain. “As Brad Stewart has. As (Donovan) Stiner has. Donovan has done a really good job. I’m really pleased with those guys in that group as to how quickly they’ve picked it up, but more than that, how willing they are to go compete. I think that speaks a lot for kind of who they are.”
McElwain says that players like defensive lineman Kyree Campbell and Antonneous Clayton have come on strong as of lately, and is hoping to see freshman wide receivers James Robinson and Kadarius Toney work on playing without having the coaches in their ear.
Injury Report
McElwain says 10 players will not participate in Friday’s scrimmage due to injuries. The head coach didn’t go in-depth with some of the injuries, but he did say that they are minor and not “career-ending.”
Here is the list of players that will be held out of Friday’s scrimmage:
Martez Ivey - Unspecified
Quincy Lenton - Unspecified
Duke Dawson – Leg injury
C’yontai Lewis – Has been doing individual drills and non-contact drills, but should be fully ready by next week.
Moral Stephens – Foot injury
Kemore Gamble – Foot injury
DeAndre Goolsby – With his family because of his grandmother’s death
Nick Washington – Shoulder injury
C.J. McWilliams – Hamstring injury
Kylan Johnson – Ran during practice on Thursday, and McElwain guesses that he will be back next week.
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