After struggling a bit with his accuracy in the portions of the first two practices that were open to the media, Ohio State transfer quarterback Jack Miller has rebounded with a pair of solid days. He didn’t miss any receivers during the open period on Tuesday and hit his receivers in stride.
While the outside world seems ready to anoint Anthony Richardson as the starting quarterback following Emory Jones’ departure, Miller will put some pressure on Richardson if he continues to perform well.
Napier said that Miller doesn’t let bad days keep him down for long, and that’s one of his greatest qualities.
“There’s a reason Jack’s here, first of all,” he said. “We anticipated potential issues. I think Jack comes across as a guy who has been in competition before. He’s played in games before. I think he does come across like it’s not too big for him. He’s comfortable. He’s able to handle the good and the bad. I think he can make a play and then be the same guy the next play. He can make a mistake and then be the same guy the next play.
“There’s some steadiness there that I appreciate. Certainly, you can see the ball comes out of his hand. He has arm talent. He’s accurate. And so far, he’s picking it up pretty quick. I think we made a good decision there. We’re glad Jack’s on our team.”
Offensive lineman Richard Gouraige said that Miller has worked hard ever since he arrived at UF, and that has endeared him to his teammates.
“He’s a dog,” he said. “I love his work ethic. I see him and [Justin] Shorter working after practice, running routes and stuff. Even now, I see them throwing the ball. I just love what I see from Jack Miller. Even though he’s a young player, he’s ready to play as well. If he gets a shot, I know he’ll do great things.”
Running back Nay’Quan Wright said that he’s been surprised by how athletic Miller is. While he rushed for more than 800 yards as a high school freshman in Arizona, Miller is considered more of a pocket-passer who picks defenses apart with his arm.
“I didn’t know he could run,” Wright said. “I had a reaction when I saw him run. I didn’t know he could run. He has some little wheels on him.
“I actually didn’t know who he was. He was at Ohio State, and then, him coming in, he’s just a cool guy. He didn’t come in and think, ‘Oh, I was at Ohio State, and this how they ran their program.’ He came in and bought in. He’s a great teammate for me. He comes in and laughs. He takes mental reps when he’s not in. I like that about him, how he takes his mental reps when he’s not in the game.”
The other Miller healthy, dealing with academics
Linebacker Ventrell Miller has missed three of the Gators’ first four practices this spring, with last Saturday being the only time that he’s even been seen at the practice facility.
Since he missed most of last season while dealing with a bicep injury, his absence sent off some alarms among fans and media.
Napier said that there’s nothing to be worried about. Miller is trying to graduate this summer, and one of his required classes conflicts with their practice time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, he’s only going to practice once per week this spring.
Napier added that his absence may actually be a blessing in disguise given the injury that he’s coming off of. Even though he’s been medically cleared, it’s still nice to give him some extra rest.
Though he hasn’t been around the practice facility much, Miller is still finding ways to make an impact on the team.
“When Ventrell was here, you could feel his presence,” Napier said. “He’s a vocal guy. He’s got great presence and energy, and he’s certainly been a productive player. I think two years ago he was a preseason All-SEC player who has played well here. I think the consensus here last year is, when he got hurt, it was a little bit of a setback for the team.”
Graham getting work at receiver
Redshirt sophomore Fenley Graham is practicing with the wide receivers this spring. He was brought to UF by the former coaching staff largely because of his kickoff and punt returning prowess, and he was listed on the roster as a safety.
Napier said that Graham’s position change was about getting the depth where they wanted it at the position.
“We needed another player,” he said. “We were a little short, and Fenley’s played there in the past.”
As could be expected for someone playing a different position, Graham’s experienced some struggles early in the spring. He’s dropped some passes and gotten his technique corrected by receivers coach Keary Colbert.
If Graham is able to progress quickly, he should have an important role in the offense as a smaller, shiftier type of playmaker in a receiving corps that almost entirely consists of bigger-bodied players.
“Fenley’s very much a developmental player, and consistency is very much a quality that describes a player that I have respect for,” Napier said. “I think Fenley, like a lot of the players on our team, needs to be more consistent as people and as football players.”
Offensive linemen getting acclimated to having two coaches
While it’s common for NFL teams to have multiple assistant coaches assigned to the offensive line, it’s pretty rare at the college level. They’re only allowed to have 10 on-field assistant coaches, so having two for the offensive line requires either not dividing the secondary into cornerbacks and safeties or not having a coach for another position altogether.
Napier made it work by opting to coach the quarterbacks himself. Through four practices, Gouraige has liked the coaching dynamic between Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
“They say the more the better,” he said. “It’s better getting it from two guys instead of one, to see what they see and stuff like that, like my hand position, my feet and everything. It’s just elevating our game.
“I feel like having two coaches is very helpful. Like, the guards get one coach one day, and the other coaches the tackles. They’re very flexible, so everybody is getting a lot of work in a short period of time. Every minute counts.”
Sale and Stapleton have also done a good job of connecting with the players and forming a tight bond in the short time that they’ve been at UF
“Those guys are very funny,” Gouraige said. “They start us off with funny jokes and stuff like that, but those guys have been helpful because they’re so connected with the players. What they’ve been doing so far has been helping the team go out there and have fun while playing fast. Just do what you love really. If you mess up, just go on to the next play, and we’ll fix it up after practice.
“As soon as Sale and [Stapleton] got here, they took us to PF Chang’s as an O-Line. That was a great first start to getting the connection between coaches and players and trying to bond with each other. Every month, we get together for a big ole brunch. Last time, we had Sonny’s. The bill was kind of big. We really appreciate things as a unit. As long as your position coaches believe in you, you believe.”
Warm up the buses
For years, it’s been something of a tradition to see the football team walk from their locker room in the south end zone of the Swamp to the practice facility across the street around 3:30.
That routine has been altered this spring. The team now gets on buses at the stadium and takes a short ride over to the practice complex.
Director of football operations Joshua Thompson said that taking buses serves two purposes. First, it drastically reduces the amount of walking that the players have to do over the course of the year. That might not seem like much, but this staff has displayed a determination to find every little advantage possible.
“We actually looked into it,” Thompson said. “Walking from the facility to the practice field, if you do that over the entire span of spring practice and fall camp and the workouts that we have here in the indoor, you’re walking close to 20 miles. That’s extra miles on these young men’s legs. The guys are very appreciative of it. The only ones that come over a little earlier are the quarterbacks to get some extra work in, which is typical.”
Secondly, it improves the experience for the players, which is a big deal with both the current players and recruits.
“You only get one chance to go through this,” Thompson said. “You get one time to be a freshman, a sophomore, so on and so forth, one time to be in college. We want to make sure the student-athlete experience is one that’s phenomenal.”