The Florida Gators returned to the gridiron Wednesday afternoon for the first time since Jan. 8, 2009 when they beat the Oklahoma Sooners, 24-14, at Dolphin Stadium for the BCS National Championship as the first of 15 spring practices took place at the Sanders Practice Fields before a crowd of 300 spectators and a large contingent of state and national media.
Coach Urban Meyer and his staff put the Gators through a 3-hour practice without pads—the first three spring practices are mandated padless—but the team still managed to get in individual and team sessions plus work on special teams play before the Gators headed back to the James W. “Bill” Heavener Football Complex to call it a day.
“It’s hard to tell anything without pads,” Meyer told reporters afterward.
Tim Tebow, the Gators’ quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who turned down an opportunity to put his name in the NFL Draft to return for his senior campaign in Gainesville, was one of the first players to take the field, entering the practice complex wearing a red jersey with his name and familiar No. 15 and then sprinting away from the spectators/media to another field to work on his passing technique with new QB coach Scot Loeffler. He was joined soon after by John Brantley, his backup wearing a red No. 12.
Brantley was one of the few players who caught Meyer’s eye, as the Florida coach liked the way he was throwing the ball. Both he and Tebow also took snaps from center during 7-on-7 drills, an indication that Florida may add to its spread offense with some I-formation plays to utilize the talents of Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps and Emmanuel Moody.
Hobbling in one crutches were a couple of players, most notably athlete/returner Brandon James, who had offseason foot surgery, and offensive lineman Matt Patchan, who was injured in a scooter accident and is expected to miss about a week of practice. Patchan played on the defensive line last fall but is making the move to offensive line where the Gators are trying to replace graduating seniors Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins.
Steve Addazio, the offensive line coach and Florida’s new offensive coordinator, was pleased with the team’s first workout.
“I thought the guys competed hard and everyone—coaches and players—did a great job for the first day,” Addazio said. “We had great tempo, competing and learning today.”
With the loss of Trautwein and Watkins plus a shoulder injury to right guard Mike Pouncey limiting him, Addazio got a chance to look at several combinations during offensive work. Maurkice Pouncey centered a group with guard Maurice Hurt and tackle Marcus Gilbert to his right and guard Jim Wilson and David Young to his left. Maurkice Pouncey also centered a line with Hurt and Gilbert on the right and Wilson at left guard and Carl Johnson at left tackle. Johnson alternated much of last season, particularly during Florida’s season-ending 10-game winning streak, with the graduated Jim Tartt and is expected to move out to Trautwein’s position, opening up the left guard spot for Wilson.
A third group including Sam Robey at center with Bryan Jones at right guard and Nick Alajajian at right tackle and Corey Hobbs at left guard and Jonotthan Harrison at left tackle.
The Pounceys will be juniors next fall, while Johnson, Hurt and Gilbert will be a redshirt juniors, Patchan and Young true sophomores, Wilson a redshirt sophomore, Jones a redshirt freshman and Harrison and Alajajian true freshmen who enrolled in January.
Addazio likes his linemen to have versatility, and if Robey can handle the center duties, it would allow the line coach/offensive coordinator to use the Pounceys at left and right guards.
Florida continues spring drills Friday.