The Gators brought in two five-star defensive tackles in their 2010 recruiting class.
One was named the defensive player of the game by Urban Meyer for his performance Saturday.
The other didn’t travel with the team to Vanderbilt.
Sharrif Floyd, who has consistently drawn praise from defensive line coach Dan McCarney for his work ethic, was second on the team with five total tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, against the Commodores in the most productive game of his short career.
Meanwhile, Dominique Easley did not even make the team’s travel roster.
“He’s still with the team, but he has got to do things we ask him to do to be involved,” Meyer said.
Demps healthy: If Meyer is looking for an edge heading into Saturday’s matchup with South Carolina, he can hang his hat on Florida being as healthy as it has been since the beginning of the season.
Meyer said running back Jeff Demps (foot), who saw limited playing time against Vanderbilt, will return to his usual role this week.
“Demps will play,” Meyer said. “We’ll know more later in the week, but he had a good day (Sunday).”
Defensive tackle Jaye Howard is also expected to return this week. Meyer called his recovery progress “promising.”
Kicker Caleb Sturgis (back) is still out, and offensive lineman Matt Patchan (wrist) is going to see a specialist and likely won’t play again this season.
McCray makes impact: Hybrid linebacker/defensive end Lerentee McCray made an impression on UF coaches and fans for perhaps the first time in his career during Saturday’s blowout win at Vanderbilt.
The sophomore saw extended playing time in the lopsided victory and forced a fumble on running back Zac Stacy that led to a Terron Sanders scoop-and-score in the second quarter.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin pointed to McCray as a young player that stood out to him immediately following the game, and Meyer said he hopes McCray can build on this effort and see a more significant role for the rest of the season.
“I made a comment to our staff, ‘If you don’t capitalize on this great push by a young guy then you failed as a coach,’ so we have to capitalize on that,” Meyer said.
McCray, who battled back and ankle injuries early in his career, was used frequently in pass rush against the Commodores.
