Florida Gators Football: 10 Things to Expect from the Spring Game

The Florida Gators have already begun spring practice, but it's the spring game that everybody is looking forward to. The Orange and Blue game will take place on April 7, and it's a game that every Florida Gator fan should keep their eye on to see just how much this team has improved over the last month or so.

Last season wasn't exactly a success story for Florida, but throughout the spring is a time to put the past behind you and work on next season. The Gators do return the majority of their starters on the defensive side of the ball, which should help as well.

As we rapidly approach the Orange and Blue debut, here are 10 things you should expect.

A.C. Leonard to Play

The Florida Gators sophomore tight end A.C. Leonard had a little issue with his girlfriend that ended up with an arrest back in February. Leonard has been able to return to the team since and has really made his head coach very happy with how he's focused on the football side of things.

“At the end of the day, I told him he needed to meet some things to come back to even have a chance to practice with our team,” said head coach Will Muschamp. “And he’s done those to this point. I’m not even worried with his development. I’m not even concerned with that right now. He made a mistake.”

His status for the spring game is still up in the air, but considering he's done everything that's been asked of him, I expect him to be on that football field on Saturday. Leonard caught eight passes for 99 yards his freshman season.

Omarius Hines to Emerge as a Playmaker

Omarius Hines is a big boy at 6'2", 220 pounds but hasn't exactly found his true position as he enters his senior season. He's tried wide receiver and tight, but in three years, he only has 41 receptions for 559 yards. Now, the Gators are putting him at running back which may end up paying off.

"He's done some nice things," UF coach Will Muschamp said. "He hasn't carried the ball as much. It's hard to judge in helmets obviously, but he did some nice things carrying the ball. He has some instincts with the ball in his hands, and I'm interested in seeing it progress."

With the combination of speed and power, Hines could be a force at his new position, and he should be given every opportunity to succeed with Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey no longer around. This is something to pay attention to on Saturday.

Quinton Dunbar to Be a New Wide Receiver

Wide receiver Quinton Dunbar didn't exactly fulfill expectations his freshman season with 14 receptions for 216 yards and only two touchdowns. But under new offensive coordinator Brent Pease and a year under the young receiver's belt, he's making huge improvements in practice.

"Quinton's really done well in four days—really done well," Pease said. "Drastic improvements every day."

Dunbar was one of the better receivers to come out of the 2010 class and has great size and speed, but it took him a while to get going early on. This season, you should expect him to be a completely different receiver for this Gators team.

"Practice is built to go fast and be challenging so that games are easier," Pease said. "He's starting to play the game faster. He's not thinking so much. When kids are thinking, they play slow because they don't know everything.…but I've seen the pace of how he plays every day get faster and faster and faster."

Ronald Powell to Take That Next Step

The Florida Gators were sixth in the SEC last season with 28 sacks, which we all know must improve if this team wants to be better. The leading sack leader last season was sophomore Ronald Powell who had six of those 28 sacks. Although he was one of the better defensive players last season, he still found ways to improve his game.

"In the offseason, he really has had a bunch of focus," Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said of the 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior. "He came in to say, 'I'm going to really work at it,' and to his credit his offseason went that way. I think it's kind of almost like a continuation of that, where his work from the offseason program started right away and went into the spring practice. I've been real encouraged by what we've seen. I know he's been really focused and determined to play as well as he can."

Most great players always find ways to improve, and that makes for a better season. Powell has the potential to be great and become one of the top defensive ends/linebackers in the conference, expect to see an even better player out there during the spring game and the regular season. 

Jelani Jenkins to Intercept a Pass

Linebacker Jelani Jenkins has difference maker written all over him, but he still has flaws that he has to correct if he expects to become that type of player.

The Gators dropped a total of 15 interceptions last season, and the junior linebacker led the team with six of them. Believe me, that's something he's been working on throughout spring.

"We always joke around with him [about dropping interceptions]," safety Josh Evans said. "He should be able to catch them. He's out there on the Jugs [machine] a lot. He hit it probably once or twice [last season], but he wasn't really a big Jug guy.

"Now he's taking it real serious coming into the season."

Jenkins had a great season, despite the dropped interceptions. With the inconsistency at the quarterback position for Florida, expect the linebacker to snag an interception to shut his teammates up for a while.

The Quarterback Battle Will Still Remain

The most watched position throughout spring has been at quarterback, but the problem is that nobody has created separation between Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett. Both are young and talented players and even if one does impress during the spring game, it won't really do much for Will Muschamp and company.

“In the long run of winning the job, certainly it does,” Muschamp said. “But it's not going to be D-Day either, to say this guy has one good day compared to 14 other days of competing. Right now, it's too close to call as far as the competition is concerned to take one day over all the others. Will it be important? Certainly.”

Expect this battle to carry on through the fall as you'll continue to wonder who the starting quarterback will be.

Young Offensive Linemen Will Do Their Thing

Florida returns all but one starter on the defensive line, although that's not really saying much for a unit that was terrible as they were. The good news is that the Gators recruited well on the offensive line, and a couple of those players are really turning some heads throughout spring.

“Jessamen Dunker’s gonna be a really good football player. How quickly and how fast, I don’t know, but he’s doing some nice things; he’s made strides,” said Muschamp. “D.J. Humphries continues to impress.”

Both are highly rated recruits and have great size at 6'6". You can expect them to continue to shine and don't be surprised if they see a lot of playing time this season.

Latroy Pittman Turns Some Heads

Latroy Pittman was only a 3-star recruit in this year's class, but he had offers from schools like Florida, Florida State and Notre Dame for a reason. And that's because he's an extremely underrated receiver and has the potential to make big plays, as Florida has quickly found out.

“He understands every-down performance, blocking and doing things you gotta do to be successful, and reading coverages and seeing coverages,” Muschamp said of Pittman. “He goes out and makes plays.”

Pittman is a do-it-all kind of player who will do anything to help the team. As a receiver, he's very big and physical and has great hands. With the lack of depth at the wide receiver position, you may see a lot of Pittman this season, especially if he has a great spring game. 

Punt Return to Be a Fun Battle to Watch

The Gators were ranked 77th in the country in punt return average last season, which means several players are in the running for the starting position this year. Some of those players include Frankie Hammond Jr., Louchiez Purifoy, De’Ante Saunders, Andre Debose, Marcus Roberson and RB Trey Burton.

Wide receiver Debose may have the advantage due to his three career kickoff returns for touchdowns throughout his career, which happens to be a Gator record.

Regardless, everyone is focused on the quarterback position and many other battles; the punt return position should also be fun to watch with all of that speed and talent back there.

A Much Better Florida Team

Last season was a rebuilding year for this program as they finished the year 7-6 and nearly lost to Furman of all schools. This season, you should expect much better results as Muschamp now has a year under his belt, a solid recruiting class and the majority of a great defense returning.

Of course, there are still several questions that this team must answer, but the spring game should provide Gator fans with several positives to take away from and have next season looking much brighter. The players seemed focused, and the coaches are putting the team in the best position to succeed.

Expect to see an exciting spring game that will get you even more excited for the regular season than you already are.