Florida Gators notebook from Jim McElwain presser

Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain spoke to the media on Monday following a season opening 24-7-win over UMass and provided updates on the opener, suspensions, injuries, offense, defense and Kentucky moving forward.

Injuries

  • Dre Massey is out for the year with a leg injury. Will have surgery after the swelling goes down.
  • Duke Dawson will be limited at practice with a shoulder injury but all signs point to him being fine.
  • Daniel McMillian has a high ankle sprain no timetable on his return.
  • Time will tell on C.J. Worton’s injury.

Offense

  • Luke Del Rio did good on not turning the ball over; had some throws he’d like to have back.
  • Jordan Scarlett did a good job in pass protection.
  • No changes starter-wise on the offensive line.
  • Richard Desir-Jones will be in the offensive line rotation next week.
  • Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain played well in their first game. Did a good job in the weather conditions.
  • The offense needs to increase explosive plays. (Plays over 30 yards)

Defense

  • The defense needs to do a better job in getting off the field on third down.
  • Jeremiah Moon and Kylan Johnson will step in during the absence of Daniel McMillian.
  • Alex Anzalone had the most production points against UMass.
  • Anzalone and Jarrad Davis, “As good as it gets,” at linebacker in college football.
  • Defensive tackle Khari Clark stood out on Saturday; did a good job of maintaining gap control.

 

suspensions

  • Jalen Tabor and C’yontai Lewis will both be back this week and will play on Saturday.
  • Freshman wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells will be back with the team this week. Their status will be updated on Wednesday.
  • Suspended senior playing this week, “We’ll see.”

Kentucky

  • Kentucky will be a lot bigger than UMass.
  • The team is looking forward to a 3:30 game on national television.
  • Kentucky will be coming to The Swamp with the mentality that they should’ve won last time they were here.
Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.