Youth reigns on Florida Gators roster

After playing in back-to-back SEC championship games in 2008 and 2009 with an upperclassmen-laden team, Florida will enter 2011 still feeling the effects of losing such a veteran corps of players.

The Gators head into fall camp with just 23 upperclassmen on scholarship, meaning the other 49 scholarship players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores entering the season.

Needless to say, Florida lacks key experience at several positions heading into the fall.

GatorCountry.com took it upon itself to do a little investigative research to see which positions will enter the season with the most and least experience to give Florida fans a better idea what to expect in 2011 and also illustrate the areas the Gators need to focus on in their 2012 football recruiting.

We recorded appearances and starts for each of the 72 scholarship players on the roster and broke it down by position.

You can find complete results of our data in the tables below, but first we’ll summarize our observations.

The positions with the most experience are running back, defensive tackle and wide receiver.

Florida’s four scholarship running backs have combined to make 107 appearances with 31 starts. Three of the four running backs are upperclassmen with at least 25 game appearances, making it the deepest unit on the team.

Defensive tackle was close behind, as Florida’s six scholarship defensive tackles have logged 95 appearances and 31 starts. Three of the six are upperclassmen with at least 15 game appearances.

Wide receiver was an evenly mixed group, with a trio of upperclassmen with at least 20 appearances and a trio of sophomores with at least 10 appearances. The nine-player group has totaled 133 appearances with 31 starts.

The positions with the least experience are safety, tight end and defensive end.

Florida has just one upperclassman scholarship safety in its six-man group. The group has accounted for 35 appearances and just three starts.

The Gators have four scholarship tight ends with 20 appearances and just four starts between them. The group is made up entirely of underclassmen.

Meanwhile, at defensive end, Florida’s six scholarship players have accounted for just two starts in 65 appearances. The Gators have just one upperclassman defensive end.

What does it all mean?

By the numbers, it looks like the Gators will be greenest in the secondary and on the edge of the defensive line.

There is potential on both units, but a lack of experience could spell some early-season problems in those areas.

On the other hand, Florida has plenty of experience at both running back and wide receiver, which bodes well for the offense.

While the wide receivers have few proven playmakers, several have been around long enough to see the field frequently.

Additionally, the Gators should be solid in the middle of the defensive line with an experienced and talented corps of defensive tackles.

Experience on the Florida Gators Roster
Class Player Appearances Starts
Quarterback
SR John Brantley 30 13
FR-R Tyler Murphy 0 0
FR Jeff Driskel 0 0
FR Jacoby Brissett 0 0
Running Back
SR Jeff Demps 39 22
SR Chris Rainey 41 9
JR Mike Gillislee 25 0
SO Mack Brown 2 0
Fullback
SO Trey Burton 13 11
FR Hunter Joyer 0 0
Wide Receiver
SR Deonte Thompson 39 24
JR Omarius Hines 26 7
JR Frankie Hammond, Jr. 22 0
SO-R Stephen Alli 13 0
SO-R Andre Debose 10 0
SO Robert Clark 11 0
SO Solomon Patton 10 0
SO Quinton Dunbar 2 0
FR Ja’Juan Story 0 0
Tight End
SO-R Jordan Reed 12 4
SO Gerald Christian 8 0
FR-R Michael McFarland 0 0
FR A.C. Leonard 0 0
Offensive Tackle
JR Xavier Nixon 22 13
JR Matt Patchan 15 0
SO-R Kyle Koehne 13 0
FR-R Chaz Green 0 0
FR Tommy Jordan 0 0
Offensive Guard
SR James Wilson 26 5
JR David Young 16 0
SO-R Jon Halapio 15 7
SO Ian Silberman 1 0
FR Trip Thurman 0 0
Center
JR Sam Robey 23 0
SO-R Nick Alajajian 20 0
SO-R Jonotthan Harrison 13 1
Defensive End
SR William Green 39 1
SO-R Kedric Johnson 13 0
SO Ronald Powell 13 1
FR-R Lynden Trail 0 0
FR Clay Burton 0 0
FR Tevin Westbrook 0 0
Defensive Tackle
SR Jaye Howard 31 12
JR Omar Hunter 29 17
JR Earl Okine 16 0
SO Sharrif Floyd 13 2
SO Dominique Easley 6 0
FR-R Leon Orr 0 0
Linebacker
JR Jonathan Bostic 25 6
JR Lerentee McCray 21 0
JR Dee Finley 14 0
SO-R Jelani Jenkins 15 11
SO Neiron Ball 13 0
SO Darrin Kitchens 10 0
FR-R Michael Taylor 0 0
FR-R Gideon Ajagbe 0 0
FR Graham Stewart 0 0
Cornerback
SR Moses Jenkins 29 3
JR Jeremy Brown 11 10
SO Cody Riggs 13 3
SO Jaylen Watkins 10 0
FR Louchiez Purifoy 0 0
FR Marcus Roberson 0 0
FR De’Ante Saunders 0 0
Safety
JR Josh Evans 21 3
SO Matt Elam 13 0
SO Josh Shaw 1 0
FR Jabari Gorman 0 0
FR Chris Johnson 0 0
FR Valdez Showers 0 0
Special Teams
JR Caleb Sturgis 32 32
FR Kyle Christy 0 0
Player experience by position
Position Appearances Starts
Special Teams (2) 32 32
Wide Receiver (9) 133 31
Running Back (4) 107 31
Defensive Tackle (6) 95 31
Linebacker (9) 98 17
Cornerback (7) 63 16
Offensive Tackle (5) 50 13
Quarterback (4) 30 13
Offensive Guard (5) 58 12
Fullback (2) 13 11
Tight End (4) 20 4
Safety (6) 35 3
Defensive End (6) 65 2
Center (3) 56 1
Average player experience by position
Position Appearances Starts
Special Teams (2) 16.0 16.0
Running Back (4) 26.8 7.8
Fullback (2) 6.5 5.5
Defensive Tackle (6) 15.8 5.2
Wide Receiver (9) 14.8 3.4
Quarterback (4) 7.5 3.3
Offensive Tackle (5) 10.0 2.6
Offensive Guard (5) 11.6 2.4
Cornerback (7) 9.0 2.3
Linebacker (9) 10.9 1.9
Tight End (4) 5.0 1.0
Safety (6) 5.8 0.5
Center (3) 18.7 0.3
Defensive End (6) 10.8 0.3