Gator Football: 5 Florida Freshmen Who Will Take the SEC by Storm
The Golden State Warriors just won their first title in 40 years, the Blackhawks had their third Stanley Cup parade in six years this week and baseball is coming up on its All-Star break. For the most part, that means one thing, especially down south.
There are just 11 Saturdays remaining before college football season kicks off.
Heading into the offseason, Florida had plenty of questions. Chief among them, how would the recruiting class shape up?
We now know that first-year head coach Jim McElwain was able to give the Gators a top-25 recruiting class, receiving 21 total commitments. But how exactly do those recruits factor into 2015, and how do they stack up with Florida’s redshirt freshmen eager to put cleat to turf for the first time this fall?
In this list, we rank the top five Florida freshmen options to take the SEC by storm in their first year. Taking the SEC by storm is, of course, a relative term, so here are the criteria used to form this list. It’s very scientific.
Best chance to start right away. Best chance to have a major impact on the team. It’s that simple.
These players and criteria are obviously up for debate. That’s the beauty of sports, after all.
Honorable Mentions
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Tyler Jordan, Center: Jordan is expected to take the role of backup center, but offensive lines tend to be revolving doors. With the lack of depth on the line, it’s likely that Jordan sees playing time in his first year.
C’Yontai Lewis, TE: Redshirt freshman Lewis figures to slot in behind Jake McGee and DeAndre Goolsby on the depth chart at tight end. But with the possible exception of Jordan Reed, Florida hasn’t had a decent tight end since, well, you know.
No. 5 Jordan Scarlett, RB
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Kelvin Taylor seems entrenched as the starting Florida running back. Scarlett isn’t likely to even sniff the role of starter barring an injury to Freddy T’s kid.
But behind Taylor, there isn’t much else on the depth chart. According to Inside the Gators' Landon Watnick, Florida is returning only three scholarship running backs in 2015.
Scarlett told Watnick what the coaching staff has said regarding his role.
“They told me that they're not that loaded at the running back position,” he said. "[Coach Jim McElwain] is looking for guys to come in and step in and take a lot of reps, and that's what I do. So I'm willing to help him out.”
Scarlett was the No. 13-ranked running back prospect, according to ESPN. He decommitted from Miami and signed with Florida at the last moment. He could factor into playing time soon.
No. 4 Antonio Callaway, WR
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Florida’s wide receivers were a frustrating bunch last year. Just ask Jeff Driskel.
Last season, Florida had one standout at wide receiver in Demarcus Robinson. Robinson hauled in 59 passes for 810 yards and seven touchdowns.
Nobody else even came close to those numbers. Quinton Dunbar was the only other receiver with more than 20 catches.
Antonio Callaway's senior year was cut short prematurely after tearing his meniscus in Week 7. But prior to that, he led all of Miami-Dade County in receiving, hauling in 31 passes for 818 yards and seven scores, according to the Miami Herald.
Wide receiver could be a grab bag again at UF. That could bode well for the Gators’ top receiving recruit and ESPN's No. 33 wide receiving prospect.
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No. 3 CeCe Jefferson, DE
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We’re still not sure if the Gators have received his letter or intent yet, but if they have, Jefferson could be a beast.
Nobody is going to just replace Dante Fowler Jr. at defensive end, but Jefferson was widely considered the Gators’ stamp on the 2015 recruiting class for a reason.
That reason is explosiveness off the edge.
Jefferson might not start immediately, but it could be hard to keep talent like that off the field for long.
No. 2 Martez Ivey, OT
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The second of the two centerpieces of Florida’s recruiting class, Ivey has the second-best chance of all Florida freshmen to make an immediate impact.
After spring practices, the Gators had just six healthy offensive linemen. Ivey was not one of those, as he was still finishing up high school in Apopka, Florida.
But according to Bryan Manning of Bleacher Report, Ivey came out of the Orange and Blue Debut as a big winner without even being there.
No matter who starts at quarterback, protecting that guy will obviously be vital. Ivey will face a tougher challenge than his fellow linemen in getting accustomed to things, but the nation’s No. 1-rated offensive tackle prospect certainly has all the tools to be an impact blocker.
No. 1 Will Grier, QB
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Will Grier is No. 1 with a bullet. Although he's battling incumbent Treon Harris for the starting job, McElwain has stated that Grier is ahead in the quarterback competition, according to 247Sports' Thomas Goldkamp.
By the grace of the almighty, Florida refrained from burning Grier’s redshirt last year despite receiving mediocre-at-best quarterback play. McElwain said he could win with his dog at QB, and Grier is at least likely to be better (although maybe not as good of a scrambler).
Coming out of high school, Grier was rated as the 44th-best prospect by ESPN and the third-best QB prospect. A pro-style QB, Grier has garnered comparisons to McElwain’s last QB, Garrett Grayson, a third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in this year’s NFL draft.
Saturday Down South’s Murf Baldwin does a pretty good job breaking down film of the two players.
Assuming Grier steps into the Swamp as the starter, he could challenge for freshman of the year under McElwain's tutelage.
Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted. All stats and info courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47
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