Florida Football: Complete 2015 Spring Practice Primer
The Jim McElwain era is already well underway, and the first-year head coach of the Florida Gators will finally hit the practice field on Monday, when he opens his first spring practice session in Gainesville.
There's plenty of work to do.
Will Muschamp was shown the door after two rather lackluster seasons, and McElwain—the former Colorado State head coach (2012-2014) and offensive coordinator at Alabama (2008-2011)—has a lot of work to do to get Florida back into SEC East contention.
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Most notably, he must fix the offense. The Gators have finished 10th or worse in the SEC in total offense every year since 2010—Urban Meyer's last season as head coach. Can he do it?
The quest to turn the program around starts this spring. Let's get you ready for Florida spring practice with a complete spring primer.
What to Watch on Offense
The most visible position on the field is the one you need to watch this spring in Gainesville.
The quarterback position has been a nuisance ever since Tim Tebow exhausted his eligibility following the 2009 season. Former starter Jeff Driskel transferred to Louisiana Tech this offseason, leaving sophomore dual-threat quarterback Treon Harris and redshirt freshman pro-style quarterback Will Grier as the primary contenders for the top spot on the depth chart.
Harris started the final seven games of 2014, but he attempted more than 15 passes in a game just twice. The old staff wasn't sold on Harris as a passer and opted with a more conservative, run-based offense. That's a stark contrast to the style that McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier employ, which is more of a traditional attack with a pro-style passer.
| Treon Harris | 49.5 | 1,019 | 9 | 4 | 332 | 3 |
| Will Grier | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
That bodes well for Grier, who was the second-ranked pro-style passer in the country in the class of 2014.
McElwain said in quotes emailed by Florida that he doesn't intend to name a starter this spring and that style isn't the most important factor in his decision.
"I think a guy who learns how to throw it to our colored jersey is probably the most important thing," he said. "Understands the importance of taking care of the football and affecting the people around him in a positive way is really what we're looking for."
If Grier can make a push and pull even with Harris exiting spring practice, it would allow the staff minimal change in their own philosophy and increase the chances of Grier earning the starting nod this fall.
The biggest question outside of the quarterback battle is up front, where Florida has just seven healthy offensive linemen on scholarship, according to Florida Today.
What will McEwain do about the thin roster this spring up front.
"Cry," he said in quotes emailed by Florida. "It's been a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how we're gonna practice from a standpoint of trying to make sure we don't lose some other groups because of the one group, and yet putting so much work on them sometimes you get caught up in that."
Simply put, Florida has to stay healthy everywhere, but particularly along the offensive line.
What to Watch on Defense
While there are some holes to fill—particularly "Buck" defensive end Dante Fowler—the primary job for McElwain and new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins is to not mess things up.
Florida has a solid foundation with superstar cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, safety Keanu Neal, linebackers Antonio Morrison and Jarrad Davis and defensive linemen Jon Bullard and Bryan Cox. But Morrison, Davis and Cox are out for the spring, which means more depth issues on the defensive side of the ball for McElwain to deal with.
That could be a blessing in disguise at linebacker, where highly touted yet underutilized players like Alex Anzalone and Daniel McMillian could earn valuable practice reps and build the depth any team looking to contend for a division title sorely needs.
Florida has to continue to develop all of its corners alongside Hargreaves, because they'll get plenty of action this fall, as teams will undoubtedly stay away from Hargreaves' side of the field. Can Jalen Tabor step up? Will somebody else emerge? Those questions begin to be answered this spring.
Collins is a tremendous defensive coordinator who employed more of a 4-3 defense while at Mississippi State, but he isn't necessarily married to the system. Florida is more geared toward a 3-4 hybrid system based on the personnel on the roster, so it will be interesting to see how Collins mixes and matches his pieces with his scheme this spring.
Freshman to Keep an Eye on
Without a doubt, it's Grier.
The Davidson, N.C. native is remarkably accurate and is athletic enough to not only buy time behind the line of scrimmage with his legs, but also downfield. He threw for 14,565 yards, 195 touchdowns and 27 picks in three years at Davidson Day, a Division II school that, as Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer noted during his senior season, doesn't exactly play the toughest competition in the state.
B/R national lead writer Michael Felder agrees.
"The big question for me has been, and will be until proven otherwise, can Will Grier play at a high enough level consistently to be a successful SEC quarterback?" Felder said. "Obviously, he was a monster in high school, but the competition level left me wanting to see more. And, because he's not a physical specimen with a cannon for an arm or 4.3 speed, it is going to take proving he can make throws to the sideline and vertically to convince folks that he can lead the program."
The question with Grier is how good he really is.
McElwain is a brilliant offensive mind, and if Harris wins the job, he's certainly capable of tweaking his system to fit his quarterback. But Grier would provide a comfort zone for his head coach and offensive coordinator, which would ease the transition process for everybody involved in the program.
"A guy like Jeff Driskel, who was a specimen, didn't pan out," said Felder. "So this will be as much about McElwain's coaching as Grier's talent and ability to produce."
If the redshirt freshman can take the reins, it might elevate Florida to contender status in McElwain's first year as its head coach.
Coach McElwain's Toughest Task
Tempering expectations.
It's safe to say that, after two seasons of misery, Florida's fanbase is frustrated, angry and desperate. Despite the downswing, it extended its winning streak over up-and-coming Tennessee to 10 with a win last fall, and it followed that up a month later by throttling Georgia—which was on the periphery of the College Football Playoff discussion in November—38-20 in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated.
There's a sense that Florida is "a quarterback away" from contending for the SEC East. That's true, to a point, but it also overlooks several key factors—specifically the absence of offensive line depth.
Florida could contend for the division, but it's going to have to hope a quarterback not only emerges, but becomes a star while playing behind an offensive line that comes of age in a hurry.
It's not the most unrealistic goal in the world, but it's still a lot to ask for McElwain in Year 1 in Gainesville. If the Gators can just be in the discussion for the division title in November and produce an offense that is no longer the punchline to a depressing joke, that would be a huge step forward for the program and signal a successful first year for the new regime.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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