Florida Football: What to Watch for in Gators' 2015 Spring Scrimmage
Fans inside "The Swamp" for Florida's Orange and Blue Debut won't get to see a traditional spring game this year. Depth issues—particularly along the offensive line—have prevented first-year head coach Jim McElwain from conducting true scrimmages this spring in Gainesville.
But there's still plenty to learn about the 2015 Gators on Saturday, when McElwain and his crew wrap up the spring practice session.
Can the offense show signs of life? Who will step up in the front seven? What kind of scheme will new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier employ when dual-threat quarterback Treon Harris is in the game?
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Let's get you ready for the Florida spring scrimmage with some things to keep an eye on:
Offensive Identity
It's no secret that McElwain and Nussmeier have been successful running more of a pro-style system at their various stops, but Florida ran more of a wide-open spread system first with quarterback Jeff Driskel and then with Harris last year under former offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.
How many of those elements will remain in this new system?
Some will have to when Harris is taking the snaps because, while he is a talented quarterback, he's much better suited to thrive in a multidimensional spread running attack than a traditional pro-style passing attack.
Not just for Harris, though.
Redshirt freshman Will Grier, while being a pro-style passer with an accurate arm, is athletic enough to thrive with some read-option elements as well. Since Demarcus Robinson is the only established wide receiver in Gainesville and there are plenty of running options including Kelvin Taylor and Adam Lane, getting a little creative in the running game might help ease the transition this spring as McElwain continues to install his system this offseason.
Who is Will Grier, Really?
Of the quarterback contenders in the SEC who haven't taken a snap in college football, it's hard to find one more polarizing than Grier.
The Davidson, North Carolina, native came to Florida last year as the second-ranked pro-style passer in the nation, but as I pointed out earlier in the week, there are some concerns about just how good Grier really is based on the rather weak competition he routinely faced in high school.
"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?" Bleacher Report national video analyst Michael Felder said. "Obviously, he was a monster in high school, but the competition level left me wanting to see more."
Fans likely already have an opinion one way or the other on Grier, but the truth of the matter is that nobody truly knows.
Grier is a mystery, and the curtain will be peeled back on Saturday in The Swamp.
If Grier, who is leading the quarterback race at the moment (due mostly to Harris' absence dealing with a death in the family), looks like he can stretch the field vertically and consistently push the ball from sideline to sideline, it will be a good sign that the hype is real and that he's ready for the challenge.
If Grier struggles, it isn't the end of the world.
McElwain and Nussmeier haven't been able to install everything based on the depth issues up front. Of course, that won't prevent the hot takes from flying after spring practice, though.
Just How Good can the Linebackers Be?
While the offensive line's struggles have dominated the headlines this spring, the absence of Antonio Morrison and Jarrad Davis at linebacker has also been a challenge for McElwain and new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins.
That has opened the door for Alex Anzalone, Daniel McMillian and Matt Rolin to all establish themselves as more than role players and press the starters who are out for playing time.
According to Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel, the linebackers are thriving.
Are Morrison and Davis in danger of losing their jobs? Nope.
But if the reserves can at least make it a reasonable question, that'd be huge for the 2015 Gators. It'd give Collins the depth he needs to produce a competitive SEC defense.
Watch the Training Table
It's no secret that Florida is suffering through a numbers problem. After all, McElwain and former Florida head coach Will Muschamp got into a nice little passive-aggressive war of words this spring over the subject.
"You've got to play the hand you're dealt," McElwain said, according to Thomas Goldkamp of GaitorBait.net in March. "And right now, quite honestly, the hand we were dealt is really insufficient at some of the areas."
That didn't sit well with Muschamp.
"He said he could coach a dog and win," Muschamp said, according to James Crepea of the Montgomery Advertiser. "Heck, (does he) like the dog better than his players?"
Verbal jabs aside, Florida can't afford more injuries.
The loss of offensive lineman Rod Johnson to a stinger leaves the Gators just six healthy scholarship offensive linemen, according to The Associated Press, via Fox Sports. The linebackers are thin too, and it's not like Florida is incredibly deep at wide receiver or quarterback either.
If the medical staff is busy on Saturday, that's bad news for McElwain.
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.
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.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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