Florida Football Week 3 Spring Practice Report
Florida is in the homestretch of its spring football session, with all eyes pointed squarely toward the Orange and Blue Debut on Friday, April 8, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
It will be there where Florida fans will get their first real glimpse of the 2016 Gators, as they look to repeat as SEC East champs in head coach Jim McElwain's second year as frontman of the program.
What questions have been answered in Gainesville and what must McElwain figure out between now and next Friday?
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Familiar Face, New(ish) Place
Luke Del Rio walked on at Alabama when Doug Nussmeier was the offensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide, was recruited by Nussmeier at Alabama and McElwain when McElwain was the head coach at Colorado State, and has been reunited with the duo in Gainesville after a brief pit stop at Oregon State.
It's home sweet home for Del Rio from a familiarity standpoint.
"When I decided it was for my best interest to leave Oregon State, I made a couple calls and coach ‘Nuss said he was going to be here. I knew coach Mac," Del Rio said (via FloridaGators.com). "He recruited me at Colorado State and Alabama. I knew they were going to run this offense, so I felt really comfortable coming here."
The comfort goes much further than coaches and scheme.
Del Rio, the son of Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, when his father was the head coach of the Jaguars from 2003-11. Growing up just an hour-and-a-half away from Gainesville, he's familiar with the area, pressure associated with being a Gator player and all that goes along with being their starting quarterback—even though he admits that he never really considered going to Florida when he was being recruited out of high school.
"I didn't ever think I would go to Florida when I lived in Jacksonville," Del Rio said. "We were so close. My dad went to USC and my sisters went to LSU. We were never really Florida fans."
Even though he never really considered the Gators, the combination of familiarity with the program and coaching staff, the year he's been in the system learning and the fact that his primary contender for the top spot on the depth chart is Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby has Del Rio out front early in the quarterback battle.
Can he keep it up?
We'll see, but so far so good for the journeyman.
Roster Turnover? No Problem
With former stars gone, including defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, linebacker Antonio Morrison, cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and safety Keanu Neal, Florida has been in search of new leaders on the defensive side of the ball.
That search is nearing a close.
We mentioned last week that tackle Caleb Brantley has already stepped to the forefront as one of the new leaders, and now he has some friends with him.
Linebacker Jarrad Davis finished last season with 98.0 tackles, 11.0 for loss and one interception, and defensive lineman Bryan Cox Jr. added 45.0 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. The duo has joined Brantley as vocal leaders of the Gators.
"Obviously, Jarrad Davis is a guy who stands out, just based on how he goes about his daily work schedule," McElwain said, according to Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun. "Bryan Cox has done an outstanding job as well. Seeing some of those guys just kind of step up a little bit for the team is something that's really good to see."
That's the most important goal the staff needed to get accomplished on the defensive side of the ball this spring.
The talent is there for the Gators to stay as one of the SEC's elite defenses, but a great defense needs its leaders to keep everybody on track during practice sessions and in offseason conditioning. With that process appearing to be complete, things are looking just fine for coordinator Geoff Collins and the Gator defense.
Thin at Wide Receiver
Florida is still in search of consistent playmakers outside, and that quest has been more challenging this spring than initially expected.
Star sophomore Antonio Callaway has been suspended since late January, as has quarterback Treon Harris (who reportedly will switch positions). A couple of injuries added a curveball to the Gators' scrimmage late last week, when 6'4" senior Ahmad Fulwood, C.J. Worton and junior college transfer Dre Massey sat out, according to Andreu.
Some were expected and others weren't, but at some point McElwain needs to see the contenders vying for quarterback spot work with their actual receivers in game-like situations.
It isn't something to panic about, but something to definitely keep an eye on as spring practice begins to wind down. The goal for every coach is to at least have a rough draft of how the season is going to look after the last of the 15 practices, and a revolving door at wide receiver won't help McElwain develop that draft.
Cha-Ching
What does a 10-4 season and a trip to the SEC title game in year one as a head coach in the SEC get you?
A raise, that's what.
Florida rewarded McElwain with a $750,000-per-year raise effective Feb. 1, bringing him to $4.25 million per year through 2021, according to a release from the school.
"It's great to know that our university and administration believe in the direction we are taking this program,'' McElwain said. "This sends a strong message about the things we are putting in place and the work of the entire organization. It sends a real message in recruiting that we have the support and confidence in our long-term vision."
Premature?
Not at all.
He's now the fifth highest-paid head coach in the SEC, according to the USA Today coaching salary database, behind Alabama's Nick Saban, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin, LSU's Les Miles and Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze. That's exactly where he should be based on what he has done at Florida. Saban is a cut above everybody else, Miles has two SEC titles and one crystal football, and Freeze has improved Ole Miss' record every year since taking over in 2012. Sumlin is a bit overpaid, but McElwain deserves to be with that group.
The job he did not only winning the SEC East in 2015, but navigating through the suspension to quarterback Will Grier, offensive line issues and significant injuries can't be ignored.
His raise is a market correction.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, 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.
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