Tim Tebow found himself in an unfamiliar position when the Gators opened practice Wednesday.
The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback took snaps from under center during the team's first workout of the spring.
"I think we're going to work on some under-center packages and implement a little bit of that into our game plan," Tebow said.
Because Tebow takes nearly all of his snaps from the shotgun formation in UF's spread offense, NFL scouts have questioned his ability to adjust to a more traditional pro-style formation.
New quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler is doing his best to change that.
"I keep hearing that the NFL is so much different than college, so we're trying to help him get more comfortable," UF coach Urban Meyer said.
Loeffler, a longtime assistant at Michigan, is credited with the development of NFL quarterbacks Chad Henne, Tom Brady and Brian Griese.
Meyer said he also plans to incorporate a no-huddle offense this spring.
SPIKES ON STAYING: For the first time since he made the decision, Brandon Spikes talked publicly about his choice to forgo the NFL draft and come back to UF for his senior season.
"(I was) a kid, 21 years old, and had a chance to make it to the big leagues and didn't take it. You think about getting hurt or what else you could accomplish," Spikes said. "But I felt like coming back to school would benefit me more. I'm here, I'm happy and I'm ready to try and get my degree."
THE PROMISE: Meyer said it was his decision to put up a plaque on the wall of the team's new football complex with the text from Tebow's speech after UF's loss to Mississippi last season.
When asked if he thought it was too soon for such an accolade, Meyer said he didn't think there was any reason to wait until the junior had graduated.
"We're not interested in 10 years from now," Meyer said. "It was a speech that I think everyone in Gator Nation deserves a chance to see on the side of the building."
Spikes also gave his opinion of the plaque, adding yet another religious element to the quarterback's legacy.
"I felt like he was a prophet for saying it," Spikes said. "He just said it and we got it done. He was a prophet."
WHO'S NO. 1?: There were a lot of new faces on the field Wednesday, none of them wearing a No.1 on his jersey.
Meyer said he and his staff would have to wait and evaluate who they thought was deserving of wearing Percy Harvin's old number in the fall.
INJURY NOTE: Offensive lineman Matt Patchan and running back Brandon James were both seen hobbling with crutches Wednesday.
Meyer said Patchan will be out for the first week of spring practice after injuring himself in a scooter accident.
James is recovering from off-season foot surgery.
