Florida Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn had plenty to say just over a week before the 2012 regular season is set to begin and did exactly that on Thursday afternoon. Quinn discussed the team’s reserve linebackers, how the secondary is shaping up and who is stepping up in the pass rush.

VERSATILITY IN THE MIDDLE

Not every defensive coordinator is lucky enough to have two terrific inside linebackers like senior Jon Bostic (Mike) and redshirt junior Jelani Jenkins (Will). According to Quinn on Thursday, his embarrassment of riches extends to their reserves as both redshirt sophomore Michael Taylor and true freshman Antonio Morrison are making themselves known during practice.

Taylor, the primary back-up to Bostic in 2011, said recently that he has been switching between Mike and Will in practice in order to become more versatile. That is good news considering Quinn somewhat revealed that it will be Morrison behind Bostic this season.

“This guy is really coming on,” he said. “I like his instincts. I like his toughness. I think he’s got a big future ahead of him, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Quinn did say, however, that both Morrison and Taylor can play either inside position and that he is completely comfortable with moving them back and forth until he figures out which player is best at which position.

SECONDARY COMING TOGETHER BUT NOT YET SET

It should be no surprise junior Matt Elam and senior Josh Evans will be starting at safety for the Gators, though it was interesting when Quinn noted that junior Cody Riggs has been spending plenty of time back there after mostly serving as a cornerback and nickel corner in 2011.

Riggs along with junior Jaylen Watkins and sophomores Marcus Roberson and Louchiez Purifoy are all competing for the two starting cornerback jobs though Quinn pointed out (just like head coach Will Muschamp has repeatedly) that the team will probably be starting three each game and all four will see plenty of time on the field.

“It’s nice having so many of those guys return, know the same language going into training camp and moving forward,” he said. “I kind of have a feeling it will work itself out like it usually does through the course of the season and as we get through a few ballgames.”

IMPROVING THE PASS RUSH

Read the rest of what Quinn had to say on Thursday…after the break!
Continue Reading » 8/23: Quinn on reserve LBs, secondary, pass rush

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Cody Riggs, Damien Jacobs, Dante Fowler, Dominique Easley, Earl Okine, Jaylen Watkins, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jonathan Bullard, Josh Evans, Lerentee McCray, Louchiez Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, Matt Elam, Michael Taylor, Neiron Ball, Ronald Powell, Will Muschamp

With the Florida Gators entrenched in their first week of fall practice, a handful of players spoke with the media on Wednesday about how things are going as the team prepares for the 2012 season. Joining them in a surprise session was head coach Will Muschamp, who discussed some of the team’s most recent injuries.

INJURY UPDATES

Though Muschamp said the shoulder bruise sustained by sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel was not serious, he did mention that sophomore walk-on wide reciever Michael McNeely broke his foot during practice and is expected to miss six weeks of action.

He also noted that redshirt junior defensive lineman Kedric Johnson, who dislocated his left knee in practice last week and is expected to miss a significant amount of time, had successful surgery on Wednesday.

”ONE OF THE BEST OFFENSES I’VE SEEN”

Sophomore tight end Clay Burton has not seen much field time in his Gators career (transitioning from defense to offense your freshman season is one reason for that) but is quite sure that the schemes being installed by offensive coordinator Brent Pease are going to do quite well for Florida this year.

“I can’t wait until we play somebody else because I feel like in the spring, just talking to players like Jelani [Jenkins] and the other defensive players, they’re like, ‘You guys shifting, it’s crazy, it’s confusing,’” he said of the motions and shifts in Pease’s offense.

“So I can’t wait – I don’t know how other teams are going to game plan for us. I wouldn’t want to be a defensive player and have to line up on one side and then just because one person plays we have to shift everything. I think it’s actually probably one of the best offensives I’ve seen.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Sophomore Chris Johnson, who was recruited as a defensive back but was shifted over to running back when he joined the Gators, said he never expected to play offense in college but is fine with the move. “I thought about it but, at the same time, my mindset when I first came in was safety and defense. Like they say, change just happens so I got used to it,” he said.

» Burton on the transition to tight end for himself and sophomore Tevin Westbrook: “It’s just a lot of footwork. As a defensive player you want to put the offensive player off you so you can see the play, and on offense you want to get and stay into the defense, so we’ve both kind of had an issue of pressing the guy instead of driving him off the ball.”

» Senior safety Josh Evans on why he changed to No. 9: “Nothing behind it, man. I just wanted to change it up. I’ve been wearing No. 24 for a long time, and I just wanted to do something different my senior year. New player, new me, just playing up to my potential.”

» Redshirt senior defensive lineman Omar Hunter on the offensive line: “They’re doing really good. I’ve been seeing holes in the defense – Mike Gillislee and Mack Brown, those running backs man are torching our defense sometimes. The offensive line is really better; they’re really stronger this year and I definitely feel it.”

» Hunter on the “old man strength” of junior transfer Damien Jacobs: “I feel like he’s more flexible now, getting his hips to the line of scrimmage turned a little bit more and he’s doing better. He got that old man strength, not that weight room, but the old man strength. It’s weird man; it’s very weird. You might bench more than him but on the football field he’s just strong, crazy strength.”

Tags: Chris Johnson, Clay Burton, Damien Jacobs, Jeff Driskel, Josh Evans, Kedric Johnson, Mack Brown, Michael McNeely, Mike Gillislee, Omar Hunter, Tevin Westbrook, Will Muschamp

Head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Friday following the Florida Gators‘ seventh fall practice. He spoke about a number of hot topics including some major injuries, the quarterback competition and how certain players are progressing.

KNEE INJURIES DOOM ALAJAJIAN, JOHNSON

Muschamp announced Friday that true senior defensive lineman Nick Alajajian suffered a fractured right knee after getting “rolled up on in a drill” and will be out for the season. He is not sure what his future holds and whether or not he will take a redshirt year, which he has not used yet. “It’s disappointing for him in his senior season. Hurt for him right now; we all need to pull together and support him,” he said.

Moments later Muschamp dropped another bombshell by announcing that redshirt junior DL Kedric Johnson will also miss a significant amount of time after dislocating his left knee in practice. Johnson’s recovery timetable has not yet been set though the loss of both he and Alajajian means that some freshmen should get even more playing time as reserves this season.

IT’S CALLED A “COMPETITION” FOR A REASON

Asked whether either of his sophomore quarterbacks – Jacoby Brissett or Jeff Driskel – has separated himself through seven practices, Muschamp quipped that the competition between the two talented signal callers is “pretty even” right now.

“We have purposely let them manage and gotten our offensive staff off the field because they need to manage our team,” he explained. “I think both guys have done a really nice job of that. I think both guys have had their moments when they’ve really shined and both had moments where we probably could have been better in some areas.”

Muschamp said that he would like to have Brissett and Driskel compete in at least three full scrimmages before the coaching staff begins to make a decision on the future of the position. “When the decision is right and the time is right, we’ll know,” he added.

SCRIMMAGE SET FOR SATURDAY

The next time the Gators line up in pads they will be going head-to-head in a game-like scenario at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday. Muschamp is trying to mimic game day so much that he is even going to put some of his coaches upstairs to work out a system for in-game play calling.

“The first groups, we need to go let them play,” he said. “Those guys need to get out there. We’ve got a collection of guys that need to go out and play on their own and not have a coach let them know where to line up, what to do, where to shift, where to motion, where your eyes need to be. We need to get off the field and let them play.

“That’s what I’m looking for Saturday – a good, crisp, physical scrimmage, good operation offensively. Our coaches will be in the box that’ll be in the box on game day, and I think it’s important for us to be able to get in that function of getting the play down.”

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say on Friday…after the break!
Continue Reading » 8/10: Muschamp announces injuries, updates QBs

Tags: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Brian Poole, De'Ante Saunders, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jeremy Brown, Josh Evans, Kedric Johnson, Marcus Roberson, Matt Jones, Neiron Ball, Nick Alajajian, Will Muschamp

Athletes care about their uniform numbers and now that Florida Gators football team is days away from returning to the practice field in preparation for the 2012 season, it was time for the team’s newest members to choose theirs. Below is the full list of additions and changes, according to the University of Florida‘s latest roster:

TRANSFERS
» No. 4 – Damien Jacobs (Scooba, MS), JUCO transfer defensive tackle
» No. 76 – Max Garcia (Norcross, GA), redshirt* junior transfer offensive lineman

FRESHMEN
» No. 6 – Dante Fowler, Jr. (St. Petersburg, FL), five-star Buck linebacker
» No. 12 – Antonio Morrison (Bolingbrook, IL), four-star linebacker
» No. 13 – Latroy Pittman (Citra, FL), four-star wide receiver
» No. 16 – Austin Hardin (Atlanta, GA), three-star kicker
» No. 17 – Skyler Mornhinweg (Philadelphia, PA), three-star quarterback
» No. 18 – Kent Taylor (Land O’Lakes, FL), four-star tight end
» No. 20 – Marcus Maye (Melbourne, FL), four-star safety
» No. 24 – Brian Poole (Bradenton, FL), four-star defensive back
» No. 24 – Matt Jones (Seffner, FL), four-star running back
» No. 27 – Willie Bailey (Hallandale, FL), three-star defensive back
» No. 28 – Jeremi Powell (Largo, FL), four-star linebacker
» No. 29 – Rhaheim Ledbetter (Shelby, NC), three-star safety
» No. 70 – D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, NC), five-star offensive tackle
» No. 74 – Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, FL), four-star offensive lineman
» No. 84 – Colin Thompson (Warminster, PA), four-star tight end
» No. 86 – Raphael Andrades (Tallahassee, FL), three-star wide receiver
» No. 90 – Jonathan Bullard (Shelby, NC), five-star defensive end
» No. 94 – Bryan Cox, Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, FL), three-star defensive lineman
» No. 95 – Alex McCalister (Clemmons, NC), three-star linebacker
» No. 96 – Jafar Mann (Stone Mountain, GA), three-star defensive lineman
» No. 98 – Quinteze Williams (Tyrone, GA), three-star defensive lineman

NUMBER CHANGES
» No. 1 – Jon Bostic, senior linebacker (formerly No. 52)
» No. 1 – Quinton Dunbar, redshirt sophomore wide receiver (formerly No. 84)
» No. 6 – Jeff Driskel, sophomore quarterback (formerly No. 16)
» No. 9 – Josh Evans, senior safety (formerly No. 24)
» No. 10 – Valdez Showers, redshirt freshman defensive back (formerly No. 20)
» No. 12 – Jacoby Brissett, sophomore quarterback (formerly No. 17)
» No. 20 – Omarius Hines, redshirt senior tight end (formerly No. 82)
» No. 32 – Chris Johnson, sophomore running back (formerly No. 33)
» No. 88 – Clay Burton, sophomore tight end (formerly No. 86)

» Sophomore Tevin Westbrook remains listed as No. 97 on the latest roster despite moving from defensive end to tight end.

* Garcia is ineligible for the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules; he can practice with Florida and will be allowed to play beginning in 2013-14.

Tags: Alex McCalister, Antonio Morrison, Austin Hardin, Brian Poole, Bryan Cox, Chris Johnson, Clay Burton, Colin Thompson, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Dante Fowler, Jacoby Brissett, Jafar Mann, Jeff Driskel, Jeremi Powell, Jessamen Dunker, Jon Bostic, Jonathan Bullard, Josh Evans, Kent Taylor, Latroy Pittman, Marcus Maye, Matt Jones, Max Garcia, Omarius Hines, Quinteze Williams, Quinton Dunbar, Raphael Andrades, Rhaheim Ledbetter, Skyler Mornhinweg, Tevin Westbrook, Valdez Showers, Willie Bailey

Florida Gators sophomore tight end A.C. Leonard has returned to practice after serving a six-week suspension following an arrest for misdemeanor domestic battery. Leonard was indefinitely suspended from team activities by head coach Will Muschamp, who said early in the spring that he still had a number of conditions to meet before he would be allowed to return to the team.

However, in a statement released Wednesday evening following a report by The Gainesville Sun, Muschamp explained that Leonard was back at least temporarily. “After a six-week suspension from team activities, A.C. Leonard has been cleared to return to practice only,” he said according to the team. “He still has a lot of things to work through before his status for the fall is addressed.”

Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn sat down Wednesday to discuss how his unit is progressing approximately midway through the 2012 spring practice session. Quinn touched on some individual players that are standing out, how teachings from the classroom are translating to the field and his overall plan for the 2012 season.

GOING FROM GOOD TO BETTER TO GREAT

Quinn helped lead Florida to a top-10 ranked defense in 2011 but is anxious to see what his unit can do after a year of retention and execution. He and Muschamp have spoken extensively throughout the spring about the team focusing on turnovers on both sides of the ball. However, there is a second step in the Gators’ becoming one of the top defensive teams in the country: dominating the line of scrimmage.

“That’s the goal,” he said of taking the defense to the next level this year. “That’s the whole reason of doing it here – to say where can we take this group of guys and see how far we can come as players and how far we can take our defense.”

“One – we got to get better at taking the ball away from the opponent. That’s clearly one of the things that we had a tough time doing last year, and it’s going to be a real emphasis moving forward. Two – for us to be the defense that we want to be, we’ve got to do a better job at the line of scrimmage and in the run game. For us that’s going to create more third-down opportunities, more opportunities for us to get to the pass rusher. [...] If we do those two things and keep moving forward in the other areas, then you’re [a team that’s] hard to deal with.”

Already confident in the defense, Quinn has seen his players become more efficient in the meeting rooms, quicker when it comes to comprehending new concepts and taking significant steps in improving their communication. The instant recall that Florida is showing leads to less thinking and more reacting with helmets and pads on.

“We have a number of players back so for the first meetings – boom – the recall, the communication, the trust, the knowledge of how to work. What a difference a year makes,” he said.

PLAYER EVALUATIONS
Click to expand and read the remainder of this post.

Tags: A.C. Leonard, Antonio Morrison, Cody Riggs, Damien Jacobs, Dan Quinn, Dominique Easley, Jon Bostic, Josh Evans, Louchiez Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, Michael Taylor, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Will Muschamp

A handful of Florida Gators football players met with the media on Thursday to discuss how their offseasons have been going, and head coach Will Muschamp did the same on Friday in order to go over how some of the players have been progressing heading into a team scrimmage on Saturday morning.

“[Saturday's] scrimmage obviously should create some separation,” he said. “It’s the first time the defensive coaches will not be on the field at all. Offensively we’re still working through some things so obviously they’ll be involved a little bit as far as getting guys aligned in some situations to make sure the huddle procedures are right, the quarterbacks and managing our huddle and managing our football team.”

INJURY UPDATES

» Redshirt junior wide receiver Stephen Alli (groin) – day-to-day, out for scrimmage
» Junior WR Solomon Patton (groin) – “week-to-week,” out for scrimmage
» Redshirt freshman WR Ja’Juan Story (ankle) – day-to-day, out for scrimmage
» Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Leon Orr (shoulder) – day-to-day, doubtful for scrimmage

With three pass catchers set to miss the scrimmage on Saturday, Muschamp joked (or at least he seemed to be) that WR coach Aubrey Hill was going to line up on offense. “We’re a little short there,” he said. “With what we’re doing, it will create some opportunities for Trey Burton doing some different things. Omarius Hines is still playing tight end looks and [we will] flex him in some situations.”

Muschamp also said that freshman tight end Kent Taylor, who will not be on campus until the summer, could very well see a lot of action in his first year and that he has been putting on weight as the coaches have asked. “Certainly he’s a guy that obviously athletically does a nice job stretching the field. In our camps this summer he did a great job as far as that is concerned – stretching the field vertically,” he said.

Continue Reading » 3/23: Muschamp, Gators talk spring practice

Tags: Andre Debose, Brent Pease, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Frankie Hammond, Ja'Juan Story, Jaylen Watkins, Jessamen Dunker, Josh Evans, Leon Orr, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Stephen Alli, Will Muschamp

Florida Gators redshirt sophomore wide receiver Quinton Dunbar and sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel all spoke to the media on Thursday following the team’s second day of spring practice. The three players discussed their first impressions of offensive coordinator Brent Pease and, expectations for the 2012 season and how the quarterback battle is going early on.

EARLY ENROLLEES PICK UNIFORM NUMBERS

» No. 70 – D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, NC), five-star tackle
» No. 74 – Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, FL), four-star guard
» No. 13 – Latroy Pittman (Citra, FL), four-star wide receiver
» No. 27 – Willie Bailey (Hallandale, FL), four-star defensive back
» No. 12 – Antonio Morrison (Bolingbrook, IL), four-star linebacker
» No. 4 – Damien Jacobs (Scooba, MS), JUCO transfer defensive tackle

UNIFORM NUMBER CHANGES

» No. 1 – Jon Bostic, senior linebacker (formerly No. 52)
» No. 1 – Quinton Dunbar, redshirt sophomore wide receiver (formerly No. 84)
» No. 6 – Jeff Driskel, sophomore quarterback (formerly No. 16)
» No. 9 – Josh Evans, senior safety (formerly No. 24)
» No. 10 – Valdez Showers, redshirt freshman defensive back (formerly No. 20)
» No. 12 – Jacoby Brissett, sophomore quarterback (formerly No. 17)
» No. 20 – Omarius Hines, redshirt senior tight end (formerly No. 82)
» No. 32 – Chris Johnson, sophomore running back (formerly No. 33)
» No. 88 – Clay Burton, sophomore tight end (formerly No. 86)

GETTING USED TO PEASE AT FLORIDA

All players basically entering their second season of seeing playing time, Dunbar, Brissett and Driskel each offered their initial thoughts on the offense under Pease and how he may or may not be different from former coordinator Charlie Weis.

Driskel was the most insightful, noting that Pease wants to “work around” the talent on his roster and not force square pegs into round holes. “He knows his personnel. He’s going to do what best suits us,” he said. “He’s very personable. He’s willing to work with us, willing to put in the extra time. He’s just a real cool guy.”

Driskel continued, “Coach Weis is more of an old school guy. He has his way and that’s what we had to do. We had to do exactly what he said and there’s nothing wrong with that. Pease just seems a little more flexible.”

The other two players broke down some of the minor but notable differences in the playbook from a year ago. “It’s basically the same scheme but different terminology and a little different tweaks and stuff like that,” Dunbar said. “Coach Pease is big on shifts and motions. It’s football and offense is offense – just score. We had the same plays last year just in different variations,” added Brissett.

GETTING USED TO PEACE AT FLORIDA

Dunbar was vocal about the team’s lack of communication over the last two seasons, saying he is much more pleased with the way the team has come together this year.

“We’re more of a family now. We talk our differences out. We’re more together. We believe in each other and we have more trust,” he said. “There definitely wasn’t no communication last year. This offseason I feel like we bonded together. We’ve had meetings and different things. If we didn’t like something, we let each other know and we sorted out our differences.”

In addition to players being another year older and another year wiser (both on and off the field), Dunbar things the overall mentality of the team has changed. “We have too many talented guys not to be winning,” he said. I felt like we wasn’t together last year or the year before that and we wasn’t a family. I feel like that’s different this year, and I strongly believe this season will be different.”

QUARTERBACK COMPETITION UNDERWAY
Continue Reading » 3/15: Dunbar, Brissett, Driskel talk O, competition

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Chris Johnson, Clay Burton, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jessamen Dunker, Jon Bostic, Josh Evans, Latroy Pittman, Omarius Hines, Quinton Dunbar, Valdez Showers, Willie Bailey

You may be excited that, in a few lines, you are getting a look at the Florida Gators 2012 spring practice depth chart. Don’t be. As he explained one year ago, head coach Will Muschamp does not put a lot of stock in the spring’s first depth chart, referring to it in 2011 as not worth the paper it was printed on. In other words, it is just a starting-off point for 2012 and plenty can change between now and the end of spring, the start of summer, the beginning of fall or when the season starts. Nevertheless, below is the depth chart as it was presented on March 13.

RELATED: Muschamp, Pease talk offense | Muschamp, Quinn talk defense

Florida omitted players who are injured or limited and not participating in spring practice. A list of those players can be found at the end along with some additional explanations.

QB: 12 Jacoby Brissett OR 6 Jeff Driskel
RB: 23 Mike Gillislee, 33 Mack Brown
FB: 8 Trey Burton OR 43 Hunter Joyer
WR (X): 4 Andre Debose, 89 Stephen Alli
WR (Z): 1 Quinton Dunbar, 83 Solomon Patton
WR (Slot): 85 Frankie Hammond, Jr., 13 Latroy Pittman
TE: 11 Jordan Reed, 20 Omarius Hines* OR 88 Clay Burton

LT: 71 Matt Patchan*, 73 Xavier Nixon
LG: 66 James Wilson, 50 Sam Robey*
C: 72 Jonotthan Harrison, 64 Kyle Koehne*
RG: 67 Jon Halapio, 74 Jessamen Dunker
RT: 75 Chaz Green, 71 Matt Patchan*

Click to expand the remainder of Florida's 2012 spring depth chart.

Tags: A.C. Leonard, Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Brad Phillips, Caleb Sturgis, Chaz Green, Clay Burton, Cody Riggs, Cole Gilliam, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Darren Kitchens, De'Ante Saunders, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Earl Okine, Frankie Hammond, Gideon Ajagbe, Graham Stewart, Hunter Joyer, Ian Silberman, Jabari Gorman, Jacoby Brissett, James Wilson, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jeremy Brown, Jessamen Dunker, John Crowfoot, Jon Bostic, Jon Halapio, Jonotthan Harrison, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Kedric Johnson, Kyle Christy, Kyle Koehne, Latroy Pittman, Leon Orr, Lerentee McCray, Louchiez Purifoy, Mack Brown, Marcus Roberson, Matt Elam, Matt Patchan, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Neiron Ball, Nick Alajajian, Omar Hunter, Omarius Hines, Quinton Dunbar, Ronald Powell, Sam Robey, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Stephen Alli, Tommy Jordan, Trey Burton, Valdez Showers, Willie Bailey, Xavier Nixon