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 has lost another offensive lineman -- and now the Gators might have to adjust their spring game plans.

Reserve offensive lineman Trip Thurman has suffered what Florida coach Will Muschamp said appears to be a serious shoulder injury, and now the Gators have only five healthy scholarship offensive linemen available. The other five are either limited, out for spring because of previous injuries, or suspended.

Because of that, the Gators’ April 6 spring game might lose some of its excitement.

“Just tough right now on those guys and now it’s even harder to get scrimmage snaps because of the lack of numbers at those positions,” Muschamp said. “We’re adjusting as we go as far as this coming Saturday [in a scrimmage]. Even with the spring game, it may be more of a practice-like atmosphere for what we’re going to do.

“ ... We’ll have scrimmage snaps. I think if we’re incorporating within the scrimmage some 7-on-7, some special teams periods where we just concentrate and let those guys get a break. Last spring, we’d go 120-130 snaps in a scrimmage. You can’t do that with five offensive linemen. That won’t be good.”

Muschamp said he did not know the extent of Thurman’s injury and was waiting for team physician Mike Moser to view the results of an MRI, but that things didn’t look good. The 6-foot-5, 313-pound Thurman wasn’t going to be a starter in 2013, but he was the No. 2 left tackle behind sophomore D.J. Humphries.

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Schedule: The Gators open spring practice today at 4:30 p.m. ET and will conclude the spring with their annual Orange & Blue Debut on April 6 at 1 p.m. ET inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

What's new: Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Will Muschamp then promoted D.J. Durkin from linebackers/special teams coach to defensive coordinator. Brad Lawing was hired away from South Carolina to help coach Florida's defensive line and was given the title of assistant head coach. Interim wide receivers coach Bush Hamdan was replaced by former Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips.

On the mend: Redshirt junior offensive lineman Chaz Green will miss all of spring after undergoing ankle surgery following Florida's bowl game. Redshirt junior defensive end/linebacker Ronald Powell will also miss the spring while he continues to rehab his ACL injury that he suffered last spring. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Ian Silberman is out for the spring, as he recovers from shoulder surgery that he had before the bowl game. Freshman linebacker Matt Rolin is also out, recovering from ACL surgery. Senior offensive lineman Jon Halapio (knee scope), senior wide receiver Solomon Patton (broken arm), redshirt junior linebacker Neiron Ball (ankle) and punter Kyle Christy (shoulder) will all be limited this spring.

On the move: Junior cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy will start the first seven practices at the "Z" receiver spot. Redshirt freshman Quinteze Williams moved from defensive tackle to offensive tackle. Sophomore Antonio Morrison moved from Will to Mike linebacker, while redshirt junior linebacker Michael Taylor has moved from Mike to Will. Redshirt freshman Rhaheim Ledbetter moved from safety to fullback. Redshirt junior Gideon Ajagbe also moved from linebacker to fullback. Redshirt junior Cody Riggs has moved from cornerback to safety, where he's listed as a starter.

Question marks: Heading into the spring, the biggest questions remain on offense, where the Gators were incredibly inconsistent last year. Workhorse running back Mike Gillislee is gone, and while the Gators should feature a stable of running backs this fall, throwing the ball has to improve or this offense will go in reverse. Quarterback Jeff Driskel says he's more confident and offensive coordinator Brent Pease expects to open things up more in the passing game, but the Gators also have to get better protection up front and develop some more reliable receivers and replace top target, tight end Jordan Reed. Florida's defense has a lot of experienced youngsters, but it won't be easy to replace the production that guys like Sharrif Floyd, Matt Elam and Jon Bostic had last year. Florida is also looking for someone to replace kicker Caleb Sturgis. Redshirt freshman Austin Hardin and senior Brad Phillips will compete for that spot.

New faces: Rolin, running back Kelvin Taylor, linebackers Alex Anzalone and Daniel McMillian, defensive lineman Joey Ivie, and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson all enrolled early as true freshmen. Florida also welcomed Nebraska offensive lineman transfer Tyler Moore (sophomore) and junior college transfer Darius Cummings (DT). Offensive lineman Max Garica also transferred from Maryland and sat out last season.

Key battle: Florida has to find a reliable receiving target at either tight end or receiver. The athletic Kent Taylor figures to be the favorite at tight end, but he'll have to compete with Colin Thompson, Clay Burton and Tevin Westbrook. At receiver, it's a free-for-all, and there isn't a ton of experience. Purifoy will certainly get his shot, but vets Quinton Dunbar and Andre Debose have to make significant strides. So does rising sophomore Latroy Pittman, who fell off last year after a successful spring. Sophomore Raphael Andrades will be back and forth between football and baseball, while Patton will be limited. Keep an eye on Robinson, who was the top receiver in the Gators' 2013 class and is a downfield threat and someone who can be elusive through the middle of the field.

Breaking out: Florida needs to replace Gillislee, and sophomore Matt Jones has already had a solid offseason, according to coaches. He progressed as last season went on and has both speed and strength to work with. The plan is for him to be a 20-plus-carry player this fall. Morrison's role now expands, and after having a very solid freshman year, even more is expected from him now that he's at the Mike. If he improves his coverage ability, he could be a big-time player for the Gators. Also, keep an eye on junior safety Jabari Gorman. He covers a lot of ground and isn't afraid to play in the box.

Don't forget about: Ball and Riggs have dealt with injuries in the past, but as they get healthy, Florida's coaches are excited about what they could do in 2013. Ball will play some Buck and provides Florida with another solid third-down pass-rusher and should help the Gators put more pressure on opposing backfields this fall. Riggs played in just two games last year before fracturing his foot, but he's a very physical defensive back. With his speed, moving to safety should provide him a chance to make more plays in Florida's secondary. He was also the starter at safety when Elam went to nickel last year.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- There will be some new faces at several positions when Florida begins spring practice Wednesday.

The biggest change, which has previously been reported, is that junior CB Loucheiz Purifoy will spend the first half of spring practice working exclusively at receiver. He won’t be able to absorb the entire offense in that time, but he will have a better understanding than he did last season and will be able to run something other than a deep sideline pattern.

"I think up to this point what he's done has been very specific," offensive coordinator Brent Pease said. “Get him over for a few plays, here's what you’re doing and there's no adjustments. You can't adjust to anything and play off anything that defense is doing. Now you're getting into a set position and you're seeing how teams play against you. You play maybe a couple different spots in there and we can move you around."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Will Muschamp announced the following during today's afternoon news conference:

The Gators have cleared additional space on the roster with the impending spring graduations of DE Kedric Johnson and WR Stephen Alli and a potential medical exemption for OL Tommy Jordan.

Muschamp said Alli is going to attend graduate school and could remain with the program in the operations or with the strength program. Muschamp said Johnson, a redshirt junior with one season of eligibility remaining, might transfer to another school and try to play another season under the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule.

Jordan, who would have been a redshirt sophomore in 2013, has chronic shoulder problems. He would remain on scholarship but would not be eligible to play at Florida if his hardship is granted, as expected.

Those three moves leave the Gators able to sign 33 players next month. Eight players already have enrolled and would count toward last season.

In addition, four players had minor surgeries this month: OL Jon Halapio (knee), OL Chaz Green (ankle), LB Neiron Ball (ankle) and P Kyle Christy (shoulder).

"All those guys will be able to take part in spring [practice]," Muschamp said. "I just don’t know how much at this point."

Muschamp also said WR Solomon Patton is progressing well in his recovery from a broken arm. He said he didn’t believe Patton would be cleared for contact in the spring.

Editor’s note: Each day between now and Florida’s Allstate Sugar Bowl date with Louisville, GatorNation will review the season for a key Gators player and attempt to project what’s next. Today we’ll look at G Jon Halapio.

G Jon Halapio
Redshirt junior
UF is averaging 194.5 yards per game rushing, 338.4 yards per game total offense, and has given up 36 sacks

Role in 2012: Halapio has been a mainstay at right guard and has started 27 consecutive games dating back to the final two games of the 2010 season.

The good: Halapio earned the team’s Scrap Iron award (given for blocking and toughness) eight times this season, more than any other player. That speaks to his consistency since he finally cracked the starting lineup for good at the end of 2010. The 6-foot-3, 321-pound Halapio is a very good run blocker and was a big piece of the Gators’ transition from the perimeter run game to the between-the-tackles style that coach Will Muschamp wants. He helped RB Mike Gillislee become the Gators’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Ciatrick Fason in 2004.

The bad: Halapio, like C Jonotthan Harrison and LG James Wilson, has at times had trouble in pass protection. The Gators have been hurt by delayed blitzes or overloads up the middle. UF quarterbacks have been sacked 36 times this season, and while all that blame doesn’t belong to the offensive line, a good portion of it does. This group is much better than it was in 2011, but it has to improve for the offense to flourish in 2013.

Crystal ball: Halapio will again anchor the offensive line in 2013. He and Harrison might be the only players from 2012 who will be in the same spot in ’13. UF will have a new left side and it’s possible that RT Chaz Green will get beaten out by Nebraska transfer Tyler Moore. The offense can’t be as one-dimensional as it was this season, and the passing game has to make strides. The pass protection has to improve to help QB Jeff Driskel’s development.