Although portal season is never truly over, I thought I would take a few moments to give my thoughts and the status of Gator FB as of now. Has the roster improved? I believe that overall, this will be the most talented team UF has had in some time. Some of the talent is young, inexperienced or both. At the same time the young guys thrown in the fire seem to be making great strides and will be a year older and a year stronger. This is a top 10 team in talent IMO. How did UF do in the Portal? Some good and some not so much. UF went with the plan of retaining much of its roster and feeling needs with the portal. The late switch by Dallas Wilson, and the early addition of Sturdivant made it very easy to fill the needs at WR. The staff likes who is in the WR room and while many thought Cook was a loss, the truth is the staff was happy with who they had on roster and did not really pursue Cook hard. Loosing Purdey at QB was a loss or maybe not depending on how you look at it. I don't blame the man for wanting to start but unless DJ gets injured it wasn't going to happen. Harrison Bailey should fill the role nicely as a #2 and we could still see T Jones play some in 25. What about OLINE? Again UF chose to keep the guys they wanted rather than bring in and overpay a top OT. from the portal. UF lost 3 OL to the portal. I doubt any of them would have been on the 2 deep this year. The staff is very high on several of the linemen who have not seen the field much. Keeping Barber was priority 1 on OL. What about TE? Bordingham left via the portal. The top 4 at TE will be Livingston, Amir Jackson,Hanson and Rillos. That is an adequate but not great, unless we see someone make a big jump.My hope is we see a little more of the WR's in more 11 personnel. And the RB's? The strongest room on the team, maybe the best group of backs in the country. UF lost Johnson to the draft but signed Louis and Clark and Gasper. UF will also get Webb back from injury. Early reports on Louis is he was a stud at the AA practices. Clark is fast, maybe the home run threat and catches well out of the back field, which is something UF needs to do more of IMO. Will CBN hire an OC? No, and in the words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that. No matter who calls the plays this will be a very hard offense to stop. Projected Starters OB Lagway RB Baugh OT Barber LG K Harris C Seargent Slaughter RG D George RT Lovett TE Hanson TE Livingston WR Sturdivant WR Tre Wilson WR A Mizell Things to Watch Webb, Louis and Clark fight it out for RB3. Webb has the experience advantage. Wilson, Brown and Montgomery at WR. Montgomery had a great camp at the AA game. Will they surpass Hawkins , Jackson or Abrahms? Who will take a step at OL, the staff is high on Westphal and he should be groomed as Barbers replacement for 26. Caden Jones may not start but should get a lot of reps. Wangoy made huge leaps and played quite a bit in the bowl game. Will the highly ranked Zandamela get some snaps? Will Kam Waites find a roll? It should be an interesting spring. Don't be shocked if a few guys leave after spring. Thanks Candy
I can't wait to explore the possibilities of our new running backs with the additions of Louis and Clark...
The whole team seems better overall with the experience of the young players, especially on defense, that filled in when the known starters went down. Now we get the older starters back with the young guns with a full year of valuable experience under their belt. I just hope we take that next step overall. This team is solid and loaded with talent at several positions. 10-2 is possible...
I have felt that the Gators offense has mostly stopped itself in the last three years. Hopefully, this be the year the offense really executes!
Too many brainfart penalties stall drives. SOS and Meyer teams had quite a few too but those offenses could often overcome them.
What about KD? He flashed big time in the bowl. His speed would bring something extra to the offense. Any word on why Manuel missed the last eight games?
We want the two best OTs starting. If that means Manuel starts at RT I hope that's how it shakes out.
Bringing back 3-4 starters on the O line is huge. Lagway still doesn't have a lot of experience. Priority 1 has to be to give him time in the pocket and let him develop without getting hit a lot. If he can accelerate his decision making and stay healthy, this will be a tough offense to stop.
if I recall he had an ankle injury. Definitely an injury (though I could be wrong about the ankle part)
I love the SERGEANT SLAUGHTER reference..just gotta spell it correctly. Or Sarge. Now to players, and I thank u for starting this conversation. Westphal played some at right tackle. I think he will back up Barber. Similar body type. Caden Jones, I think he will be in the running at right tackle. I like the buzz on Wangoy, who is just a monster basketball player right now. If he can bring the toughness needed, durability needed to pair up with his foot work that most basketball players have in spades, Could be a real surprise. It will be interesting to see if our injured Arkansas transfer from last year can finally contribute. I know he was listed as a left tackle last year but I do see him getting a look at right tackle. Just a guess. Zandamela? He had an ultra high rating out of high school. Is he a potential star or was this a case of just being ahead of other high schoolers in weight and strength at that early age? As we all remember Mike Degory, who came to us as a 306 pounder also. A good Gator for sure. But he did not dominate in college as he did in high school..( ultra dominant). Where will Z be remembered? Kearney was ballyhooed as one exceptional, mature in football beyond his years. Will he assert himself, at center or guard. 305 or thereabouts. Thinking back on the Rimington Award and the 292# player whose name defined center excellence…old Dave was 292 when most linemen never equaled that size. Now, 305–310 is the template. The center is now usually, the smallest on the line,,especially in pass heavier offenses. Our tight end foursome looks substantial to me. We do not have a Kelce at 215 who is a stellar pass catcher and never a blocker. Guilty your honor. I must admit I will be interested in Caleb Rillos. He transferred from Air Force ( just to get his masters in Engineering I believe) for one year. He is a brilliant student. Confirmed. He is 6’6” and 250+. Yes. He was a true all around athlete, not just a football player. Before ..he grew to 252. We now have an ex quarterback, an ex basketball player, and an ex soccer player in our foursome of ends. All are over 250 with one at 275. They may not be flashy but all have good hands. We know DJ must exploit the short and interior spaces. I suggest these young men can help him do just that. Love the player evals, gents. Do more.
