Replacing the Florida Gators: On Offense

When the Florida Gators hired Jim McElwain as head coach, faithful fans expected a massive turn around on offense. They wanted points; they wanted yards; heck, they just wanted something enjoyable to watch.

And for the first six weeks they got it.

They were moving the ball well. They were completing passes. They weren’t throwing interceptions. They have a relatively explosive offense. And, ultimately, they met the expectations of fans in the first year.

Was it perfect? No. But it was better, much better, and that is what fans wanted.

That all changed after Will Grier was suspended and the offense went downhill quick, fast, and in a hurry.

But those days are behind us now.

The Gators will have a new starting quarterback, starting running back, X receiver, and a few new offensive linemen. It will be a new offense with new players.

The Gators lost 100% of the passes they threw; 72% of their rushing yards; 79% of their rushing touchdowns; and 47.6% of all passing reception targets.

The Gators have A LOT to replace. Let’s see how they do it.


Passing

With the loss of Will Grier to transfer and the move and subsequent indefinite suspension of Treon Harris, Florida will rely on a four-quarterback depth chart that has never completed a pass at the University of Florida.

Transfers Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby lead the pack, with true freshmen Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks waiting in the wings – hopeful to redshirt.

But that is not necessarily a terrible thing. Maybe it was time to blow the thing up and start over. The Gators ranked 72nd in pass efficiency; 90th in completions per game; 87th in passing yards per game; and 74th in completion percentage.

Del Rio, a former quarterback at the University of Alabama and Oregon State University, is the expected starter and has widely been considered a huge upgrade. In his only playing time at the University of Florida he went 10-of-11 for 176 yards and two touchdowns during the Orange and Blue Debut. While it was against the second team defense, Del Rio showed poise, accuracy, arm strength, and knowledge of the playbook – something he should know well from offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, who served in the same capacity at the University of Alabama when Del Rio played for the Crimson Tide.

While Del Rio has been praised during practices and Orange and Blue Debut, Del Rio has only thrown 18 collegiate passes in the last three years since first enrolling – completing just eight of them for 141 yards with zero touchdowns.

The other option is Austin Appleby, a graduate transfer from Purdue University. Appleby, a quarterback who has started 22 games in his career, has thrown for 2,777 yards with 19 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

Appleby, obviously the most experienced quarterback on the roster, lost his starting spot at Purdue last season and has had trouble with accuracy, with a 55% completion percentage. Appleby played well in the Orange and Blue Debut, leading the number two offense versus the number one defense, going 8-of-11 for 80 yards.

Appleby will push Del Rio for the starting spot and could be a very capable back-up, I expect Del Rio, or Appleby, to be much better than Treon Harris at successfully running the McElwain and Nussmeier offense.


Rushing

The Gators had a weird 2015 rushing. While Kelvin Taylor was the first Florida Gators running back to have 1,000+ yards (1,035) since Mike Gillislee in 2012, they ranked 113th in the country in rushing yards per game, 91st in rushing touchdowns per game, and 112th in rushing first downs per game – a year after ranking in the top-55 in all three categories just one year before.

Rushing Yards So with the loss of Kelvin Taylor and Will Grier’s (175) rushing yards, the Gators return 873 yards from last season, but more than half of those belong to Treon Harris, whose role next season remains undefined.

The Gators will rely on four running backs to lead the charge – Jordan Cronkrite, Jordan Scarlett, Mark Herndon, and Junior College transfer Mark Thompson.

The balance of playing those four running backs is still up in the air, and frankly, Jim McElwain nor Doug Nussmeier have ever had a real “running back-by-committee” approach.

Last year, many believed that Taylor would split carries with Cronkrite and Scarlett, but he ended up 50% of all rushes, while Cronkrite and Scarlett only combined for 15%, while the quarterback duo of Harris and Grier had 26% — something that you won’t see this season.

Going into the off-season, I believe Jordan Cronkrite is your starter, with Thompson and Scarlett battling for the back-up role.

The tape on all three is somewhat limited. Cronkrite averaged 3.6 yards per carry last season; Scarlett 5.3; and Thompson 5.5. The biggest issue I saw in tape and stat review, was that Thompson had six fumbles last season on just 84 carries, and it was something we heard during practice and saw during the Orange and Blue Debut – if not for that, I believe Thompson is your most physically gifted running back.


 Receiving

And finally much to the joy of the Gators faithful, there are some changes at wide receiver – a group that has widely underachieved since 2009.

With the loss of Demarcus Robinson, the Gators lose the receiver who over the last two seasons has ranked first and second on the team in yards, and with graduation and transfers, the Gators lose a total of 180 targets last season – 49%.

 Targets

 As well as, 51% of total catches from last season.

 Catches

 And they lose about 40% of their total receiving yards – or 1,142 yards.

 ReceivingYards

 But was it actually addition by subtraction?

Sure, Demarcus Robinson was a fine wide receiver, but he ranked 9th on the time in yards/catch (sure he had more volume than anyone else), but only had two more receptions than Antonio Callaway and average 8.5 yards less per reception – oh, and Antonio Callaway is just a sophomore (if, and when, he comes back to the team).

Looking forward to this season, count on Callaway, as well as tight ends Goolsby and Lewis to see increased volume their way. Outside of that…::crickets::

Brandon Powell was third on the team last season with 390 yards and I expect a similar, if not diminished role, with incoming Junior College transfer Dre Massey expected to split playing time. Last season, Massey amassed 305 rushing yards on 41 rushes and had 64 receiving yards on five receptions.

Further, will Ahmad Fulwood, Chris Thompson, C.J. Worton, or Alvin Bailey finally step up? The three upperclassmen and sophomore only collected 227 yards on 28 receptions.

The Gators will likely have to rely on their receiver heavy recruiting class. Their recruiting class had the number two, five (JuCo), 23, 32, and 79th nationally ranked wide receivers and they will be expected to play.

The prize recruit was Tyrie Cleveland, from Houston, Texas. The 6-foot-2.5, 189-pound receiver amassed 2,661 yards and 32 receiving touchdowns during his high school career. Cleveland has prototypical size with great speed that should flourish in college. He shows an ability to get open, run crisp routes, and have sure hands. Anything less than a solid season from Cleveland, will be disappointing.

Moreover, expect Freddie Swain to get significant playing time along with the aforementioned Dre Massey.

No matter who ultimately gets the receptions this year, expect more consistency and explosiveness.

 

Daniel Thompson
Dan Thompson is a 2010 graduate of the University Florida, graduating with a degree in Economics and a degree in Political Science. During this time at UF, Dan worked three years for the Florida Gator Football team as a recruiting ambassador. Dan dealt daily with prospects, NCAA guidelines, and coaching staff. Dan was also involved in Florida Blue Key, Student Government and Greek Life. Currently, Dan oversees the IT consulting practice of a Tampa-based company. Dan enjoys golfing, country music, bourbon, travel, oysters, and a medium-rare steak. Dan can be found on Twitter at @DK_Thompson.

3 COMMENTS

    • That’s my fault. I made a change and didn’t re-read it. I have corrected in.

      Thanks for reading.