One would think the news would be more positive for the No. 17/18 Florida Gators coming off a big win on the road against the Texas A&M Aggies, but head coach Will Muschamp actually spent most of his weekly Monday afternoon press conference delivering plenty of bad news as it pertains to his team’s health.

“We’ve kind of got a saying around here: ‘Man down, man up,’” he said.

Muschamp announced Monday that redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins (broken thumb) and junior cornerback Cody Riggs (fractured foot) will both miss at least a month after being injured against Texas A&M.

Jenkins, who had surgery on Monday, will definitely be out at least for this week’s road game against the Tennessee Volunteers but may be able to return sooner than his timetable dictates if doctors approve a protective device for his hand.

Riggs, however, could be out as long as six weeks depending how his foot heals as doctors said he does not need surgery on the fracture.

Freshman LB Antonio Morrison will take over for Jenkins as the starter at Will, but the Gators will also see plenty of redshirt sophomore Michael Taylor in a reserve role at both inside positions. Junior Darrin Kitchens will also have a bigger role in the defense.

Defensive backs sophomore Jabari Gorman and redshirt freshman Valdez Showers both filled in for Riggs on Saturday and will continue doing so in the near future. Junior Matt Elam will likely transition back to playing much more safety while junior Jaylen Watkins, who moved into the starting cornerback role last week, will take over at nickel.

The bad news continued as Muschamp added that junior Buck linebacker Ronald Powell, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in April during the team’s spring game and hoped to return sometime in October, re-injured his knee while rehabbing and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

“He is being reevaluated next week. He has got some swelling on the knee. We took the MRI – probably a little too much swelling to tell really where he is right now,” Muschamp said. “We’re going to reevaluate him next week. Very disappointing for him. Really a setback as far as where he is and where we thought he would be at this point as excelled as his rehab has gone.

“Talking to him [Monday] morning and his parents throughout the weekend, more than likely Ronald will redshirt this year. It’s just disappointing for him, a guy that mentally has been a rock, just been amazing in how he’s handled the process. And again, he’s handled it very well. The diagnosis is not totally final yet; we want to look at it again next week. Certainly it has put a speed bump in the recovery process. Very disappointed for him and us.”

Not all was negative on the injury front.

Senior running back Mike Gillislee, who has four of his team’s five touchdowns this season and appeared to hurt his groin while scoring in the fourth quarter on Saturday, only “strained” the muscle and will be able to practice all week.

“He’s going to be fine. He’ll be fine for this weekend,” Muschamp said. “He’s going to practice [Monday]. We just had a staff meeting and they said he is going to practice, so I think he should be fine. We probably won’t rep him 40 times [in practice]. We’ll make sure he’s ready to go for Saturday [and] we feel like he’s fully available.”

Senior safety Josh Evans (shoulder) and redshirt sophomore right tackle Chaz Green (cramps) are both good to go as well.

Florida will also get sophomore defensive back De’Ante Saunders (hamstring, suspension) and freshman tight end Kent Taylor (concussion) back for the Tennessee game though redshirt junior tackle Matt Patchan (strained pectoral) will probably be out until the bye week (at least two more weeks).

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Chaz Green, Cody Riggs, Darrin Kitchens, De'Ante Saunders, Jabari Gorman, Jaylen Watkins, Jelani Jenkins, Josh Evans, Kent Taylor, Matt Elam, Matt Patchan, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Ronald Powell, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, Valdez Showers

Though things could still change over the next five days, the Florida Gators on Monday morning released the team’s first official depth chart for the 2012 season. As was noted by head coach Will Muschamp last week, sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel will both play against the Bowling Green Falcons though who will take the first snap has not yet been determined.

Florida omitted players who are not participating in the season opener, therefore the below depth chart is not the “best case scenario” version. A list of those players can be found at the end along with some additional explanations.

QB: Jeff Driskel OR Jacoby Brissett
RB: Mike Gillislee, Mack Brown
FB: Hunter Joyer, Trey Burton
WR (X): Frankie Hammond, Jr., Latroy Pittman/Andre Debose
WR (Z): Quinton Dunbar, Solomon Patton
F: Trey Burton, Omarius Hines
TE: Jordan Reed, Clay Burton

LT: Xavier Nixon, Kyle Koehne
LG: James Wilson, Ian Silberman
C: Jonotthan Harrison, Sam Robey
RG: Jon Halapio, Jessamen Dunker
RT: Chaz Green, Trip Thurman

Click to expand and check out the rest of the week one depth chart.

Tags: Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Bowling Green Falcons, Chaz Green, Clay Burton, Damien Jacobs, Dante Fowler, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Frankie Hammond, Hunter Joyer, Ian Silberman, Jacoby Brissett, James Wilson, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jessamen Dunker, John Crofoot, Jon Bostic, Jon Halapio, Jonotthan Harrison, Jordan Reed, Kyle Christy, Kyle Crofoot, Kyle Koehne, Latroy Pittman, Leon Orr, Lerentee McCray, Louchiez Purifoy, Mack Brown, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Neiron Ball, Omar Hunter, Omarius Hines, Quinton Dunbar, Sam Robey, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Todd Fennell, Trey Burton, Trip Thurman, Tyler Murphy, Xavier Nixon

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 2011-12 athletic season now in the books and the 2012-13 season about to begin, the focus has shifted to the return of Florida Gators football. For the second-straight year, OGGOA will take a look at every player of substance on the roster, counting down by jersey number, in this series: The Countdown.

67 – Jon Halapio (St. Petersburg, FL)
Redshirt junior guard
6’3” 321 lbs.

Quick Bio: A versatile offensive lineman in high school, Halapio settled into the right guard role in 2010 when he was named to the 2010 Sporting News All-Freshman Team. He has started 20 contests throughout his career after taking a medical redshirt as a freshman in 2009.

2011 Season: One of the most consistent players on the offensive line last season, Halapio started every game at right guard – the only member of the unit to completely lock down his position. According to UF, he “owns the most consecutive career starts” on the Gators offense with 14.

2012 Outlook: Nothing has changed as far as Halapio is concerned heading into his redshirt junior season. He has only strengthened his hold on the right guard job and has continued growing as a team leader both on and off the field.

66 – James Wilson (St. Augustine, FL)
Redshirt senior guard
6’4” 323 lbs.

Quick Bio: Ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in his recruiting class by Rivals, Wilson was a five-star prospect who redshirted as a freshman and played in 24 of Florida’s 28 games from 2008-09, earning four starts. He was slated as the starting left guard in 2010 but missed the final 10 games of the season with a left knee injury.

2011 Season: Originally left off of the spring depth chart as his participation was very limited, Wilson wound up playing the final 12 games of the season, was a key member of the team’s field goal unit and even earned a start in the Gator Bowl.

2012 Outlook: Wilson participated in his first spring game in his six years at Florida, crediting strength and conditioning coach Jeff Dillman with his improved health. He is a candidate for the starting left guard job this season (competing in practice with redshirt junior Kyle Koehne) but at worst will be a reserve who will see plenty of action.

Check out six more players in this edition of The Countdown…after the break!
Continue Reading » The Countdown: Florida Gators roster (69-50)

Tags: James Wilson, Jeff Dillman, Jon Bostic, Jon Halapio, Jonotthan Harrison, Kyle Koehne, Michael Taylor, Nick Alajajian, Sam Robey, Trip Thurman

With the Florida Gators two weeks away from the beginning of the season and having just completed their second scrimmage of training camp on Friday, head coach Will Muschamp met with the media to discuss injuries and standout performers.

INJURY UPDATES

Freshman left tackle D.J. Humphries (MCL) – occurred on Friday, will be out 2-3 weeks maximum, should return soon and be able to contribute

Freshman defensive back Marcus Maye (meniscus) – returned to practice this week; however, it is swollen and sore so timetable is uncertain

Redshirt senior Buck/Sam linebacker Lerentee McCray (hamstring) – missed practice Saturday but should return Monday

Redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed (knee) – injured his knee Monday, was supposed to miss 3-4 days but should return Monday

Redshirt sophomore LB Michael Taylor (shoulder) – should return Monday

Junior defensive end Dominique Easley (ACL) – reps have been limited for precautionary reasons but everything is fine and he is practicing

Junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (shoulder) – “dinged” his shoulder Friday and wore a non-contact jersey on Saturday

PLAYMAKERS BEGINNING TO STAND OUT

A team desperately in need of playmakers is starting to see some take the reins of the offense, Muschamp said on Saturday. And considering his mantra that the Southeastern Conference is a line of scrimmage league, he is probably happy that the running backs are really stepping up.

“[Senior Mike Gillislee], to me, has still distanced himself from an all-around back standpoint – protections, carrying the ball, doing the little things, carrying the fakes out,” Muschamp said. “His experience helps, obviously. He’s very driven. He is a guy that can have top-end speed and finish some runs for us.”

He is equally impressed with redshirt senior Omarius Hines, who is listed as a tight end but is also taking reps in the backfield and out wide. Hines had a 61-yard touchdown run in scrimmage on Friday. “There’s no question that he’s an explosive guy and we need to give him some opportunities with the ball in his hands because he can do some things with it,” Muschamp said.

As far as the wide receivers are concerned, three in particular are standing out, each for different but important reasons.

“I think we’re better [at that position],” he said. “Again, Frankie [Hammond, Jr.] is very consistent. Quinton [Dunbar] has continued to be more mature than he was a year ago. He understands what it takes down-in and down-out, the consistency in this league that it is going to take to be successful. Andre [Debose] has continued to be explosive and do some things for us.”

Also making a name for himself is freshman TE Kent Taylor, who is currently too “thin” to play the position and block effectively but has proven that he can make a difference for the team in the passing game.

“Kent catches the ball extremely well. He’s very athletic. I mean, very athletic. That’s another guy that you have to decide what he can do at this point,” Muschamp said. “Obviously he’s a guy that needs to gain some girth and some strength as far as the blocking is concerned. Let’s don’t ask him to do something he can’t do. I know one thing – he can go get the football down the field. He can catch the ball. He can do some of those things. So let’s identify what he can do and what he can handle in those situations.”

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say Saturday…after the break!
Continue Reading » 8/18: Muschamp on injuries, playmakers, leaders

Tags: Andre Debose, Billy Donovan, D.J. Humphries, Dante Fowler, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Jacoby Brissett, Jonathan Bullard, Jordan Reed, Kent Taylor, Lerentee McCray, Marcus Maye, Matt Elam, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Omarius Hines, Quinton Dunbar, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Will Muschamp

With the Florida Gators entrenched in their first week of fall practice, a handful of players spoke with the media on Thursday about how things are going as the team prepares for the 2012 season. Due to time constraints, the quotes below have not been formulated into individual segments as is tradition in these posts.

Michael Taylor – redshirt sophomore linebacker

» On if he is playing Mike or Will linebacker: “I’m trying to be versatile and interchangeable so whenever I’m on the field I can do whatever to help the team.”

» On freshman LB Antonio Morrison: “That boy love to hit. That’s my buddy right there. He’s picking up the calls. He picked them up a lot quicker than I did when it was my first year here.”

» On which of his position-mates have taken on a leadership role: “Lerentee [McCray]’s probably the most outspoken one out of the three of them.”

» On if the linebackers are the strength of the defense: “I think the whole defense is the strength of the defense. I don’t feel like we’re weak at one spot.”

Darrin Kitchens – junior linebacker

» On redshirt sophomore LB Neiron Ball: “Neiron Ball look great. He looks great. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.”

» Kitchens said he, Ball and redshirt sophomore Gideon Ajagbe are working at Sam linebacker while McCray is pretty much solely taking reps at Buck linebacker.

» On if he thinks he has matured now that he is married: “I really do because it puts things in perspective. I have to essentially make things more important than they really were. Although things were important for me before, I know I’m not doing it for myself but I have a family to look after now.”

Click to expand and read the rest of this post.

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Cody Riggs, Darrin Kitchens, Hunter Joyer, Jacoby Brissett, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Latroy Pittman, Lerentee McCray, Louchiez Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, Michael Taylor, Neiron Ball, Quinton Dunbar

More than 38,000 fans filed into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday to watch the Florida Gators conclude spring practice with a live scrimmage in the 2012 Orange & Blue Debut. After combining to score just seven points in the first three quarters, Blue outscored Orange 21-13 in the final quarter to pull off a 21-20 victory.

“Really pleased with where we are at this point,” head coach Will Muschamp said after the scrimmage. “I feel much better standing here today than I did a year ago as far as where we are as a football team, our physicality as a team, our togetherness as a team as this moves forward. We got the right kind of guys. We just got to get better. There’s things we need to improve on.”

QUARTERBACKS STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

Florida fans wanted to see a big-time competition from sophomores Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel and that is exactly what they got on Saturday. Brissett (9/16 for 233 yards and two touchdowns) and Driskel (12/14 for 147 yards) each had their good and bad moments on the field including long passes and over/under-thrown balls. Brissett hit freshman wide receiver Latroy Pittman with a great pass down the left sideline for 43 yards. He also connected on a bomb with junior Trey Burton that resulted in a touchdown and found redshirt sophomore WR Quinton Dunbar in the back of the end zone early in the game. Driskel completed a nice 44-yard pass to redshirt junior WR Andre Debose near the right sideline and also hit Burton on a deep pass that he brought inside the five. His accuracy and athleticism were both impressive as he was able to extend plays and make correct decisions.

“We saw that both those guys throw the ball extremely well. They’re both really good athletes and guys that can create some off-tempo plays for us as a football team,” Muschamp said. “It was very evident [how close they are]. You see both guys take command of our football team. Both guys made vertical plays down the field, good decisions where they took the ball. There’s no question you saw what I’ve been seeing for 14 practices previous [to Saturday]. I’ve said this before: We can win with both guys.”

Up next for the duo is managing the offense in the offseason. Muschamp wants to see how they rally the players for 11-on-11 drills and PRPs (player-run practices) without any influence from the coaching staff. “Those guys need to take the next step as far as that’s concerned,” he said.

As far as the players go, though both are working hard to earn the starting job, neither is taking the actual competition with their friend too seriously. “I love it. Coming out every day, competing against the No. 1 quarterback in the country a couple of years ago. It don’t get no better,” Brissett said. “I guess I’m slower so that’s what I’m lacking. Jeff is a great quarterback. He can make every throw that I can make, so it’s going to be tough to see what the real difference is. [...] I don’t got nothing wrong against him. I mean, I look better, but that’s just something he’s got to deal with.”

Driskel joked that he doesn’t play basketball with Brissett because his teammate is better in that area and said that the two are making sure the rivalry does not ruin their friendship even if he was not necessarily comfortable with his commitment in the first place. “I wasn’t excited about it at first but I realized they’re going to bring somebody in the next year. There’s always going to be competition. So I embraced that, and I think it’s made me better through the spring,” he said.

Check out the rest of the Orange & Blue Debut postgame report…after the break!
Continue Reading » Blue tops Orange 21-20 in 2012 Florida Gators Orange & Blue Debut – Postgame Report

Tags: Alex Brown, Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Billy Donovan, Chris Johnson, Cody Riggs, Dan Quinn, Frankie Hammond, Gideon Ajagbe, Hunter Joyer, Ja'Juan Story, Jabari Gorman, Jacoby Brissett, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Latroy Pittman, Mack Brown, Michael McNeely, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Omarius Hines, Orange & Blue Debut, Quinton Dunbar, Ronald Powell, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp, Willie Bailey, Xavier Nixon

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