Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- One of the main reasons Florida's passing offense has struggled since 2009 is the lack of production -- or a playmaker -- at receiver.

If the Gators' 2013 passing offense is going to be better than the unit that ranked 114^th nationally last season, the receivers must be significantly better. Redshirt junior Quinton Dunbar, redshirt senior Andre Debose, and senior Trey Burton are the most experienced receivers and should be UF's go-to playmakers, but each have limitations.

Dunbar has 50 career catches, but he hasn't developed into the downfield threat the Gators have needed. Debose (29 career catches) has been that at times, but his career has been marred by inconsistency and work-ethic issues. Burton (69 career catches) has so many roles that it's hard for him to excel at one, and he's more of a short-yardage, possession receiver.

Sophomores Latroy Pittman and Raphael Andrades each caught two passes last season and were used more as blockers than receivers.

That means UF will be depending on two or more of the five signees to make a substantial impact. Demarcus Robinson is the most likely, as he enrolled in January and participated in spring practice. But either Ahmad Fulwood, Alvin Bailey, Marqui Hawkins or Chris Thompson will have to produce, too.

But even having only one of those freshmen become a reliable and productive part of the offense might be asking too much. It's hard for true freshman receivers to make an impact -- as the past 23 years have shown.

Florida hasn't had much luck with freshman receivers, especially when it comes to being anything more than someone who gets mop-up work.

The Gators have signed 61 receivers from 1990-2012, but only 20 played as true freshmen -- and only 19 caught passes. Of those 19, only four caught more than seven passes: Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard, Andre Caldwell and Percy Harvin. Anthony, Hilliard and Harvin all became first-round NFL draft picks and Caldwell was a third-round pick.

Here's more proof that it takes an especially gifted player to make an impact as a freshman: Twelve the 16 receivers who played as true freshmen from 1990-2009 went on to become draft picks.

Is there an incoming receiver who can make an impact in 2013? There's no way to know right now until September, but based on the last two-plus decades, it's unlikely.

It's all about numbers for Will Muschamp when it comes to recruiting.

He isn't counting stars or ESPN 300 members he's trying to sign. For Florida's second-year coach, he's always building, and for every position, there's a certain number he wants to reach in order to combat injury and attrition.

“That’s why I have certain numbers,” Muschamp told ESPN.com in a phone interview earlier this week. “It’s not always perfect, but I want to have that at every position and we’re really close to that on the offensive side of the ball.”

Where Muschamp really hopes he struck gold in 2013 was at wide receiver, where glaring holes at that position made the number five so important.

Muschamp hauled in five receivers in his recent class and with the way the passing game struggled in 2012 -- and the shape Florida’s receiving corps is in -- they might all have to play immediately.

“I want them all to contribute. I want them all to start,” Muschamp said. “But they’re going to determine that, not me.”

Muschamp thinks all five give him a good base to work with.

Muschamp doesn’t like to single players out, especially true freshmen, but the star of the group is early enrollee Demarcus Robinson, who was an ESPN 150 member and ranked as the No. 8 receiver nationally in the 2013 class. He’s a dynamic athlete who can stretch the field and is dangerous in space. Being on campus now doesn’t mean he’ll start, Muschamp said, but it will give him a leg up during the installation process in a more relaxed learning environment that is spring practice.

Robinson brings that play-making ability that the Gators desperately need at receiver. Quinton Dunbar led Florida receivers with just 36 catches in 2012. Frankie Hammond Jr. was next for receivers with 22 catches. They were the only receivers with touchdowns and neither reached 400 yards.

As the Gators look to put more emphasis on the passing game this spring, Robinson is expected to be a crucial element in Florida’s offense.

His help arrives this summer, starting with ESPN 150 athlete Alvin Bailey, who played Wildcat quarterback in high school. He resembles a bigger Chris Rainey and is what Muschamp calls “just a play-making guy.”

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Editor’s note: Every Tuesday and Thursday through Jan. 31, GatorNation will break down each position. We’ll look at 2013, of course, but also try to peek beyond next season. Today is wide receiver. We will profile running backs Tuesday.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Two-deep: This is without question the Gators’ weakest position. The group has been below average for three seasons. Redshirt junior Quinton Dunbar, who has 50 career catches, and redshirt senior Andre Debose, a career underachiever with 29 career catches, are the two most experienced players and would likely be the starters if the season started today. Debose is supremely talented but has been hampered by work ethic, attitude and consistency issues throughout his career. Senior Solomon Patton (eight career catches) and sophomore Latroy Pittman (two catches in 2012) would be the backups.

Next up: Sophomore Raphael Andrades, who caught two passes last season, and freshman early enrollee Demarcus Robinson will have every chance to move up the depth chart in the spring. Next to Debose, Robinson is the most talented receiver on the roster.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Tight end Jordan Reed's departure for the NFL means fixing Florida's passing offense -- which ranked 114th nationally this season -- in 2013 just got a lot tougher.

Not only do the Gators no longer have their top pass catcher (45 catches for 559 yards), they're scrounging for experienced options in the passing game. The Gators have only two receivers or tight ends on the roster who has caught more than eight passes in their career. WR Solomon Patton, who will be a senior next season, has eight career receptions in 31 games, and WR Andre Debose has 26 catches in 31 games. WR Quinton Dunbar, who will be a redshirt senior in 2013, has 50 catches for 599 yards and six touchdowns in 26 games. RB/FB Trey Burton has 69 career catches for 531 yards, but he's certainly not someone who can stretch the field. Most of his receptions have been short passes or passes out of the backfield. He's not fast or elusive enough to line up at receiver.

The tight end spot is now a huge question mark. The Gators have four tight ends on the roster: Kent Taylor (sophomore in 2013), Colin Thompson (redshirt freshman), Clay Burton (junior) and Tevin Westbrook (junior). They have a combined four catches for 17 yards and one touchdown. Taylor has shown some promise as a pass catcher, but Clay Burton and Westbrook are mainly blockers. Clay Burton dropped an easy touchdown pass and dropped another pass on a fake field goal. Thompson, who redshirted this season because of a foot injury, is more of a blocking tight end as well. Florida has no tight end commitments in its class of 2013 as of yet.

At receiver, the Gators' top option right now is Dunbar, who had a solid season but struggled with his consistency. He's going to have to improve significantly to be a No. 1 receiver in the SEC. Patton, who missed the last five games with a broken arm, was used sparingly in the passing game. His job was to run the jet sweep, and he did well in that role, gaining 140 yards on 14 carries. Debose has been in and out of the doghouse because of attitude, work ethic, and consistency issues, so to count on getting anything from him would be unwise.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Joker Phillips is expected to start his new job as Florida’s receivers coach/recruiting coordinator later this week.

He’ll find out pretty quickly that he’s got plenty of work ahead of him in trying to fix a position that has been a disappointment over the past three seasons.

UF’s receivers -- not including tight ends -- have largely been M.I.A. since Riley Cooper and David Nelson graduated after the 2009 season. Gators receivers combined to catch 116 passes that season, led by Cooper’s 51 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns, but production has steadily declined since then.

Gators receivers combined to catch 118 passes in 2010, but Deonte Thompson led the group with only 38 catches for 570 yards and one touchdown. They combined for 69 catches last season and Thompson again led the group -- but this time had just 21 catches for 264 yards and one touchdown. UF’s receiver have combined for 58 catches this season, led by Quinton Dunbar’s 31 catches for 306 yards and four TDs.

The biggest element missing from the position, aside from the ability to consistently separate and get open, is the lack of a downfield threat. Frankie Hammond had TD catches of 55 and 75 yards, but those came after he caught a short pass and broke a tackle. No other receiver has a reception of longer than 23 yards.

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