Hours after senior Mike Pouncey told the media the freshman class needs to “just shut their mouth and come play,” Ronald Powell and Dominique Easley didn’t come to play at all.
According to a source close to the team, the two freshmen were upset with how the coaches came down on them during special teams practice Monday and didn’t show up for Tuesday’s practice as a result.
According to the source, both players threatened to transfer, but a UF official said neither Powell nor Easley asked the compliance department for their releases.
Numerous media outlets, including Rivals.com and the Gainesville Sun, reported Powell and Easley were back at practice Wednesday.
Powell, a five-star defensive end and the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com, and Easley, a five-star defensive tackle, are part of a freshman class that has drawn some criticism from veteran players, such as Pouncey, who said the entire freshman class is “cocky.”
Coach Urban Meyer told the media Monday he is concerned with the freshmen’s attitudes.
“You have 25 young players — or whatever it is — that think they’re going to dominate the way they did in high school,” Meyer said, “and they have no idea what’s about to hit them.”
Easley compared himself, Powell and fellow freshman defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd to the Miami Heat’s free-agent haul.
“Ronald Powell is Chris Bosh, Sharrif (Floyd) is Dwyane Wade and I’m LeBron (James),” Easley said at UF’s media day on Aug. 10.
Quarterback John Brantley was the only member of the team to address the media Wednesday. He said he didn’t know if Powell and Easley missed practice Tuesday but that the veterans and freshmen are getting along.
“We’ve been mixing in with them fine,” Brantley said. “They came in here, they’re trying to make an impact, and you can’t really ask for anything more.”
