Throughout the spring and summer the name Kadarius Toney continued popping up.
He’s been described as “electric”, “different”, “special” and “fast.”
Despite the chatter about the young freshman that was turning heads and garnering praise he was mostly ignored in the Florida Gators season opener. He had two catches for 27 yards against Michigan.
His debut may have left fans wondering why the freshman from Eight Mile, Alabama — a city named for its distance from Mobile, Alabama — had garnered so much praise in the offseason.
They’re not wondering anymore.
“There’s something cool about having a human joystick out there,” Jim McElwain said of Toney’s performance against Tennessee.
Toney hauled in four passes for 40 yards and nearly hauled in a 30-yard pass, which would have gone for his first touchdown. Feleipe Franks threw a beautiful pass, which led a streaking Toney into the end zone where the freshman laid out and had the pass before the ball was jarred out of his hands when he hit the ground.
Gotta come up with those ♂️⏳ https://t.co/R8iD1OYpuI
— C2N® (@kadariustoney) September 17, 2017
It would have been an impressive catch, but it’s one Toney can and should make. Still, in his four other catches he flashed and looked like a created video game player with his stats and sliders bumped all the way up.
When he got the ball in space Toney looked like The Professor or Hot Sauce from the old And 1 Mixtapes, leaving players wobbling like they were running on ice with socks.
“They couldn’t tackle him at all. And he’ll do the same thing in practice,” receiver Brandon Powell said of Toney. “It doesn’t surprise us. “It’s just a matter of time. He got his chance today and made two people miss in the open field. That’s what he always does.”
Toney enrolled early but mainly worked at quarterback in the spring with Florida’s depth scant there during camp. He’s young and still learning but the talent and the physical ability is more than apparent.
“He’s gotta still learn and learn how to play and do some things but obviously as we talked during the week, he was guy we felt needed to get touches,” said McElwain. “He’s an electric guy, man.”