Jim McElwain likes the way his team looks

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.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC