Florida Football Week 1 Spring Practice Report

The defending SEC East champs are on the practice field in 2016 as second-year head coach Jim McElwain hopes to defend his division title and fill enough roster holes to make any head coach lose sleep.

The quarterback battle taking place among Luke Del Rio, Austin Appleby and Feleipe Franks is what's garnering the most attention, but finding a running back, solidifying the offensive line, reloading the front seven and replacing superstar corner Vernon Hargreaves III are all on the docket for the Gators this March and April.

No pressure, Jim.

How have the boys from old Florida looked during the early stages of spring?

Quarterback Picture Coming Into Focus?

Treon Harris ended last season as the starter at quarterback and reportedly will be moved to wide receiver if and when he hits the practice field following his suspension (more on that in a moment). The battle to win the job in 2016 most likely won't be settled this spring thanks to Del Rio's inexperience, the arrival of Appleby—a Purdue transfer—and the presence of true freshman early enrollee Franks.

Apparently a front-runner has emerged. 

Del Rio, the former Alabama and Oregon State player who arrived at Florida a year ago and sat out the 2015 season, has impressed the staff with his ability to pick up the playbook and lead the team, as McElwain explained to Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel: 

"

One of the things that I love about him is he's kind of a gym rat. You can tell he obviously grew up around the game. He's a guy who enjoys watching film. He enjoys [being] around the guys, he's does a great job as a leader. Not only is he a good quarterback, but just the qualities you want at that position.

"

Eugene Tanner/Associated Press

The Gators sputtered down the stretch after former quarterback Will Grier was suspended for a year after violating the NCAA's performance-enhancing drug policy in mid-October. They averaged just 319.8 yards per game and 4.65 yards per play over the final six games of the year, according to cfbstats.com.

Once Grier decided to transfer and it became clear that Harris' future was at wide receiver, Del Rio became the leader the Gators needed during offseason conditioning. 

"He took the role on very fast," safety Marcus Maye said, according to Thompson. "He's got a great relationship with the guys."

Unless there's some unforeseen news that pops up between the end of spring practice, it's unlikely that McElwain will actually name a starter during or immediately after spring practice. He let the Grier-Harris battle bleed into the season last year, and with so much inexperience across the board in this year's battle, a prolonged competition is essentially required so the staff can have a firm grasp on what each contender is capable of.

But Del Rio's emergence early in spring practice is a good sign for an offense that desperately needs a leader. A quick jump will leave a lasting impression on the staff and set the bar high for the contenders. Even if he doesn't win the job, a higher standard will benefit the entire offense.

Suspensions? Who Knew?

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One of the most surprising developments of spring practice came in the form of suspensions to Harris and star sophomore wide receiver Antonio Callaway, according to the Associated Press (via the USA Today). Harris obviously needs spring practice to adjust to his new position if that is McElwain's plan, and Callaway is the only proven playmaker outside on the Gator offense. 

Depending on how long they last, these suspensions could be huge for the wide receiving corps.

Harris is certainly a project and will likely mimic the role of slot receiver Brandon Powell. Because of that, these 15 spring practices will be invaluable to his development as a receiver. With Harris on the sideline, his future with the team—at either position—doesn't look very bright.

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

For Callaway, it's a missed opportunity to learn with the quarterbacks who are practicing.

The majority of his work as a true freshman in 2015—when he caught 35 passes for 678 yards and four touchdowns—came with Grier and Harris taking the snaps. The eventual winner of the quarterback battle in Gainesville will need to be on the same page with Callaway—who caught the game-winner late in the rivalry with Tennessee in late September—if the Gators are going to add that much-needed second dimension to the struggling offense.

The silver lining is that other wide receivers will get more snaps in their absence, which will build much-needed depth and versatility to the struggling unit. Building that depth is one of the primary goals of spring practice in most instances. But with Florida's offense serving as the punchline to a bad joke for a half-decade, the search for explosiveness takes precedent this spring.

Building DB Depth

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Florida has the dynamic duo of Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson to rely on at cornerback this spring, along with Maye at safety and the versatile Duke Dawson—who can play corner or safety—in the mix.

Depth is needed, though, and it could come in the form of early enrollees.

Former 4-star corner Chauncey Gardner is up to 205 pounds from 194 so far this spring, and athlete McArthur Burnett—who's listed as a defensive back on Florida's spring roster—has already added 17 pounds, McElwain told Nick de la Torre of GatorCountry.com.

"They are able to eat. Let’s call it the way it is. That’s one of the great things the NCAA did, was allow these guys to be able to have access to actual meals," McElwain said. "For guys like that who aren’t used to getting consistent eating habits, it’s not hard, right? So that’s good to see."

Gardner has everything it takes to be a star, and will fill in nicely behind the two starters as a true freshman a lot like Tabor did two years ago. 

It's lather, rinse, repeat for the Gators secondary, which routinely develops young players and turns them into stars quickly once they arrive on campus.

Ground And Pound(s)

Anytime a junior college transfer comes in, the expectation should be for him to make an immediate impact.

Mark Thompson has done just that.

The former Dodge City (Kansas) Community College running back has stepped into the battle that's taking place at running back with Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkrite and made a huge impression.

Literally.

The 6'2", 242-pounder originally from La Mott, Pennsylvania, already looks the part of a star in the SEC.

"That’s an SEC back, right there," McElwain said of Thompson, according to Jesse Simonton of the Miami Herald. "He looks the part. Now we’ll find out when we get pads on. I noticed when he was hitting a couple inside zones and cutbacks, the guy that was kind of coming down questioned [himself] a little bit. He could see a bigger body there."

Could he be the next Derrick Henry?

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and former Alabama star is of similar size and stature to Thompson, and McElwain's pro-style pedigree will lend itself to a bruising running back playing a big role in the offense. 

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.