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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Roundtable: Who will be UF football’s breakout player?

<p>Tyrie Cleveland (89) runs toward the end zone during Florida's 40-14 win over Missouri on Oct. 15, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.</p>

Tyrie Cleveland (89) runs toward the end zone during Florida's 40-14 win over Missouri on Oct. 15, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Jalen Tabor. Alex Anzalone. Marcus Maye. Jordan Scarlett. Halfway through the season, each has proven they can contribute to the No. 14-ranked Florida football team.

But, coming off a bye week, which player will break out from his role and exceed expectations in the second half of the season? Football writers Ethan Bauer, Ian Cohen, Jordan McPherson and Patrick Pinak debate.

Bauer: Antonneous Clayton

Antonneous Clayton arrived at UF with the most hype of anyone in UF’s 2016 recruiting class and quickly took a seat on the bench.

The four-star true freshman wasn’t strong enough to weather the pounding of Southeastern Conference football, and despite his obvious potential, teammates and coaches knew it.

Halfway through the season, Clayton has been a third-down threat at best.

He played for the first time against Vanderbilt and has only amassed two tackles in two games, playing sparingly in pass-rushing situations.

But moving forward, his workload figures to increase.

“He’s really obviously a great player,” coach Jim McElwain said. “He’s up to 250 pounds, very talented.”

With his weight up to where it ought to be, the Clayton who will take the field in the second half of 2016 draws parallels to another Florida player: fellow defensive end Jabari Zuniga.

Before this season, Zuniga was an unknown. He was underdeveloped and didn’t play at all as a freshman. But with his weight up and his body developed, he broke out to the tune of a team-leading five sacks in six games.

Clayton has as much — if not more — potential than Zuniga, and now that his body appears to have caught up to his talent, he should be ready for a role as Florida’s next breakout defensive star.

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Cohen: Kylan Johnson

All right, I’ll admit it. This is a guess.

But it’s an educated guess.

Senior linebacker Jarrad Davis suffered an ankle sprain against Missouri last week, and there is no timetable for his return.

He could be back within a couple weeks. He could be out a couple months. I’m banking on the fact that Davis will return later rather than sooner, and that means that one of Florida’s younger linebackers will have to step up and contribute the rest of the season.

That's where Kylan Johnson comes in.

You may not know his name, but the redshirt freshman has played in all six games this season, has nine total tackles and combined on a sack on Sept. 10 against Kentucky.

In UF’s spring scrimmage, Johnson led the Blue team with eight total tackles and even had an interception. He outshined freshman linebacker David Reese and redshirt freshman Rayshad Jackson, who combined for nine total tackles.

Until (and if) Davis returns from his injury, there could be a number of players who fill his role on Florida’s defense.

Reese, Jackson, freshman Vosean Joseph and senior Daniel McMillian are all options.

But don’t bet against Johnson, the three-star recruit with a chip on his shoulder who is eager to prove he can contribute to a dominant UF defense after redshirting in 2015.

McPherson: Tyrie Cleveland

A suspension and a hamstring injury held wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland back for the first three games of his freshman season.

A four-star prospect from Houston and the top offensive prospect from the Gators’ 2016 recruiting class, he fell behind on the depth chart, had trouble getting to the field and at times looked lost on the rare opportunities he had to run a route.

But in Florida’s last three games, Cleveland has begun to burst onto the scene. His first career catch was a 36-yard completion down the right sideline against Tennessee.

Last week against Missouri, he led UF’s receiving corps with 79 yards and his first touchdown.

The 6-foot-2 freshman is averaging more than 20 yards per catch and is slowly proving to be a reliable second threat for Florida opposite Antonio Callaway. He has the size to compete with almost any defensive back he goes up against.

And with three of Florida’s final five regular-season games coming against defenses that are giving up at least 7.4 yards per pass attempt, Cleveland will have his share of opportunities to make plays.

Even if he doesn’t make plays, his presence opens up the field for Callaway and other options in the passing game.

That’s a win-win.

Pinak: Antonio Callaway

You’ve already heard of Antonio Callaway, which doesn’t make him a typical breakout candidate.

But in the second half of the season, it's likely that Callaway will break out of his special teams funk, namely his punt return game.

Antonio Callaway the receiver has been dynamite this season, as expected.

But when he’s jogged back to field punts, Callaway has looked confused and lost.

He’s inexplicably caught punts backpedaling inside the 10-yard line and has run backwards for losses at times.

The outcome has been underwhelming at best.

The Florida receiver is averaging 2.86 yards per punt return this season, which ranks 65th of 69 qualified FBS returners.

That kind of production just can’t continue for a player who ranked among the top-five returners in the nation last year.

It also can’t continue for a guy with as much explosiveness and speed as Callaway.

I don’t expect it to, and neither do UF’s coaches.

“You know, he’ll come along,” special teams coordinator Greg Nord said.

“He’s a great player, he’s proven it, we know he can do it, everybody in this room knows that. We’ve just gotta get it done and get him back with the confidence of, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go take this thing back to the house.’”

If confidence is what’s been holding Callaway back, maybe he’ll use the Missouri game as a springboard.

Callaway returned a late-game onside kick attempt for a 44-yard touchdown in Florida’s 40-14 win.

And while he was nearly untouched and the score came on a kickoff, it could be just what the sophomore needed to return to his first-year special teams form.

Who do you think will be Florida’s breakout player in the second half of the season? Vote online at alligator.org/sports.

Tyrie Cleveland (89) runs toward the end zone during Florida's 40-14 win over Missouri on Oct. 15, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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