Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida released a post-spring depth chart on Wednesday. There were no big surprises, although seeing running back Mack Brown behind Matt Jones and ahead of Kelvin Taylor did earn a raised eyebrow.

Here’s the breakdown:

Offense

LT: D.J. Humphries (6-5, 285, So.)/Trenton Brown (6-8, 363, Jr.)

LG: Max Garcia (6-4, 307, RJr.)/Ian Silberman (6-5, 290, RJr.)

C: Jonotthan Harrison (6-3, 303, RSr.) /Kyle Koehne (6-5, 314, RSr.)

RG: Jon Halapio (6-3, 317, RSr.)/Trip Thurman (6-5, 313, RSo.)

RT: Tyler Moore (6-5, 315, RSo.) OR Chaz Green (6-5, 305, RJr.)

TE: Clay Burton (6-4, 247, Jr.)/Tevin Westbrook (6-5, 258, Jr.) OR Colin Thompson (6-4, 250, RFr.) OR Kent Taylor (6-5, 223, So.)

RB: Matt Jones (6-2, 228, So.)/Mack Brown (5-11, 215, RJr.)

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida wrapped up spring practice with a scrimmage, er, open practice and GatorNation provided extensive coverage of the practice as well as throughout the week.

One of the most significant bits of news to come out of the final practice was the fact that running back Matt Jones carried the ball only once because he had been so good throughout the spring that he had clearly won the starting job.

Here are some other observations from last Saturday’s open practice.

There were some surprises that came out of spring practice, too. The Gators also left spring with several pressing issues that must be solved before the season begins.

In other football news, defensive line coach Bryant Young resigned on Thursday because of personal reasons. Young was assisting Brad Lawing along the defensive line so the Gators could hire a special teams coordinator to take his place on staff.

On the recruiting trail ...

The Gators had a big recruiting weekend, which started when they picked up a commitment from ESPN Watch List running back Dalvin Cook (Miami/Central) after the final spring practice. UF also picked up a quarterback when former professional baseball player Chris Wilkes, a 2008 Ole Miss commit, told UF coach Will Muschamp he planned on enrolling in May. Wilkes, who had been playing in the San Diego Padres system, will compete with Tyler Murphy, Skyler Mornhinweg and Max Staver for the backup spot to starter Jeff Driskel.

GatorNation's Derek Tyson provided a list of key recruiting dates, which includes Friday Night Lights being tentatively scheduled for July 26. He also answers your questions in a recruiting mailbag.

The Gators are also after another Matt Elam -- this time it's a defensive tackle from Elizabethtown (Ky.) John Hardin.

For you hoops recruiting fans, Dave Telep and Paul Biancardi break down the SEC recruiting classes.

GAINSVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Will Muschamp said Saturday that he has nothing further to add his previous denial of allegations that he gave money to a player while he was the defensive coordinator at Auburn.

In a story that alleges a culture of rule breaking, drug use, and other issues at Auburn that was posted on the web site Roopstigo.com, former Tigers safety Mike McNeil said Muschamp gave him $400 after he had a bad practice in 2007. Muschamp denied the charges in the story written by former Sports Illustrated and New York Times writer Selena Roberts.

He was more emphatic about his denial when he made his first public appearance since the story broke last Wednesday.

"I’ve already responded to that and really there’s nothing to dignify any other response other than exactly what you read," Muschamp said. "Exactly what you read."

Muschamp was not quoted in the story. He denied the allegations through a school spokesman.

UF picks up a QB

The Gators added some help at quarterback on Saturday when former professional baseball player Chris Wilkes told Muschamp that he would be attending UF.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Wilkes said via text message that he plans on enrolling in May. He will not be on scholarship.

The 23-year-old Wilkes signed with Ole Miss in 2008 out of Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips, but instead chose to sign a contract with the San Diego Padres. Wilkes, who was a 22^nd-round draft pick, never advanced past the Double-A level. He went 16-13 with a 3.57 ERA in five seasons as a right-handed pitcher.

The Gators will have six quarterbacks on the roster in the fall. Jeff Driskel, Tyler Murphy, Skyler Mornhinweg and Max Staver will be on scholarship. Wilkes and Jacob Guy will be walk-ons. Wilkes is expected to compete with Murphy and Mornhinweg to back up Driskel. Staver is likely headed for a redshirt.

Editor’s note: Twice a week through Jan. 31, 2013, GatorNation will break down each position. Today is the final installment, quarterback.

QUARTERBACK

Two-deep: Junior Jeff Driskel is the unquestioned starter heading into the 2013 season. Redshirt junior Tyler Murphy, who has only appeared in three games and never thrown a pass, is the backup.

Next up: Redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg is the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster.

High-profile commits: Max Staver (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy), whom ESPN ranks as the No. 19 pocket passer, is the only quarterback commit the Gators have right now.

Additional targets: UF has made a late push for junior college QB Tanner McEvoy (Hillsdale, N.J./Arizona Western College), who is scheduled to visit Florida this weekend.

Looking into 2013: This is a big offseason for Driskel, who threw for 1,646 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions as his first season as the Gators’ starter. Now that he’s not competing for the starting job he can get the majority of the first-team reps. He needs to use that time to improve his footwork and accuracy and stop holding onto the ball as long. Those are issues with which most young quarterbacks struggle, so he’s not behind in his development. It’s also imperative that Driskel avoid injury because the Gators don’t have a quarterback on the roster who will have thrown a collegiate pass. That’s why UF is going after McEvoy. He at least has some game experience and likely would be the player the Gators turned to if Driskel were unable to play for whatever reason.

ESPN’s GatorNation is previewing each position leading up to the start of the season with a short video. Each week, Michael DiRocco and Jeff Barlis will analyze the players, tell you who is starting and why, and provide a breakdown of the depth at the position. This week it’s quarterbacks.

The starters: Jeff Driskel (So.) OR Jacoby Brissett (So.)

The backups: Tyler Murphy (So.), Skyler Mornhinweg (Fr.)

Comment: Driskel and Brissett will continue their competition into fall practice -- and likely into the early part of the season as well. Neither has been able to separate from the other, which means neither one has been overly impressive. Both seem to have a grasp of new coordinator Brent Pease’s offense and things ran smoothly in the spring from an operational standpoint. Driskel is a better runner while Brissett has better pocket presence. Don’t be surprised if the Gators end up playing both throughout the bulk of the season, although coach Will Muschamp would rather play only one.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Neither Jeff Driskel nor Jacoby Brissett was able to separate himself from the other during spring practice and summer workouts, so Florida’s quarterback situation is still unsettled heading into the first day of practice Aug. 4.

As a primer, GatorNation is taking a look at each player’s resume. What they did in high school doesn’t matter. Neither does what they did in the spring game, either, because it was under controlled conditions and against watered-down defenses. The only evidence is what they did last season in limited playing time.

Neither put up decent numbers, but both were thrown into tough situations because of injuries to starter John Brantley.

Today we’ll take a detailed look at Driskel’s play in 2011. On Thursday we’ll look at Brissett.

Jeff Driskel

Driskel played in five games and completed 16 of 34 passes for 148 yards and two interceptions. We broke the stats down from the 17 drives in which he either threw a pass or carried the ball. In those 17 drives, the Gators managed just 21 first downs, scored only 10 points, and turned the ball over four times. Driskel accounted for three of those (two interceptions and a fumble).

Here’s a look at his game-by-game stats in those 17 drives. (Note: To make this easier to read, not every play in the drive is listed.)

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Some extra thoughts and notes on my time in Gainesville from last weekend:

• I'll start things off by talking about defensive end/Buck Ronald Powell, who will be out four to six months after tearing his ACL in the Orange and Blue Debut. Before the injury, most around Florida's program felt Powell was having the best spring of any of the defenders. After two seasons in which people expected more from Powell, he really turned it up this spring. He was more aggressive, tougher and caused more headaches for Florida's offense than he had during any other time. Coach Will Muschamp might have found that dangerous pass rushers he needs in his defense. Now, Muschamp must turn elsewhere and things will start with OLB Lerentee McCray. He was out with an injury this spring, but played the Buck in place of Powell at times last fall. He made his biggest jump as a player last season and is one player Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are especially excited about.
• True freshmen Dante Fowler Jr. and Jonathan Bullard will get chances to play at the Buck, too, but keep an eye on Neiron Ball. He didn't play last season because of the arteriovenous malformation found in his brain in February of 2011. There has been no word yet if Ball could resume playing for the Gators, but if he remains healthy and the SEC clears him, Ball could get a shot at play at the Buck.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Some quick thoughts from Florida's (quick moving) spring game on Saturday afternoon:

QBs get rolling: It took nearly the entire first half, but quarterbacks Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett eventually got things going. The pair are competing to win the starting job.

Brissett took the first snap with the first-team offense but went 0-for-2 on his first drive. One of the passes, however, was dropped by Trey Burton.

After Tyler Murphy got a series, Driskel came on and completed all five of his passes on his first drive for 34 yards.

Driskel had the better day overall, completing 12-of-14 passes for 147 yards and rushing for 19 yards and one touchdown on four carries. He led one touchdown drive, which was capped by Mack Brown's touchdown run.

Brissett completed 9-of-16 passes for 233 yards. Most of his passing yards came on two plays, a 43-yard hookup with Latroy Pittman and a 52-yard strike to Michael McNeely.

Flashers: Some players who caught my eye:

Cornerback Jaylen Watkins broke up a fade pass to tight end Jordan Reed in the end zone.

Linebacker Gideon Ajagbe blew by freshman offensive lineman D.J. Humphries to stuff running back Omarius Hines.

LB Antonio Morrison showed off his athleticism by making a tackle on a back in the flat and then showed of his toughness by combining with defensive tackle Damien Jacobs, making a tackle in the hole on a third-down play.

Jacobs started the game, but that might be because the Gators are banged up along the defensive line. He hasn't been consistent in practices throughout spring, but he's got the big body the Gators want (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) in a run-stopping tackle.

Pittman, whom UF coach Will Muschamp has praised throughout the spring, got behind the defense for a 43-yard pass play. Pittman doesn't have blazing speed -- he was timed at 4.64 seconds in the 40-yard dash at one combine -- but he was able to get a step and hauled in a perfect pass from Brissett. Pittman also was able to get behind the coverage again in the fourth quarter, but Brissett overthrew him slightly. Pittman has been steadily rising up the depth chart and has a good chance to win a starting job alongside Andre Debose and Quinton Dunbar.

What's that call? Offensive coordinator Brent Pease had one questionable call, an end-around to Dunbar on third-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Dunbar fumbled the handoff from Brissett and ended up losing 9 yards on the play.

Florida is looking to revamp its offense in 2012, but the quarterback spot has the biggest hole to fill:

OUT: Quarterback John Brantley: Brantley had a rough last two years in Gainesville. He couldn't effectively run the spread offense in 2010, and while he improved under Charlie Weis, the middle part of his senior season was taken away by an ankle injury. Brantley finished the 2011 season with 2,044 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He certainly had his off moments in the pocket, but he was Florida's best option. Even through his struggles, players continuously rallied around Brantley. He was more comfortable running Weis' pro-style offense, but never really had the confidence or consistency needed to be truly effective in the SEC. The Gators now have three underclassmen with little experience vying for the starting spot.

IN: Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel or Tyler Murphy: These rising sophomores are in for an intense battle this spring. Brissett enters the competition with the most experience of the three, after backing up Brantley for most of the 2011 season. Driskel began the year as the No. 2 quarterback, but fell behind Brissett after a rough showing in the second half of the Alabama game (the game Brantley was injured). Drikel also suffered an ankle injury in that game. Brissett eventually started and played the entire LSU game. He and Driskel both played in the loss to Auburn. Brissett finished the season with 206 passing yards, two touchdown passes and four interceptions, and filled in for Brantley a number of times last season when the Gators went under center because of Brantley's lack of mobility after the ankle injury. Driskel arrived at Florida last season as the nation's top high school quarterback, but was better suited to run Urban Meyer's spread offense. He was recruited by Meyer, but stayed on and enrolled early even after Will Muschamp took over. As for Murphy, he has been on campus a year longer than the others, but has yet to take a collegiate snap. He fits a spread offense much better, but has earned praise from his teammates for his passing ability. Still, it seems as though he's looking up at both Brissett and Driskel. Heading into spring, Brissett held the edge in experience, and seemed to have the most confidence in his play and his understanding of the offense. However, he and Driskel have been getting almost equal reps in practice.

Schedule: Florida opens spring practice Wednesday afternoon and concludes on April 7 with the Orange & Blue Debut, presented by Sunniland, at 1 p.m. ET in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. In conjunction with Florida Football's Annual Coaches Clinic, practice will open to the public twice -- March 16 and March 17.

What's new: Florida welcomes in new offensive coordinator Brent Pease, who left Boise State, as its new offensive coordinator after Charlie Weis left to become the head coach at Kansas. Florida also hired former Utah offensive line coach Tim Davis to replace Frank Verducci, while Jeff Dillman replaces Mickey Marrotti as the Gators' strength and conditioning coach.

On the mend: Florida will be down a few players this spring. Defensive tackle Dominique Easley is out while he recovers from an ACL injury he suffered at the end of the regular season. Cornerback Jeremy Brown is out with a knee injury that kept him out all of the 2011 season. Offensive linemen Ian Silberman, Tommy Jordan, Kyle Koehne and Cole Gilliam, along with linebacker Lerentee McCray and defensive end Kedric Johnson, are all out with shoulder injuries. Cornerback Marcus Roberson (neck) was cleared for non-contact drills. Linebacker Neiron Ball, who was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation after a blood vessel burst in his head before the 2011 season, has been cleared to resume physical activity, but not for practice.

On the move: Redshirt senior Omarius Hines is moving from wide receiver to cross train at running back and tight end. Hines has always been some sort of a hybrid player, recording 41 career receptions for 559 yards and two touchdowns and carrying the ball 13 times for 164 rushing yards and two more scores. Nick Alajajian is moving from offensive tackle to defensive tackle to provide depth with Easley out.

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Now that you've seen what to watch in the SEC Western Division, let's check out the East:

FLORIDA

Spring practice start date: March 14
Spring game: April 7

What to watch:

Finding offensive playmakers: Year 2 of the Will Muschamp era begins with the team trying to find someone who can make a few plays for this fall. New offensive coordinator Brent Pease has a host of unproven offensive talent to work with. Wide receiver Andre Debose was Florida's best deep threat last year, and the coaches raved about receiver Quinton Dunbar's potential, but neither was consistent enough in 2011. Maybe Florida can finally turn to bigger backs Mike Gillislee and Mack Brown in the playmaking department.

Toughening up the offensive line: The Gators' line struggled throughout the 2011 season. It wasn't always at 100 percent, but Florida's line also just wasn't tough enough -- mentally or physically. The Gators couldn't get the tough yards on the ground and didn't exactly protect quarterback John Brantley enough. The line should get a boost with early enrollees D.J. Humphries, who was the top offensive line prospect in the 2012 class, and Jessamen Dunker, but Florida will have to get improvement from players who return to a line that lost just one starter from last season.

Quarterback battle: Brantley is gone, leaving rising sophomores Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel and Tyler Murphy. Brissett replaced Driskel as Florida's No. 2 quarterback last year, while Murphy has yet to take a college snap. Brissett and Driskel had plenty of down moments last fall but should get a chance to reinvent themselves this spring with new leadership and more practice reps. This spring will be extremely important for all three quarterbacks as they try to improve a position that struggled mightily the past two years.

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You've already seen Chris Low's to-do lists for the Western Division teams, so now it's time to check out what the East teams need to take care of before next fall:

FLORIDA

• Two major areas new offensive coordinator Brent Pease needs to hit during his first offseason with the Gators is running back and wide receiver. Florida must find a downhill running back for Pease's offense, and a reliable go-to wide receiver -- two things Florida lacked in 2011.
• With quarterback John Brantley graduating, Pease must find a new starting quarterback. That means developing rising sophomores Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, who struggled in relief of Brantley at times last season, and Tyler Murphy, who has yet to take a snap.
• Toughen up mentally and physically. The Gators ranked 89th nationally in penalties, and were called out by coach Will Muschamp as being too soft in his first season. Soft can't win in the SEC.

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