The Florida Gators hit the indoor practice facility for the first day of fall camp on Thursday afternoon. NCAA rules prohibit the interactions that the coaching staff can have with players during the offseason, so much so that this was really the first time head coach Jim McElwain has even been able to see a lot of his players back in jerseys.
“Those guys got to go do that on their own,” McElwain said of players running practices on their own in the offseason. “Then when you’re up in the offices and the guys come up for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you can ask did anyone catch a ball today? And they said yeah, these guys throw it pretty good, so you’ve got a pretty good feel about it.”
The initial return from Mike Kent’s strength and conditioning program is good. Guys like Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone are physical specimens, running around the field like 240-pound receivers. Even more noticeable, however, are the guys that have re-shaped their bodies completely. Freshman Jeremiah Moon, listed at 218 pounds, has added 12 pounds to his frame since he’s arrived on campus for Summer B. Freshman offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor, listed at 340, has dropped nearly 40 pounds since high school and looks noticeably slimmer and quicker for it.
“Guys look good in their uniforms which makes you at least happy about getting off the bus,” McElwain quirked.
It’s an old little league adage. Send your biggest, toughest looking guy off the bus first. Florida, thanks to the offseason program, will have a logjam when they get off the bus this season.
“Jordan Smith is a guy, just looking at him in uniform, I was kind of like, ‘sheesh, you’re actually starting to kind of grow up,’” McElwain said of the freshman defensive lineman. “I think as you guys even saw maybe out there, we got a little size wise, but more than that our length is really good. I think Brandon Sandifer to say – you’re talking about those young guards – for a guy that’s reshaped his body downward. I think he’s done a heck of a job.”
After just one day in girdles, jerseys absent of pads it’s the biggest thing that could be taken away from the first day back on the field. The Florida Gators look the part of the returning SEC East Champions, now they need to transfer the work they put in during the summer to the field this fall.