Muschamp Friday Notebook: Youngsters are impressing

Will Muschamp met with the media on Friday afternoon to discuss the Gators’ progress through five practices and to give a preview of Saturday’s first spring scrimmage.

Muschamp also talked about the injury situation and which young players have stood out so far this spring.

Here’s a quick notebook from the Muschamp media time:

  • D.J. Humphries, Max Garcia, and Chaz Green have stood out on the offensive line. Muschamp likes the direction in which they are headed.
  • Dante Fowler Jr. is practicing with a purpose every day and has become a good pass rusher.
  • Bryan Cox Jr. has pleased the coaching staff and with his development on the outside which has allowed Jonathan Bullard to move inside to create depth.
  • Muschamp says Cox plays with an edge and that the game of football is very important to him.
  • Andre Debose has been cleared for non-contact practice.
  •  Marqui Hawkins has been moved to safety to help with the depth at the position.
  •  Nolan Kelleher will not practice this spring due to a back injury. Kelleher will see a specialist in the next few weeks.
  • Duke Dawson and Jalen Tabor are both really good football players who are very physical.
  • Muschamp says Dawson is a guy that likes to get his hands on people and use his strength.
  • Muschamp says the biggest thing for Tabor is that he has to use his strength to press more instead of playing off of the line.
  • The number one goal for Saturday’s scrimmage is execution and being better at technique.
  • Debose is very special with the ball in his hands and Muschamp believes they could see a few kickoff returns from him this year.
  • Deandre Goolsby has impressed the coaches with what he can do but it’s still too early to tell how much he will be able to help next season.
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.