Reviewing how Florida's freshmen on offense have performed in 2016
During the second season of the Jim McElwain era, a number of freshmen from the 2016 recruiting class have gotten involved in the action.
Of the 21 freshmen to sign the Gators this past recruiting cycle, 10 were on the offensive side of the ball - and five of them saw the field immediately for Florida this season. The Gators still have a decision on their hands to make at the quarterback position entering an Outback Bowl matchup against Iowa on Jan. 2: Will they stick with Austin Appleby? Or will they turn to the future and burn Feleipe Franks' redshirt?
Today, Inside the Gators reviews how each of the 10 freshmen on offense from the 2016 class have performed up to this point.
HAVE PLAYED THIS SEASON:
2016 stats: 282 receiving yards, two touchdowns on 13 catches in 10 appearances (three starts)
The skinny: Cleveland's first few months in Gainesville certainly didn't go too smoothly. After being charged for criminal mischief and more than $1,000 in property damage involving an incident with BB guns (along with teammate Rick Wells), a hamstring injury kept Cleveland sidelined throughout the majority of fall camp. However, eventually Cleveland returned to full health, found his groove and displayed his potential as a Rivals100 talent for the Gators.
After hauling in a 36-yard pass from Austin Appleby at Tennessee for his first collegiate reception, Cleveland began seeing more and more reps with the first-team offense. Cleveland came through in a big way against Missouri for 79 yards and his first college touchdown on three grabs, but his best performance of the year came at LSU when he recorded a career-best 129 yards and a touchdown on three grabs. Ninety-eight of those yards came on a historic haul by Cleveland, when he caught a deep bomb from Appleby, broke a tackle from an LSU defensive back and took it to the house.
While Cleveland has produced in spurts this season, he hasn't been a consistent playmaking option for the Gators on a weekly basis. He has not had back-to-back outings of at least three catches in his freshman season.
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