Urban Meyer finally has his football program right where he thinks it should be. With two national championships in his four years on the job and a recruiting machine that has loaded the roster from top to bottom, the Florida Gators are finally in perpetual reload. What does that mean as spring football practice begins? It means there is competition at every single position.
“You sneeze or you take a play off and a day off and next thing you know you’re a backup,” Meyer said after the Gators concluded their first practice of the spring Wednesday afternoon. “That’s a tough deal here.”
The Gators return 18 starters from their 2008 national championship team including quarterback Tim Tebow and all 11 starters from the defense that held Oklahoma 14 points in the national championship game. The defense is so loaded up that all 35 players that were on the travel squad last year return for the 2009 season.
All Meyer has to do is look at the linebacker and safety positions to see how much competition there is to get on the field.
“There’s a lot competition,” Meyer said. “Kids come here to play. Right now our linebacker position there’s a lot of competition. The safety position … the safeties, you tell me who’s going to play? I can four guys that have started or should be starting.”
To ensure there is no complacency in the program, Meyer has a plan in place to keep his team on edge.
“The only way I know how to do it is to make it the hardest summer they’ve gone through in their lives and once we get the pads on make it a very difficult spring without getting guys hurt,” Meyer said. “Just make it real hard so they don’t have time to be complacent. I think competition will not allow that to happen. But that’s our job to encourage competition and make sure we have it and to make things real hard around here.”
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One of the reasons Florida’s defense will be so highly regarded going into the 2009 season will be the return of All-American middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, listed at 258 to start the spring.
“I’m about 250 actually,” Spikes said after practice. “Some of those pounds will melt off in the heat.”
Spikes could have bolted to the NFL after his outstanding junior season. He would have been a borderline first round draft pick but he chose to return for his senior season.
Meyer believes that Spikes made the right decision to return, but says that Spikes wouldn’t have necessarily been wrong to go pro. What pleased him most was that Spikes listened to all his options and got good advice before making his final choice.
“The one thing I was really impressed with is the further our program gets going, kids aren’t making snap decisions now,” Meyer said. “They’re very thorough. They’re very thought out. Percy’s (Percy Harvin) was very thought out. That was not a snap decision. Brandon James, Jermaine Cunningham [got their information and chose to stay]. There are some other guys that have a history when we first got here they would leave and they were seventh round picks. That’s not right.”
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Tebow, who has accounted for 110 touchdowns in his three years at Florida, is working for the first time with a new quarterbacks coach in Scot Loeffler, who came to UF from the NFL after spending most of his coaching career at Michigan where he once tutored Tom Brady.
Even with the new coach in some respects it was business as usual for Tebow. The Gators aren’t going to fundamentally change their offense although they will incorporate a few new things including some that Loeffler brings to the table.
“We’re trying to work on our cadence, on our speed and temp and no huddle,” Meyer said. “We thought Oklahoma did a real nice job so we’re messing around with some stuff [to play at a fast tempo]. Scot Loeffler has brought some stuff to our offense that we’re going to take a peek at.”
There will be some work for Tebow under center, too. Part of that is to help Tebow’s NFL chances but Meyer says the under center plays have always been a part of the offensive package and there is some history of putting the quarterback under center even in the Meyer era.
“I keep hearing the NFL is so much different than college so we’re just trying to help him get more comfortable under center,” Meyer said. “Remember the national championship game with Chris Leak? Thirty-five snaps were under center. We do have the ability to do that. We want him to do it and last year he just wasn’t comfortable.”
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The turning point of the national championship run in 2008 was after the Ole Miss loss when Tebow made his passionate promise that he would work harder and lead the team to play harder and better than ever. That started a 10-game winning streak that ended with Florida beating Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game in Miami.
Meyer has made sure that the Tebow speech is permanently a part of Florida football lore by having it put on a plaque outside the stadium by the entrance to the football complex.
Even though Tebow still has a year to play, Meyer wasn’t worried that it’s too early to be putting something like that on display.
“It was my idea,” Meyer said. “I’m not interested in ten years from now because who knows if I’m going to be toes up somewhere. I’m not a big fan of let’s wait down the road. It was a speech that I think everybody in Gator nation needs to see on the side of the building.”
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There is plenty of competition at defensive tackle, where Omar Hunter, last year’s prized freshman, is ready to contribute after taking a redshirt in 2008. Hunter was thought to be the most important cog in the freshman class last year but he arrived out of shape and with a chronic sore back. After missing a lot of practice in August, Hunter never saw the field.
Hunter was working in the rotation with Lawrence Marsh, Jaye Howard and Edwin Herbert Wednesday. Meyer still thinks Hunter has a way to go to be where he should, but progress has indeed been made.
“He’s not in good enough shape but he’s probably in better shape than he’s been in,” Meyer said. “That body is a work in progress. He had a good day today and we’ll find out Saturday.”
The tackle position was depleted in the offseason by the loss of John Brown and Torrey Davis, who of the most highly sought prospects at the position coming out of high school. Meyer indicated that there is no chance Davis can come back to the program in the fall but that the door is open for him come back in the future if he is willing to take care of personal business.
“It was decisions made in the best interests for all involved and there’s a chance maybe that Torrey Davis can come back after he does what he has to do,” Meyer said. “Coach (Charlie) Strong is very involved in that as am I and Coach (Dan) McCarney. We’ll know something probably in the next two weeks.”
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Two players who will have a chance to prove themselves as prime time players this spring will be tailback Emmanuel Moody and wide receiver Deonte Thompson. Moody gained more than 400 yards last season but much more was expected. He can establish himself this spring as an every down type of back. Thompson caught 18 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns but he will have his shot at becoming the go to guy on the outside.
Moody had a good day catching the ball out of the backfield Wednesday.
“He’s working hard and I’m a fan of Emmanuel Moody,” Meyer said. “I’m a big fan of Moody. I love Moody. I think he’ll have a big impact this year.”
Meyer said that Thompson “falls in that same category” of players who can have a big impact in 2009.
“These are guys that have paid their dues now and we’re talking about good guys,” Meyer said. “Deonte Thompson and Emmanuel Moody … there are no issues with those guys. They just have to play a little bit better.”
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The word Tennessee was never used, but there was no question that Meyer and his players are motivated by Knoxville’s version of The Mouth That Roared, Lane Kiffin.
Asked if Kiffin’s well documented comments — comments that Kiffin has tried to brush off as just having a little fun — have motivated his team, Meyer responded, “When you’re dealing with 18-19-20 year olds, even some 44-year-olds … “
There was no chance to get Meyer to comment further.
“That’s old news,” he said.
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One player that has caught Meyer’s eye is redshirt freshman defensive end Earl Okine, listed at 6-7, 274. Okine said he is a little more than 280 now after practice.
Okine took a redshirt last year after contracting mononucleosis in August. He has regained the weight and then some and now looks ready to be a prime time contributor in the fall.
“He’s bench pressing 400 pounds and he’s a long levered guy,” Meyer said. “He has to play this year. High quality guy, high character guy so he’ll be involved … has to happen.”
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Nickname of the day is freshman tight end Desmond Parks, an early enrollee from Greer, South Carolina. Parks has gained 18 pounds of muscle since he arrived and now measures 6-4, 233. He was showing some moves after catching the ball Wednesday.
“Bambi,” Meyer said. “He’s doing his little spins around. His helmet will end up over there if he does that Saturday against our defense. He’ll be a great player here, really good.”