This has been a spring camp like no other. For starters, it began in February instead of mid-March. Then there’s the fact that there will be no open practices to fans or media, and there will be no spring game in the Swamp. Instead, the only way to know what the heck is going on with the Gators is to sit in front of a screen, break out a magnifying class and try to decipher some meaning out of Instagram Live videos from 30 yards away.
But at least there is spring practice this year. That shouldn’t be taken for granted after 2020.
Here are five observations I’ve made through UF’s first five practices of the spring.
Turnaround at defensive tackle
Getting bigger at defensive tackle was a priority for the Gators over the past few recruiting cycles.
Mission accomplished. UF is set up for success at the position, both now and in the future.
In the present, transfers Antonio Shelton and Daquan Newkirk both weigh 318 pounds and bring a combined seven years of Power Five experience to the program. They’ve earned praise from their teammates and coaches for their performances in practice and the way they’ve stepped up as leaders. Then there’s Gervon Dexter, who still looks like an athletic freak at 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds.
The future of the position looks bright as well with early enrollees Chris Thomas and Desmond Watson. Thomas looks the part already at 6-foot-5 and 314 pounds, and he’s moved extremely well in the drills we’ve gotten to see. He could see some action as the fourth member of the rotation this fall. Watson, meanwhile, is literally a can’t-miss player, as he checks in at 432 pounds. He looks about as well-built and muscular as you could possibly look at that weight, and he doesn’t seem any less athletic than the guys that weigh 100 pounds less than him. Once he gets his body right, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, there’s still hope for Lamar Goods, Jaelin Humphries and Jalen Lee.
The days of UF starting sub-300-pound tackles are long gone. A position of weakness suddenly looks like one of strength for years to come.
Copeland, Henderson stepping up
With Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes leaving for the NFL and taking their combined 1,573 yards and 19 touchdowns from 2020 with them, the Gators need some new weapons to emerge. So far, Jacob Copeland and Xzavier Henderson have done just that.
Copeland has always had the speed and agility to be a great playmaker, but he seems to have turned a corner with his route-running and ability to separate from defenders this spring. He’s put defensive backs on their butts at least a couple of times in one-on-one route-running sessions. After drops plagued him during his first three years on campus, he hasn’t had many in the portions of practice available for viewing on Instagram.
Henderson has done a better job of using his bigger frame to box out defenders and catch the ball. He should fill Grimes’ role as the vertical threat.
When the Gators lost four senior receivers after the 2019 season, it looked like the 2020 season would be a rebuilding year at the position. Instead, Toney turned in one of the best seasons in school history. There might not be a player on this team that makes as large of a jump as Toney did, but you can count on coach Billy Gonzales putting a competent group of receivers on the field next season.
It’s Jones’ time
With Emory Jones struggling with his accuracy some in a practice last week, some have wondered if Anthony Richardson has a legitimate shot at winning the starting job.
You can stop wondering. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Jones will start against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 4. His three years of experience playing on some of the biggest stages gives Dan Mullen a comfort level with him that Richardson won’t be able to overcome in practice.
It’s true that Jones needs to improve his accuracy on intermediate routes, but that’s never been regarded as his strong suit anyway. He’ll beat teams with his ability to run the ball and stretch the field.
Jones has been the only quarterback that the media have been allowed to talk to, and his teammates’ eyes light up when they talk about him.
Mullen said on Monday that they’ll play multiple quarterbacks early in the season, but make no mistake about it: this is Jones’ team.
Back to the basics on defense
There seems to be a far larger emphasis on the fundamentals defensively so far this spring. For example, in one practice, we saw the entire defense do a drill where they started on their knees and had to wrap up and tackle a teammate. We’ve also seen the defensive backs do a drill where they have to use the sideline as an extra defender and play the ball in the air.
Given the defense’s inability to tackle or cover anybody with a pulse last season, that’s an encouraging sign.
Fans like to point to defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s scheme as the primary issue, and perhaps it is, but if the players can’t tackle or cover, it doesn’t matter what scheme you’re running.
Mullen wants his defense to play with “relentless effort,” but it looked more like reckless effort in 2020. Playing with better technique and discipline should help the defense improve this fall.
More collaboration between coaches
With that aforementioned tackling drill that every defender went through, cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar was the instructor for all of the players. We’ve seen Montinar and Wesley McGriff work with cornerbacks and safeties rather interchangeably. Tight ends coach Tim Brewster also worked with the offensive tackles during a blocking drill.
That level of collaboration hadn’t existed in previous years, at least not that we’ve gotten to see. Each coach worked with the guys at their position with the only crossover coming on special teams.
Mullen will never admit this publicly, but it’s clear that the communication and cohesion among the staff wasn’t as strong as he wanted it to be last season. The hope is that better communication and more consistent teaching by the coaches will lead to a more cohesive product on the field next season.