Billy Napier referred to the Orange and Blue Game as “a midterm exam” following the game. This is a chance for the coaches to evaluate the players, tell the players what they need to work on over the summer and decide which positions they want to target the most in the transfer portal.
Napier was later asked to hand out some grades for the Gators’ “midterm exam.” He declined to do so, so we’re going to do it for him.
Here is a breakdown of the projected depth chart for each position and a grade for them. Only players who were on the roster in the spring were considered. Summer enrollees had no influence on the grading process.
Quarterback
Projected Depth Chart: Anthony Richardson, Jack Miller, Jalen Kitna
Overview: If this was one of those group projects where one person does all of the work and everybody gets credit for it, then the quarterbacks would get an A or a B for the spring. Unfortunately for them, my grading criteria takes all of their performances into account.
Richardson looked really good for most of the spring, and he capped it off by completing 75 percent of his passes and scoring three touchdowns in the spring game. He seems much more comfortable with standing in the pocket and going through his reads. It doesn’t look like he’s taking the snap and looking to take off and run as much anymore. He still needs to be more consistent with his accuracy, though.
Miller was a bit of a disappointment in the spring. He never came close to challenging Richardson, and his spring game performance was pretty rough. He stared down receivers, held onto the ball too long and made some terrible decisions, including one that led to an end-zone interception.
Kitna was the most inaccurate quarterback during the open portions of practice. Even routes as simple as slants against air were an adventure for him at times. He didn’t complete a pass in the spring game and tossed an interception.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson exited the spring third on the depth chart but announced that he will enter the transfer portal on Tuesday.
Richardson looked very promising this spring, but the rest of the room has a long way to go.
Grade: C+
Running Back
Projected Depth Chart: Nay’Quan Wright, Lorenzo Lingard, Montrell Johnson, Demarkcus Bowman
Overview: It wasn’t a surprise, but this looked like the best position on the team during the spring.
Wright returned to practice about halfway through camp but didn’t play in the Orange and Blue Game as he recovers from a significant leg injury that he suffered in November. If he’s fully healthy by the time fall camp comes around, he should be the leading candidate to start. He’s a powerful runner with a low center of gravity. The combination of those two things makes him difficult to tackle. He’s also a good receiver out of the backfield.
In his stead, Lingard got the first reps with the first-string offense in the spring game. There isn’t one aspect of his game that stands out more than others, but he’s pretty solid all the way around.
Johnson was one of the stars of the Orange and Blue Game. His powerful running style is going to be a weapon for the Gators in short-yardage situations. He should be the type of back that gets more effective as the game goes on. Having to tackle him play after play for four quarters can wear a defense down. He looks like a potential featured back down the road.
If Bowman can clean up his ball security problems – he fumbled twice in the spring game – he’ll have a chance to earn some significant playing time this fall. His speed and explosiveness are obvious, but he’s got to improve at the aspects of the position that don’t involve running really fast with a ball in his hand.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
Projected Depth Chart:
X: Justin Shorter, Ja’Quavion Fraziars, Ja’Markis Weston
Slot: Trent Whittemore, Jordan Pouncey, Fenley Graham
Z: Xzavier Henderson, Daejon Reynolds, Marcus Burke
Overview: The starters are a solid but unspectacular group. Shorter caught 41 passes for 550 yards and three touchdowns in 2021. He’s working on creating more separation at the top of his routes this offseason. He can’t just be a deep ball and screen type of player now that he’s the top receiver on the team.
Henderson is in a similar position on the other side of the field. He has the size (6-foot-3) and the track speed to excel at this level, but he’s got to produce more than the 26 receptions that he made last year.
Whittemore brings some toughness and surehandedness to the slot. He’s going to catch pretty much everything that hits his hands and convert some big third downs.
For this group to be anything more than average, some other guys need to step up. The second-string and third-string groups feature players with some promise but not much experience. Fraziars tied for the game high with five catches for 53 yards in the spring game. Reynolds seemed to take a big step forward this spring after only playing in one game as a freshman in 2021. Burke has big-play potential, and Graham could be an option in the slot if his route-running and catching improve.
Grade: C+
Tight End
Projected Depth Chart: Dante Zanders, Keon Zipperer, Noah Keeter, Griffin McDowell
Also on Roster: Nick Elksnis, Jonathan Odom
Overview: This is the hardest position to evaluate because of all of the injuries and players switching over from defense.
Zanders seems to have made a very smooth transition, so much so that he actually ended the spring ahead of Zipperer on the depth chart. He led all players with 56 receiving yards in the spring game. If he keeps it up, he’ll be a major weapon over the middle of the field in the fall.
Zipperer is looking more and more like a bust. He was the No. 2 ranked tight end in the 2019 class, but he’s caught just 25 passes in his career. He isn’t all that explosive with the ball in his hands, and he’s shorter than some of the wideouts at just 6-foot-3. His blocking isn’t great, either. The hope was that a new coaching staff could tap into his potential, but getting beat out by a guy who hadn’t played tight end in three years in the spring wasn’t a good sign.
Keeter impressed during the spring game, making three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. He is a walk-on, so it’s unknown if he’ll maintain his spot on the depth chart once the three signees arrive over the summer.
McDowell played both defensive line and offensive line before switching to tight end. He was moved to the position purely for depth and blocking purposes. He may move back to defensive line in the fall once the depth hopefully improves at tight end.
This position has a ton of upward mobility, but, for now, based purely on what the position looked like at the end of spring, they’ll get a middling grade.
Grade: C-
Offensive Line
Projected Depth Chart:
LT: Richard Gouraige, Austin Barber
LG: Ethan White, Riley Simonds
C: Kingsley Eguakun, Richie Leonard
RG: O’Cyrus Torrence, Josh Braun
RT: Michael Tarquin, Kamryn Waites
Overview: This could be the best starting five that the Gators have put on the field in at least four years. It’s hard to find a major weakness in the group. Gouraige was the most consistent lineman on the 2021 team, and he should be even better in his second season playing at left tackle, his most natural position. He could be an All-SEC type of player.
White and Eguakun have been dominant run-blockers at times, but they need to be more consistent.
The most noticeable improvement up front comes on the right side. Torrence was a highly sought-after transfer for a reason. He was super impressive in the spring game and should help the Gators be more productive in short-yardage situations. Tarquin looked like one of the team’s most improved players in the spring; he should be an upgrade over Jean Delance, especially when it comes to pass-protection.
As is the case with much of the team, however, developing quality depth is paramount. Braun and Leonard are probably the only two non-starters that the coaches can feel good about, and even they’ve had some struggles throughout their careers. They really need a couple of the backup tackles to emerge, whether it’s Barber and Waites or somebody else. They don’t have anybody that can capably fill in for Gouraige, and replacing Tarquin at right tackle would likely take away from their depth inside.
The top end of the line is better than it’s been in a while, but depth is still a major concern.
Grade: C