Take Five: Examining Florida Gators fall camp

Only days away from the big showdown in Texas against No. 11 Michigan, Inside the Gators examines some of the key themes with a Take Five.

In this piece, we look at five Gators who have helped their standing in camp, five who have hurt their standing or have disappointed, five who have surprised, five poised for breakout years and five storylines to follow moving forward.

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* 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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1. Sophomore wide receiver Freddie Swain: Wide receiver is one of the deepest positions on Florida’s roster. Swain missed spring practice while rehabbing from shoulder surgery, which meant junior Antonio Callaway, sophomore Tyrie Cleveland and sophomore Josh Hammond all got more practice reps and opportunities to work with the quarterbacks. In fall camp, Swain has made a strong push for playing time by adding some muscle and adjusting his mental approach. A four-star recruit who believed his own press, Swain says he’s finally learned that he cannot make it on talent alone and has to truly understand the offense. With the versatility to play all three wide receiver positions, Swain should factor prominently into the offense this season.

2. Sophomore defensive end Jachai Polite: With so many talented defensive ends on Florida’s roster, Polite entered camp under the radar. As of right now, he looks to be solidly in the rotation behind junior defensive end Cece Jefferson and ahead of former five-star recruit Antonneous Clayton. Polite could be one of this season’s surprises.

3. Senior cornerback Joseph Putu: Most people expected the starting cornerback spot opposite of senior Duke Dawson to go to one of the four-star freshmen, but it’s the former junior college transfer who has been working with the first team lately in practice. Putu has come a long way as a defensive back in the past year.

4. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Brett Heggie: The departure of left tackle David Sharpe opened up a starting spot on the offensive line, with junior Martez Ivey sliding from left guard to left tackle. Though the depth chart isn’t official just yet, Heggie appears to have won that left guard spot over junior Tyler Jordan, who will play a utility backup role.

5. Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Luke Ancrum: The Gators need some depth at defensive tackle, and Acrum has stepped up and earned coach Jim McElwain’s praise in the process. Blue-chip recruits Tedarrell Slaton and Elijah Conliffe are still developing, so being able to play Ancrum in the early weeks is important for the Florida defense.

1. Senior running back Mark Thompson: At 6-2, 239, Thompson is the biggest scholarship running back on the roster, but he may have the smallest role. Right now, junior Jordan Scarlett, sophomore Lamical Perine and freshman Malik Davis look to be the team’s top three backs. Freshman Adarius Lemons is also pushing for carries.

One problem for Thompson is that he does not run like a big, bruising back. When the Gators need a physical runner to power through the defense, the ball goes to Scarlett. Thompson turned a screen pass into an 85-yard touchdown in the Outback Bowl, but other running backs have shown themselves to capable pass-catchers.

2. Sophomore safety Jeawon Taylor: When senior safety Marcell Harris went down, Taylor was expected to be in the mix, especially with the coaches seeking to continue developing sophomore Chauncey Gardner Jr. at cornerback. Entering game week, the safety conversation revolves around Gardner, senior Nick Washington and freshman Shawn Davis.

3. Junior defensive end Keivonnis Davis: As a sophomore, Davis played in all 13 games and started five last season. His suspension from team activities on Aug. 13 certainly hurt his depth chart spot at one of Florida’s deepest positions. He’ll have to work his way back into the rotation once he returns to practice.

4. Senior quarterback Malik Zaire: In fairness to Zaire, he had no standing at Florida prior to arriving in June. The public perception, however, was that he would be neck-and-neck with redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks for the starting quarterback job. Unless McElwain decides to make his offense based on quarterback runs, Zaire seems unlikely to be the Gators’ starting signal-caller.

5. Redshirt junior wide receiver Dre Massey: It was admittedly tough to put Massey on this list, but at slot receiver, it’s not clear how Massey fits in with senior Brandon Powell the starter and freshman Kadarius Toney expected to get his share of touches. Massey hasn’t regressed from a talent standpoint, but his role isn’t likely to be as big as was expected a year ago.

1. Freshman running back Malik Davis: Considering that Davis wasn’t even Florida’s primary target at running back on the recruiting trail, it’s impressive to see the newcomer work his way up to No. 3 on the running back depth chart. A shifty, speedy back, Davis could have a highlight-filled rookie season.

2. Freshman safety Shawn Davis: One of the lesser talked-about defensive back signees became one of the more talked-about freshman defenders in camp. As Nick Washington deals with a recurring shoulder problem, Davis has stepped in as the first-team safety with Gardner.

3. Freshman wide receiver Kadarius Toney: The Eight Mile, Ala. athlete spent the spring working at quarterback, but he has caught on – no pun intended – quickly at wide receiver. At the start of camp, he stuck out as a newcomer at the position, but now looks the part of a slot receiver. Any time Toney has the ball in his hands, it’s a highlight waiting to happen.

4. Freshman wide receiver Daquon Green: With a solid corps of returning veterans at wide receiver, Green wasn’t expected to be a big part of the 2017 offense. Green has impressed at camp with his route-running and catching. Much like Swain and Hammond, Green isn’t the fastest or tallest wideout, but does his job well.

5. Redshirt junior quarterback Luke Del Rio: At the end of spring practice, not many expected Del Rio would be contending for the starting quarterback job heading into the week of the Michigan game. The fact that Del Rio has made it a three-man race is a surprise. With the way things are going, the incumbent starter may hold onto his job.

1. Sophomore wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland: He has the size and speed, now it’s time for Cleveland to put up the numbers. The No. 15 wide receiver of the 2016 class was hampered by a hamstring injury at the start of last year, but came on strong in the second half of the season against Missouri and LSU. After adding 19 pounds to his 6-2 frame, the 205-pounder has the look of a go-to, physical wideout. With solid quarterback play, Cleveland should be in for a big year.

2. Sophomore defensive back Chauncey Gardner Jr.: Marcus Maye, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson are in the NFL now, but if SEC offenses expect to be able to throw on the Florida defense, Gardner will have something to say about that. As a freshman, Gardner showed that he’s a ball hawk and a hard hitter, two attributes that should lead to a highlight-filled sophomore season. Whether it’s at safety or cornerback, Gardner will certainly be on the field as one of Florida’s best defensive backs.

3. Sophomore linebacker Vosean Joseph: Last year, Joseph made one of the biggest plays of the season when he forcefully smacked LSU quarterback Danny Etling out of bounds short of the goal line. This season, Joseph wants to be known for more than one big hit. Known as a headhunter, Joseph has impressed teammates with his improved understanding of the playbook.

4. Junior defensive end Cece Jefferson: As one of the most recognizable players on the team, Jefferson might not seem like much of a “breakout” candidate, but he only made six starts last season. Now the expected starter this year at weak-side defensive end, a consistent Jefferson has the chance to get SEC-wide and national recognition as a premier pass-rusher. A breakout season, however, could also lead to an early departure for the NFL.

5. Junior running back Jordan Scarlett: As far as Gator Nation is concerned, Scarlett had his breakout season last year rushing for 889 yards on 117 carries. This year, however, Scarlett could establish himself as one of the SEC’s best running backs and become a household name if the offensive line does its job. Scarlett is elusive and hard to bring down, but he needs some help upfront to crack the 1,000-yard mark and put up big-time numbers.

1. Do the Gators have three quarterbacks or no quarterbacks? There is an old football adage that if a team has two quarterbacks (competing for the starting job), it doesn’t have one (good quarterback). McElwain maintained last week that three quarterbacks – Del Rio, Franks and Zaire – are in the running for the starting job and that all three have benefitted from the competition.

Last year, when summer break wrapped up and the fall semester began, Del Rio was named the starting quarterback over Austin Appleby. With this year’s competition officially carrying into fall practice and now game week, many analysts have interpreted it to mean the Gators lack a quality quarterback.

McElwain says he isn’t playing mind games, but there are obvious reasons to keep Michigan guessing. In his first season at Florida, McElwain let the quarterback competition between Treon Harris and Will Grier carry into the season. In that case, the Gators certainly had one good quarterback: Grier.

2. Which position group will be most affected by the seven suspensions for the Michigan game? From a talent standpoint, the biggest loss is Callaway. The depth at the position, however, makes Callaway a loss that can be absorbed. Cleveland, Hammond and Swain are all capable exterior wideouts, though they don’t command the defense’s attention like Callaway.

Arguably the biggest area of concern is at linebacker. This was already a thin position group with multiple injuries (Kylan Johnson and Nick Smith). Without freshmen James Houston and Ventrell Miller, the Gators are in trouble with any injuries to Joseph, sophomore David Reese, redshirt freshman Jeremiah Moon or redshirt senior Cristian Garcia.

Even worse, suspension from team activities hurts Houston and Miller’s development, forcing them to play catch-up in practice when they return.

3. Can Florida’s secondary still be elite with true freshmen? With freshman Marco Wilson the first-team nickelback, it is virtually guaranteed the Gators will have a true freshman playing in the secondary against Michigan. Fellow newcomers Shawn Davis and C.J. Henderson are also expected to be part of the rotation.

The good news for the Gators is that Washington, Gardner and Duke Dawson have played together, so there’s some familiarity on the back end. In any freshman’s first game, however, you expect some communication issues, especially on a big stage like AT&T Stadium.

4. How many running backs fit into the picture? During camp, Scarlett told reporters that, in his opinion, the committee approach at running back played a part in Florida having the worst rushing offense in the SEC last season. Scarlett is undoubtedly the team’s feature back this season, but there is still a question of how many running backs will get to carry the ball and how McElwain will divide up those carries.

Perine and Malik Davis complement Scarlett’s power-running style well, but freshman Adarius Lemons might be the biggest home run threat out of the backfield. It sounds like a good problem to have, but last year, Scarlett clearly felt he deserved more carries and Jordan Cronkrite transferred out.

5. Just how strong is the offensive line? One of McElwain’s big talking points this summer was that the offensive line was a team strength. Four starters – Ivey, redshirt sophomore center T.J. McCoy, junior right guard Fred Johnson and sophomore right tackle Jawaan Taylor – make for an experienced, veteran group with Heggie a promising redshirt freshman.

With an injury to either starting tackle, however, the offensive line weakens significantly. If Ivey goes down, there still isn’t a great backup option at left tackle. Taylor and Jordan have worked at the position, and Johnson can move from guard to tackle, but it’s problematic from a long-term standpoint. If two starters get injured, this group looks to be in trouble.