Advertisement
Published Jul 24, 2019
What to watch for as Florida starts fall camp
circle avatar
Jacquie Franciulli  •  1standTenFlorida
Staff
Twitter
@JacquieFran_

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida football starts fall camp on Friday. As Dan Mullen and his staff prepare for their second season in charge, the group will hope to answer a few questions prior to the season opener against Miami in a month.

Here are a few things Gators Territory will be watching as the Gators take the field:

1. How far has the offensive line come?


Advertisement

You have heard it time and time again, Florida's success this season will hinge on the offensive line's progress.

There are a lot of new names in the trenches and John Hevesy will hope to see the gap between the first team and the second team line close as each week passes.

The first team should consist of: Nick Buchanan, Stone Forsythe, Jean Delance, Brett Heggie and Chris Bleich - four upperclassmen.

The question comes how far have guys like TJ Moore and Richard Gouragie come the last few months.

2. Is it Toney Time in Gainesville?

Kadarius Toney is one name that has received a lot of hype in the offseason. Toney has always been an electrifying athlete, however, it seemed like the Alabama native took a step forward with the staff as the season went on last year.

In the end the receiver seemed to earn Mullen's trust enough to receive the coveted No. 1 jersey this past month.

Toney finished 2018 with 240 yards rushing and 260 yards receiving -- averaging a 11.1 yards per touch.

How much more will Toney feature this season?

3. Who will feature at safety?

Florida's safety unit is not the most consistent bunch. Brad Stewart is probably one of UF's most athleticly gifted players, however, he had some off the field issues which limited him last season.

Stewart only started seven games (played in 11of 13 games) last season - missing the Gators' contest against Georgia.

Florida has turned to Donovan Stiner and Jeawon Taylor at safety, however, Shawn Davis is another defensive back that could see the field more - he missed some time due to injury last year.

However, with John Huggins' performance last spring, could the staff shuffle things in the secondary so that Huggins can get on the field. At this time he is backing up Trey Dean at the nickel.

4. Lining up on the defensive front

There are a few questions surrounding the defensive line heading into the new year.

Zach Carter and Andrew Chatfield were two defensive linemen that seemed to raise their stock this spring. Can they both continue on that trajectory?

Carter is expected to play behind Jabari Zuniga, however, he also saw some time inside in the spring. Tedarrell Slaton and Elijah Conliffe have often shown their potential at practice but has yet to demonstrate the same intensity, performance level on game day. Can they take the next step this season?