With the influx of freshmen and sophomores, some hyped and experienced players have gotten lost amid UF's youth movement.
Here is my list of the top five forgotten Gators:
5. RB Chevon Walker
Walker's name has come up in the last week as he has been held out of action due to personal issues.
That's too bad, because he is missing a prime opportunity to play.
The running back position is wide open, and the redshirt freshman Walker was third on the depth chart coming into the season.
He has four carries for 14 yards so far this year, but he hasn't touched the ball since the Tennessee game.
Walker will not be an option out of the backfield this week, UF coach Urban Meyer said.
4. WR Justin Williams
Williams appears to be coming on recently, but to this point his time at UF has been forgettable.
Coming out of Folkston (Ga.) Charlton County High in 2005, Rivals.com rated Williams as the No. 15 wide receiver prospect in the country.
He had comparable potential to Florida State's Preston Parker and Miami's Sam Shields, but both Parker and Shields are making plays with the ball in their hands.
Williams racked up two tackles on special teams against Georgia and has a chance to contribute on offense as Meyer has called him one of the most improved players on the team.
Williams, who said he has practiced at defensive back, does not have any catches in his first two seasons.
3. K Jonathan Phillips
In three seasons, Phillips, who signed a scholarship coming out of high school, has been passed by three walk-ons. Before Joey Ijjas, Chris Hetland and Eric Nappy were options instead of Phillips at kicker.
Phillips had loads of potential coming out of Wellington High. He was rated the No. 2 kicker in the Class of 2005 by Scout.com, so he certainly deserved a scholarship at the time.
But he has yet to attempt a field goal in his college career.
2. CB Markus Manson
Meyer lauded Manson's practice play the last two years, but I guess that hasn't been enough to translate to the field across the street at The Swamp.
As a freshman, Manson looked like the most explosive of the Gators' three running backs. But he fell out of Meyer's favor on game days as a sophomore in 2006 as both DeShawn Wynn and Kestahn Moore passed him on the depth chart.
He was switched to cornerback before this season, and Meyer had mentioned Manson as a possible starter leading up to the season opener. Manson has played in two games, starting neither, and has not registered a statistic. True, he has been hampered by an ankle injury, but he did return against Georgia, only to play special teams.
1. TE Tate Casey
Casey has not played since the Gators' warm-up games against Western Kentucky and Troy and does not have a catch after hauling in 24 passes and seven touchdowns in his first three seasons.
Freshman Aaron Hernandez has essentially replaced Casey. That was evident when Hernandez caught Tim Tebow's jump pass against Kentucky.
Everyone knew Casey's role as the primary tight end would minimize in 2006 as hybrid end/receiver Cornelius Ingram learned the offense. Still, Casey was a part of a couple of meaningful plays, the jump pass and a touchdown catch from Andre Caldwell in the SEC Championship Game.
His role as a senior has been reduced to meager proportions.
With the influx of freshmen and sophomores, some hyped and experienced players have gotten lost amid UF's youth movement.
Here is my list of the top five forgotten Gators:
5. RB Chevon Walker
Walker's name has come up in the last week as he has been held out of action due to personal issues.
That's too bad, because he is missing a prime opportunity to play.
The running back position is wide open, and the redshirt freshman Walker was third on the depth chart coming into the season.
He has four carries for 14 yards so far this year, but he hasn't touched the ball since the Tennessee game.
Walker will not be an option out of the backfield this week, UF coach Urban Meyer said.
4. WR Justin Williams
Williams appears to be coming on recently, but to this point his time at UF has been forgettable.
Coming out of Folkston (Ga.) Charlton County High in 2005, Rivals.com rated Williams as the No. 15 wide receiver prospect in the country.
He had comparable potential to Florida State's Preston Parker and Miami's Sam Shields, but both Parker and Shields are making plays with the ball in their hands.
Williams racked up two tackles on special teams against Georgia and has a chance to contribute on offense as Meyer has called him one of the most improved players on the team.
Williams, who said he has practiced at defensive back, does not have any catches in his first two seasons.
3. K Jonathan Phillips
In three seasons, Phillips, who signed a scholarship coming out of high school, has been passed by three walk-ons. Before Joey Ijjas, Chris Hetland and Eric Nappy were options instead of Phillips at kicker.
Phillips had loads of potential coming out of Wellington High. He was rated the No. 2 kicker in the Class of 2005 by Scout.com, so he certainly deserved a scholarship at the time.
But he has yet to attempt a field goal in his college career.
2. CB Markus Manson
Meyer lauded Manson's practice play the last two years, but I guess that hasn't been enough to translate to the field across the street at The Swamp.
As a freshman, Manson looked like the most explosive of the Gators' three running backs. But he fell out of Meyer's favor on game days as a sophomore in 2006 as both DeShawn Wynn and Kestahn Moore passed him on the depth chart.
He was switched to cornerback before this season, and Meyer had mentioned Manson as a possible starter leading up to the season opener. Manson has played in two games, starting neither, and has not registered a statistic. True, he has been hampered by an ankle injury, but he did return against Georgia, only to play special teams.
1. TE Tate Casey
Casey has not played since the Gators' warm-up games against Western Kentucky and Troy and does not have a catch after hauling in 24 passes and seven touchdowns in his first three seasons.
Freshman Aaron Hernandez has essentially replaced Casey. That was evident when Hernandez caught Tim Tebow's jump pass against Kentucky.
Everyone knew Casey's role as the primary tight end would minimize in 2006 as hybrid end/receiver Cornelius Ingram learned the offense. Still, Casey was a part of a couple of meaningful plays, the jump pass and a touchdown catch from Andre Caldwell in the SEC Championship Game.
His role as a senior has been reduced to meager proportions.
