The consistent theme of up-tempo, competitive drills has certainly had its impact on the Florida Gators. Players look engaged, pumped up and ready to go at the start of every rotation. The identity of Dan Mullen’s spring practices has been the polar opposite of Jim McElwain’s.

Below is everything you need to know from Saturday afternoon’s practice.

Versatility was a key component of Florida’s practice on Saturday. Running backs were split outside, lining up as wide receivers and working on their pass-catching ability, while quarterbacks went through various running drills, following aggressive blocks from their running backs near the goal line. After every drill ended, players sprinted to their next rotation gearing up for what came next. When defensive back Shawn Davis didn’t run on to the field from the sidelines for his reps during a scrimmage, defensive backs coach Charlton Warren told him to go back to the bench if he wasn’t ready to give it 100% effort. Warren’s military background was prevalent all practice, demanding complete focus and effort throughout the course of every drill.

Along with Warren, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales did a phenomenal job with working 1-on-1 with each of his receivers and offensive personnel. When wide receiver/quarterback Kadarius Toney didn’t run a route they way he liked, Gonzales stopped the drill to personally instruct Toney how he wanted the route to be run. The personal approach worked perfectly, as Toney ran a beautiful zig route immediately following the lecture.

In similar fashion to last season, quarterback play was not a strong aspect of Saturday’s practice. Feleipe Franks looked fine in drills with no pressure, but struggled against real defenses during scrimmages towards the end of practice. Emory Jones was extremely inconsistent on Saturday, throwing high, low and behind receivers during drills and scrimmages. The one aspect that both quarterbacks looked good in was running the ball. The starting quarterback race appears to be wide open, with Franks and Jones failing to consistently pull ahead of one another on a day-to-day basis.

While special teams coverage was solid throughout practice, the field goal drills towards the end didn’t go so well. The entire team surrounded Chris Howard, Daniel Justino and Jorge Powell at the end of practice, yelling and screaming to simulate a high-pressure situation at the end of a game. Within 35 yards, all three of the kickers were able to hit most of their field goals. Once the kicks ranged past 40 yards, the struggles were prevalent. Kicker Evan McPherson will more than likely be the starting kicker next season, but is still in high school finishing up his degree. While McPherson was the No. 1 kicker in the Class of 2018 and brings a ton of talent, his backups didn’t exactly showcase confidence from deep on Saturday afternoon.

* Dameon Pierce- Pierce is listed as 5’10”, 207 pounds but man does he look bigger than that in person. If you gave him a blank jersey and asked me what year I thought he was, I would’ve said at least a junior. Pierce demonstrated the ability to catch passes when he was split outside and was deadly in between the tackles. The freshman tore through at least one defender on every run and was near immune to tackles above the waist. Florida has a crowded backfield with three running backs returning from a season ago, but Pierce is making a statement early on that he deserves a good chunk of the carries. The freshman’s blocking skills looked far beyond his years as well.

*Jordan Scarlett- You would’ve thought Jordan Scarlett was on the field last season the way he ran the ball on Saturday afternoon. When Scarlett trucked Brian Edwards en route to a 60-yard touchdown, the crowd erupted as mouthpieces flew everywhere. Despite the play being whistled dead once he got past the defense, Scarlett made sure to finish the play in the endzone before sprinting back to the huddle. The questions surrounding Scarlett’s conditioning due to a year off were non-existent on Saturday. The redshirt junior displayed soft hands as well, catching every ball during pass-catching drills.

*CeCe Jefferson- Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham thanked their lucky stars when they found out CeCe Jefferson was returning to the Gators. No matter what side he was lined up on or what tackle he went against, Jefferson was dominant all afternoon, recording sack after sack during defensive drills. The senior defensive end might benefit more than anyone from Grantham’s switch to a 3-4 defense this season. At one point during practice, Jefferson recorded four straight sacks using his patent spin move on all of them. Two of the sacks were against one-on-one blocking, while the other two came against double teams. Jefferson will no doubt be the centerpiece of Florida’s defense this season.

*Jeremiah Moon- If CeCe Jefferson will benefit the most from Florida’s switch to a 3-4 defense, Jeremiah Moon might be next up. The Alabama-native looked extremely comfortable playing the role of outside linebacker during Saturday’s practice. Moon consistently beat whatever tackle he was lined up against and looked like a ball magnet the way he always was in the right place at the right time for the tackle. Moon’s athleticism is one of the many reasons he was so highly touted out of high school. If he can stay healthy, Moon will have a shot to finish top five in tackles this season.

*Kadarius Toney- Despite being slightly limited due to injury, Kadarius Toney seemed to be everywhere on Saturday. Whether he was lined up outside, in the slot or in the backfield, Toney looked comfortable wherever the coaching staff threw him. Toney’s ability to catch the ball in the flat and make multiple defenders miss separates him from the Gators’ other probable slot receivers. Toney will be used as a utility this season, lining up wherever Florida’s coaching staff sees a mismatch. The sophomore has the chance to once again be a matchup nightmare next season.

This & That

While not mentioned in the “Top Five Performers,” transfers Trevon Grimes (Ohio State) and Van Jefferson (Ole Miss) were excellent on Saturday afternoon. Both receivers were terrific at getting off of the line and beating press coverage no matter who they were lined up against. Grimes and Jefferson, along with Josh Hammond, will more than likely lead Florida’s wide receiver core next season. Grimes, at 6’5”, 214 pounds has the ability to out-jump smaller cornerbacks, while Jefferson’s blazing fast speed makes him an immediate deep threat.

While not mentioned in the “Top Five Performers,” transfers Trevon Grimes (Ohio State) and Van Jefferson (Ole Miss) were excellent on Saturday afternoon. Both receivers were terrific at getting off of the line and beating press coverage no matter who they were lined up against. Grimes and Jefferson, along with Tyrie Cleveland, will more than likely lead Florida’s wide receiver core next season. Grimes, at 6’5”, 214 pounds has the ability to out-jump smaller cornerbacks, while Jefferson’s blazing fast speed makes him an immediate deep threat.