Gator Country continues our bye week mailbag with Part Two!
If you missed Part One, check it out here.
macbgator: Will McCray continue to produce like he did against Texas, has the light finally come on??
NM: It was the best performance of his career by far, so that’s an encouraging sign! Jon Sumrall seems to think the light has come on over the past week and a half. He plays the same position as Emmanuel Oyebadejo, so the snaps will be split between them.
thekentuckygator: Do you see any of the 1’s on Oline challenged for playing time by any of the 2’s the remainder of this season?
Also, considering we have some solid recruiting occurring on the Oline but knowing it takes considerable development time for those players Do you see any movement or competition changes this offseason?
NM: Roderick Kearney took over for TJ Shanahan Jr. last week, so that’s something to watch moving forward. I’d like to see TJ Dice Jr. get some snaps at right tackle, but based on the snap count report, that doesn’t look to be in the cards. Florida is somewhat limited by the personnel it currently has along the offensive line.
I’d expect Florida to add at least one starting-caliber tackle through the portal. It could be more, depending on NFL Draft decisions and portal movement. I also expect Maxwell Hiller to compete for early playing time.
At the end of the day, it’s difficult to predict exactly where Florida needs to add players or create competition when we don’t know who will move on from the program, who will enter the NFL Draft, and how those decisions will impact the roster. That said, I do expect Florida to target offensive linemen in the portal.
thekentuckygator: Would you say this is what the coaches are thinking during the offseason for QB?
1 portal acquisition.
2 Jones/Philo battle winner
3 Jones/philo battle loser
Or, do you think we will focus on a HS croot and shuffle what we have?
NM: Well, I think that largely depends on how the rest of the season plays out. Florida still has five games left, and quite frankly, a lot remains unanswered.
Does Tramell Jones Jr. start against Georgia, lead Florida to another huge win, and establish himself as the future starting quarterback? Or does Philo take back over and finish the season on a strong note?
As of now, I’d say Florida does not pursue a starting quarterback in the portal, and the winner of the Jones Jr.-Philo battle becomes the starter in 2027. I think it would be incredibly unrealistic to expect both quarterbacks to return in the current era of college football.
thekentuckygator: If you had to give a retention % chance for Brad White right now what would it be?
NM: If Florida finishes the season on a better note defensively, I’d say it’s 100%. If the Texas game was a fluke and Florida struggles the rest of the way, I’d put it at 50%. So, for the sake of the question, I’ll say 75%. I do not expect Brad White to be let go.
This was what Sumrall said about Brad White just last week:
“We got a great defensive staff. Let me start there. Like I’ve worked with Brad White before. All right, and Brad and I were at Kentucky together and put together a couple of defenses, we were like top 25 in the country. And Brad works his ass off.”
thekentuckygator: Is the depth in the secondary so bad that giving someone a shot is worse than keeping who we have starting?
NM: Yes. Florida’s next two options behind the four cornerbacks who have contributed regularly are ECU transfer Jordy Lowery and true freshman CJ Bronaugh, both of whom have dealt with injuries. It’s not like Florida hasn’t tried other guys. They’ve played four different cornerbacks, and those are the guys playing for a reason.
Blackbird68: Do you believe we will continue with the aggressive defensive game plan against Georgia, or was that a function of the relatively poor OL of Texas and Arch’s well documented difficulty against pressure
NM: This is now two games in a row where Florida has called an aggressive defense, so yes, I expect it to continue. There’s a misconception out there that the defense wasn’t aggressive vs. South Carolina, or that they were aggressive early and stopped being aggressive in the second half. Florida actually had a higher blitz rate in the second half than in the first half against South Carolina, where they played pretty well. They just got burned because the pass rush didn’t get home. Florida had a blitz rate of 37% in that game, according to Bud Davis, which is almost double its season average.
Texas doesn’t have a poor offensive line, either. Their left tackle is the best tackle in the sport, and their right tackle had played well leading up to the game. It was mostly a product of Arch Manning not playing well, but Florida also executed its pass rush at a high level.
snowprint80: A few on here are now saying the players like Jones over Philo. Have you heard that’s true? Does it matter? Have you ever known a coach or heard of a coach asking the other players or gauging their thoughts on who should start? Do you think Sumrall is the type of guy who would take that into consideration?
NM: I don’t believe that’s true. Those rumors start with every quarterback competition. Coaches talk to players all the time. They watch closely to see how their quarterbacks interact with teammates on and off the field, and vice versa. They’re very good at reading body language and can get answers without directly asking. I think a head coach should take every bit of information that comes his way into consideration, but at the end of the day, you can’t base a decision solely on that if your eyes are telling you something else.
It’s my understanding that both Philo and Jones Jr. are well liked and respected in the locker room.