With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice now in full swing, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at team practice from Wed., March 31.
Absences/Injuries:
» Redshirt senior wide receiver Carl Moore no-showed practice Wednesday for his second-straight absence. The Gainesville Sun reported Monday that Moore was “seen leaving the field after practice [on Saturday] visibly upset.” Moore had been seen in the football offices earlier in the day. (More in the quotes section.)
» Redshirt sophomore cornerback Adrian Bushell participated in his second consecutive practice and once again did not wear pads (as expected). He will likely return to full activity on Friday. Head coach Urban Meyer suspended him from team activities for two weeks for grades and other off-the-field issues.
» Redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Debose spent most of practice off to the side on a stationary bike. The team continues to bring him along slowly as he recovers from his hamstring injury. Debose is expected to be 100 percent healthy for fall practice, according to The Gainesville Sun.
» Redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody practiced Wednesday and looked good by all accounts, breaking off a few nice runs. He had been out of action for a few days with an injured ankle.
With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice now in full swing, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at a team scrimmage from Mon., March 29.
Absences/Injuries:
» Redshirt senior wide receiver Carl Moore no-showed practice Monday. Either the staff is keeping the reason for his absence secret, or they really did not know at the time (see quotes section below). The Gainesville Sun reports that Moore was “seen leaving the field after practice [on Saturday] visibly upset.”
» Redshirt sophomore cornerback Adrian Bushell returned to practice Monday but did not wear pads. Head coach Urban Meyer suspended him from team activities for two weeks for grades and other off-the-field issues. He will also not be given pads at Wednesday’s practice but should return to full activity on Friday.
» Redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody remained out of practice with an injured ankle. There is not an official date for a return.
With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice now in full swing, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at a team scrimmage from Sat., March 27.
Absences/Injuries:
» Senior offensive linemen Mike Pouncey, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert and Maurice Hurt all sat out, leaving the line thin and easy to attack for the defense. It should be no surprise that the defensive unit “won” the scrimmage.
» Senior cornerback Moses Jenkins continues to work opposite junior Janoris Jenkins as redshirt sophomore Adrian Bushell sits out on a team-mandated suspension. He will join the rest of the team in practice when he gets his grades up and meets head coach Urban Meyer’s specifications. In his stead, redshirt sophomore Jeremy Brown is the one fighting with M. Jenkins for the starting job.
Scrimmage happenings:
» Redshirt junior John Brantley and freshman Trey Burton were the quarterbacks for the scrimmage – each was hurried and out of rhythm, rushing passes and feeling the pressure of the defense.
» Freshman safety Matt Elam picked off and returned a pass from Brantley for a touchdown as he got a lot of time with the first-team defense. It was his most impressive day of practice thus far.
» Matching Elam’s performance and also working with him on the first team was freshman CB Jaylen Watkins, who intercepted a pass from Burton that went through redshirt freshman wide receiver Stephen Alli’s hands.
» Alli continues to shine out wide and could see significant playing time this season even though he has a handful of veterans in front of him, including five who are scheduled to get the most game action.
» One of those five, redshirt junior WR Chris Rainey, is said to be picking up the receiving portion of the playbook quite well even though some were worried about his ability to get it all down. Rainey is becoming a reliable target for Brantley and could impact this team more significantly than some initially expected this season.
» Redshirt freshman QB Jordan Reed got the start at tight end with the first team.
Interesting quotes:
» Brantley on his group of wide receivers: “I know how a lot of these guys run. I trust all of them, right now. They’re doing a great job, getting better every day, and we just keep improving. [Rainey's] a fast dude. He’s starting to learn all of the routes, and he’s going to be a big playmaker for us this year.”
» Brantley on not having a true backup right now and senior punter Chas Henry getting some work as a passer (from Friday): “Chas isn’t bad. I know he played QB in high school. He hasn’t lost too much of his throwing agility. He can spin it. It does [show] that I need to stay healthy. But the young guy behind me, Trey, is doing very well for a freshman. He’s attaining a lot of knowledge. He’s making progress every day and that’s what you want to see out of your young guys.”
» Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Steve Addazio on Burton’s play (from Friday): “Trey is a really good runner and I think that Wildcat package is realistic for him kind of like we did for Tim [Tebow] when Tim broke in here. He’s working real hard at that. That gives us that package we like to run – the read option, the quarterback runs. I think he’s really done a nice job throwing it, too. He’s really progressing. I think Trey has done a good job of picking things up. I’m really encouraged, honestly. He’s ahead of where we thought he’d be right now. He’s obviously a sharp guy and football is really important to him. He’s a real conscientious guy. Watching him out there, I think he’s going to be a heck of a football player, I really do.”
» Addazio on quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler saying he throws a good ball (from Friday): “Loeffler thinks he throws it better than [Henry]. That Loeffler is an awful athlete.”
» Addazio on how the offense will change this year: “It’s going to be different. We were an option football team a lot last year. We’ll still run option football, but you’ll see those Tim carries will be divided up amongst tailback carries and throws, so that makes you different for sure. [...] I know what the offensive line will be. I’m not worried about the offensive line. [...] It’s a matter of getting a good working package together. Can we throw it? Heck yeah. Can we run block? Heck yeah. Do we have good tailbacks? Yes. I think we’ve got to find that package, and then we’ve got to find that tight end. That’s not a little piece, that’s a big piece right there.”
» Co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chuck Heater on Brown’s play since his recovery: “You wouldn’t know he had a [back] problem, which is great. That’s the way you like it, but it was a significant issue for him for a couple years, so we just keep hoping that it’s not going to be an issue and he keeps playing the way he’s playing because he’s really done a nice job.”
One of the best – if not the best – tight ends in the history of Florida Gators football, Aaron Hernandez’s decision to enter the 2010 NFL Draft appears to have been the right one. Unfortunately for his school, the move has left a hole at the position on the team’s offensive line.
Three freshmen – four-star Gerald Christian and redshirts Desmond Parks and converted quarterback Jordan Reed – are up for the job and working each day during spring practice to catch the staff’s collective eye. Unfortunately for Parks, an injured wrist that requires surgery is keeping him out for the time being, leaving Christian and Reed to compete for the spot.
Though Reed is certainly athletic and could end up making a quick Cornelius Ingram-like transformation, Christian is the favorite to land the job due to his combination of size (6’3” 240 lbs.), strength (21 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press) and speed (4.65-second 40-yard dash). Simply put: he has the pedigree.
“It’s exciting,” Christian told The Gainesville Sun of having a chance to play early. “One of my goals coming here was to play early. I’m hoping I can come in and win a spot. I want to come out and work as hard as I can and do whatever I can to help the team. I’m going to come out here and compete and try to get my spot. I’m not lying down for anybody.”
However, nothing is set in stone and the team appears to be pleased with the early progress of all three players. Do not expect a decision to be made anytime soon.
With the Florida Gators beginning spring practice for the 2010 season on Wednesday, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece.
Much of the following post was originally published on OGGOA on Oct. 22, 2009.
Behind [former] starting quarterback Tim Tebow and redshirt sophomore John Brantley is Jordan Reed, a four-star freshman who committed to the Florida Gators in August 2008. Knowing Brantley would be starting ahead of him for at least two seasons, Reed was expected to back him up while simultaneously learning the ins-and-outs of the position.
Head coach Urban Meyer first mentioned on Oct. 22 that Reed may be catching passes in the future instead of throwing them. In fact, numerous beat writers reported that Reed ran wide receiver and tight end routes during pre-game practice for the Arkansas Razorbacks game. At 6’3″ and 235 pounds with a 4.5 second 40-yard dash, Reed certainly has all of the physical attributes to succeed as a playmaker.
“[Reed's] a very good athlete,” Meyer said back in October. “We have to find a way to get him on the field someday, and [he has] pretty good hands and can run. We’re experimenting right now. He’s still a quarterback.”
During his 2010 National Signing Day press conference, Meyer indicated that Reed’s position change is imminent. This allowed Florida the flexibility to recruit another passer.
“We feel like Jordan Reed is going to move to tight end,” Meyer said. “We wanted to look for a dual position player and found that in [three-star QB] Tyler Murphy.”
Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer spoke with members of the media after receiving all 28 letters of intent for his team’s unanimous No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class. The following is a transcript of the press conference, courtesy of the University of Florida’s University Athletic Association. Continue Reading » Urban Meyer on Florida’s 2010 recruiting class
Behind senior starting quarterback Tim Tebow and back-up John Brantley is Jordan Reed, a four-star freshman who committed to the Florida Gators in August 2008. Knowing Brantley would be starting ahead of him for at least two seasons, Reed was expected to back him up while simultaneously learning the ins-and-outs of the position.
According to head coach Urban Meyer on Thursday, Reed may be catching passes in the future instead of throwing them. In fact, numerous beat writers reported that Reed was running wide receiver and tight end routes during the pre-game practice for the Arkansas Razorbacks game last Saturday. At 6’3″ and 235 pounds with a 4.5 second 40-yard dash, Reed certainly has all of the physical attributes to succeed as a playmaker.
“[Reed's] a very good athlete,” Meyer said. “We have to find a way to get him on the field someday, and [he has] pretty good hands and can run. We’re experimenting right now. He’s still a quarterback.”
Taurean Green (@TaureanJGreen):
"Yes yes....my #GatorBoys in the Elite 8. All u jive time turkeys that thought Marquette was gonna win can sit down and go to sleep!"
The Silver Lining is an exclusive column written by Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com for Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com affiliate InsideTheGators.com. OGGOA readers can receive a special discount on a subscription to InsideTheGators, which can be accessed by clicking the image above!
One of the best – if not the best – tight ends in the history of Florida Gators football, Aaron Hernandez’s decision to enter the 2010 NFL Draft appears to have been the right one. Unfortunately for his school, the move has left a hole at the position on the team’s offensive line.
Behind [former] starting quarterback Tim Tebow and redshirt sophomore John Brantley is Jordan Reed, a four-star freshman who committed to the Florida Gators in August 2008. Knowing Brantley would be starting ahead of him for at least two seasons, Reed was expected to back him up while simultaneously learning the ins-and-outs of the position.
Behind senior starting quarterback Tim Tebow and back-up John Brantley is Jordan Reed, a four-star freshman who committed to the Florida Gators in August 2008. Knowing Brantley would be starting ahead of him for at least two seasons, Reed was expected to back him up while simultaneously learning the ins-and-outs of the position.
