Florida Gators

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 buck linebacker Dante Fowler.

Buck Dante Fowler
Freshman
27 tackles, 2.5 sacks

Role in 2012: Fowler benefitted from injuries to other players and got a lot of reps with the first team during fall camp. He quickly showed he deserved to play and figured heavily into the rotation.

The good: Fowler has very good speed and quickness for someone his size (6-foot-3, 277 pounds) and he also is a high-motor, relentless player. He’s not bad against the run, either, but his strength is rushing the passer. His 7.0 tackles for loss ranked third on the team behind DT Sharrif Floyd (11.0) and S Matt Elam (10.0). Fowler is one of several young players whom defensive coordinator Dan Quinn singled out as improving during bowl practices. He could be the next Loucheiz Purifoy -- a player who showed marked improvement in bowl practices and followed that up by becoming one of the Gators’ better playmakers the following season.

The bad: Showing up significantly heavier than he was on signing day raised some flags about Fowler's offseason work ethic. It’s unlikely that he’ll have the same problem this offseason because he’ll be on campus and working with strength and conditioning coordinator Jeff Dillman. He does need to drop some weight and get in better shape. Like all young players, Fowler is a bit raw fundamentally and relies more on his athleticism and strength. He needs to refine his technique and spend some extra time with defensive line coach Bryant Young.

Crystal ball: Ronald Powell will return from a torn ACL next season and regain his starting job, but Fowler will be on the field a lot. If Powell doesn’t play at the level he did before his injury, then don’t be surprised to see Fowler in the starting lineup. He’s big enough that the Gators could move him to defensive end, too. Either way, UF should be much better rushing the passer in 2013, and Fowler will be a key part of that.

GAINESVILE, Fla. -- Florida coach Will Muschamp took to the SEC's weekly teleconference on Wednesday morning to talk about the Gators’ game home game against Jacksonville State on Saturday. In addition to talking about QB Jeff Driskel being out with an ankle injury, Muschamp talked about how the Gators have overcome injuries.

1. Man down, man up

Florida has been banged up in the second half of the season, especially along the offensive line. Yet the Gators (with one exception) keep winning because they’ve been able to overcome those injuries. They’ve completely adopted Muschamp’s “Man down, man up” mantra.

"I think what you emphasize is what's important to them. I've emphasized all along knowing how our season went a year ago, and we had injuries [and] I felt like at times we used that as an excuse. I went into this season with the mentality of our football team that is not going to be an excuse, and injuries are a part of the game. And in the SEC, as physical of a league as it is, you are going to have injuries. That's part of the game. When a guy goes down the other guy has to step up and play at a high level, and we're not going to use that as an excuse to say we had an injury. That's part of the game and you have to move on. It's something I came up with. Just said, ‘Man down, man up.’ You need to man up in this league and when you have an injury somebody else needs to step forward and play well for you."

2. Steady improvement

Freshman DE Dante Fowler has come on in the second half of the season (12 of his 23 tackles and two sacks in last four games) and Muschamp has been impressed with the way he has handled himself.

"Dante is a guy that is a very talented guy, that's blessed with a lot of ability. But he came in here a very humble young man. He came in here and he's worked, he's put the time in, he's done an outstanding job for us academically, he's done an outstanding job for us socially. He's been a guy that's been a very, very productive player. He learns well and he works at it. He's always up in the office. He's always in [defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s] office trying to learn, trying to watch more film and a guy that listens. That's a talent. A lot of young guys have a hard time listening to someone else tell them, whether it's a coach or an older player. That's the one thing that Dante really has a strong talent for is listening to what other people [say], taking the input and understanding and learning from each experience."

2. Senior leadership

Seniors Jon Bostic and Omar Hunter have been instrumental on the field in this season’s turnaround from 7-6 in 2011 to 9-1. But they also were invaluable during the transition from Urban Meyer’s staff to Will Muschamp and the current staff.

"They were outstanding. … Understanding the expectation, understanding philosophically what I believe and what this program stands for. Omar and Jon are two that you said. A lot of them have done a great job, but those two jump out as well that have been exactly what we wanted in this program as far as the type of player they are, they type of young man student-athlete and certainly it helped my transition here. Those guys are guys I count on as far as their input with our football team, how our locker room is doing, and I think they have done an outstanding job."

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida is playing better defensively in the second half and fourth quarter partly because of what the Gators are doing in the first half.

UF's additional depth along the defensive line and at linebacker means the Gators are playing more players early in the game, which is keeping their top-line players fresher for the second half. That has been especially noticeable in their two SEC games. Florida held Texas A&M and Tennessee to just 125 combined yards, forced two turnovers and forced nine punts in the fourth quarter.

"At the end of the game you really need those guys to go win the game," defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said Wednesday afternoon.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It’s time to dip in to the GatorNation recruiting mailbag and answer your questions. Because of the number of questions we’ve received, we won’t be able to get to all of them today, but we encourage you to ask your questions on our Insider fan forum, The Chompions Club. Astute readers will also notice a new spot on our homepage where you can submit mailbag question about the football team at any time. We read every question we receive.

GatorT51: Do you think Mike Gillislee will be the featured back and get bulk of the carries against BG or do you think it will be by committee with Gillislee, Mack Brown, Matt Jones & Trey Burton getting an equal number of touches?

A: Gillislee will be the main back and I expect him to average about 15-18 carries per game this season. He had a fantastic spring and August and made his biggest improvement in pass protection. He’s had a nagging ankle injury the past two seasons but seems to be over that. Mack Brown and Matt Jones will get their share of carries against Bowling Green and the two will continue to battle throughout the season to be the No. 2 back behind Gillislee.

Impulse36: Haven't seen many Boise St. games, what is Pease's passing game like? Does he go with short passes, screens, throws that require timing? Does he usually throw it deep? From the spring practice, sounds like we play action into deep throws. The coaches (or possibly the reporters) tended to mention receivers getting behind the defense and catching deep passes. Are the QBs capable of making that quick three-step drop slant throw (pinpoint accuracy) or are they more suited for throwing deep (strong arm)? How much is expected of the QB at the line of scrimmage, is he expected to make hot reads, call out blitzes? Thanks!

A: Whew, long list of stuff. I’ll try and answer it all as succinctly as I can. Pease’s offense uses all of those things, and one of the things I’m eager to see is the screen game. UF hasn’t really been a good screen team, with the running backs, anyway, and I’ve always thought that was an area in which the Gators could excel. The problem the QBs are having right now, though, is in their timing. They’re both holding onto the ball too long, which is normal for any young quarterback. Jacoby Brissett seems to be having that trouble a bit more than Jeff Driskel because he doesn’t want to leave the pocket. There are some play-action deep throws, but I question the ability of the receivers to consistently get open.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida might not have end/linebacker Ronald Powell for another month or so as he continues his rehab from a torn left ACL, but defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is still encouraged that the Gators' pass rush will improve.

It's mainly a result of just having more bodies, which allows for more rotation and fresher players. And fresher players make better pass rushers, especially in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. The addition of freshmen Jonathan Bullard and Dante Fowler Jr., plus the return of linebacker Neiron Ball from injury, bolsters a group that didn't get consistent pressure on the quarterback until the final two games of the season.

"Even with Ronald not being available to us yet, with the addition of Ball, with the addition of [Lerentee] McCray moving down [to end from linebacker], with the addition of Bullard, with the addition of Fowler, and the existing guys, it seems like the lines [for pass-rush drills in practice] are longer," Quinn said Thursday night. "That’s a good thing."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Will Muschamp had the following to say about the Gators’ first scrimmage of the fall, which took place on Saturday:

The offense was productive and quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel were solid. "We had 11 explosive plays, which is great for the offense and not so good for the defense," Muschamp said. "Pleased to see that. Both quarterbacks were pretty even through those explosive plays and how they played. They're both completing, throughout camp, right at between 63 and 65 percent of their passes. They're both about dead on statistically in terms of attempts, completions, everything. I thought they managed our football team really well."

The quarterbacks, however, did throw three interceptions, although one was a tipped ball. "Disappointed with ball security," Muschamp said. "We had the ball on the ground four times. We can't afford that to happen. Three interceptions. One was a tipped ball, one was a busted route. But still those are turnovers."

Muschamp liked what he’s seen out of the pass rush, specifically inside. "We've improved our four-man pass rush with Lerentee [McCray], Neiron [Ball] and Sharrif [Floyd] and Dominique [Easley] doing some nice things inside," Muschamp said.

More notes from scrimmage:

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida has lost a pair of reserve defensive linemen to knee injuries this week, and at least one is definitely out for the season.

UF coach Will Muschamp said Friday that senior defensive tackle Nick Alajajian suffered a fractured right knee and will miss the 2012 season and redshirt junior defensive end Kedric Johnson suffered a dislocated left knee and will miss a significant period of time. Both players were involved in special teams and haven't made any impact on defense, but losing those two does hurt the Gators in terms of veteran depth.

Alajajian (6-foot-4, 285 pounds) was a reserve offensive lineman for his first three seasons but was moved to defensive tackle in the spring. Johnson has just nine tackles and one sack in 25 career games.

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ESPN’s GatorNation brings you the 30 things you need to know about Florida’s upcoming 2012 season. For 30 weekdays we’ll preview games, talk about trends, spotlight players and positions, and give you pretty much everything you need to know to be ready for the season before the Sept. 1 opener against Bowling Green.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- There’s plenty of opportunities for freshmen to get on the field at Florida in 2012. There’s also a need at certain positions.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the five freshmen who are most likely to make an impact this season:

DE Jonathan Bullard -- With Ronald Powell’s injury (torn ACL) the Gators are in desperate need of a pass-rusher. Bullard will get every chance to prove he can get it done. He’s got good size (6-foot-4, 255 pounds) and is a physical player. If he can develop, that’ll allow the Gators to move Sharrif Floyd from end to tackle, which is his more natural position.

DE Dante Fowler, Jr. -- Fowler was recruited to play Powell’s buck position, which belongs to Lerentee McCray right now. Fowler is very quick off the ball and has good size (6-3, 236) but needs to get stronger. His role is likely as a pass-rusher as a freshman, and since UF is deficient there he’ll get a chance to get on the field a lot.

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ESPN’s GatorNation is previewing each position leading up to the start of the season. Every Friday until the season kicks off, 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 the defensive line.

The starters: DE/LB Lerentee McCray (RSr.), DT Dominique Easley (Jr.), DT Omar Hunter (RSr.), DE Sharrif Floyd (Jr.)

The backups: DE/LB Dante Fowler, Jr. (Fr.), DE/LB Gideon Ajagbe (RSo.), DE/LB Kedric Johnson (RJr.), DE/LB Alex McCalister (Fr.), DE/LB Bryan Cox, Jr. (Fr.), DT Leon Orr (RSo.), DT Damien Jacobs (Jr.), DT Dante Phillips (Fr.), NT Nick Alajajian (Sr.), DT Quinteze Williams (Fr.), DT Jafar Mann (Fr.), DE Jonathan Bullard (Fr.)

Comment: The line would be much better with DE/LB Ronald Powell, who is out for at least part of the season with a torn ACL. There is a lot of depth, which is in contrast to last season. Easley and Floyd have All-SEC potential, and the hope is some of the freshmen will develop enough to allow the Gators to slide Floyd inside to tackle, which is his more natural position. McCray was having a solid season last year until a shoulder injury caused him to miss four of the final five games. Fowler and Cox could see a lot of time at DE/LB (which UF calls the buck) early in practice to see if they can handle the spot.

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ESPN’s GatorNation brings you the 30 things you need to know about Florida’s upcoming 2012 season. For 30 weekdays we’ll preview games, talk about trends, spotlight players and positions, and give you pretty much everything you need to know to be ready for the season before the Sept. 1 opener against Bowling Green.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida is one of only five SEC programs to make the top 25 in ESPN’s team recruiting rankings in each of the past five seasons.

In fact, the Gators finished in the top five in four of those five years. But somehow that hasn’t translated to consistent on-field success.

Florida lost just two games combined in 2008 and 2009, but very few of the members of those signing classes contributed significantly -- which shows how good UF’s roster was in those two seasons. Since then, however, the Gators are a combined 15-11, and while some of those highly touted signees have turned into very good players, UF has slipped from its spot among the national elite.

But things are looking brighter entering 2012. The core of this year’s team is comprised of members of the 2009 and 2010 classes, and several members of the 2011 class appear to be ready to become significant contributors or are on the verge of being elite players.

Here’s a look at those signing classes (see chart below):

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