Despite seeing action in only six games and recording just four tackles, Dominique Easley was met with a lot of attention during his freshman campaign.
Not for success on the field, but for off-the-field issues.
Throughout the 2010 season, the New York native was surrounded by rumors he was thinking about transferring from Florida. Easley denied those reports Monday.
“I never thought I was going anywhere else,” he said.
Easley repeatedly denied the idea he thought about leaving UF as a reporter pushed him more about the situation, even mentioning a previous story in which Easley was quoted as considering other options.
The defensive tackle only grew more defiant, saying, “Dominique didn’t.”
But Easley can’t argue there wasn’t some friction between him and the coaches last season. When UF played Vanderbilt last year, he was not on the team’s travel roster for “a lot of reasons,” according to Urban Meyer.
But the coaching change has left Easley with a different mindset and intensity that is drawing praise from some of his teammates.
“That’s probably the fastest I’ve ever seen somebody get off the ball,” linebacker Jon Bostic said of Easley’s spring showing. “Sometimes when you pause the film and just look, every other defensive lineman has taken half a step or one step, and he has already taken two or three.”
QUINN INSTALLING VERSATILE DEFENSE: There have been a lot of questions about Florida’s new-look offense, but by comparison, the changes on the defensive side of the ball have been overlooked.
The unit is not only learning a new system in the spring, but it’s also trying to replace its leader in safety Ahmad Black, who led the team with 108 tackles last season.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has installed a defense that will switch between 3-4 and 4-3 schemes throughout the game to keep offenses guessing. Linebacker Jelani Jenkins said they have not practiced one package more than the other in the spring.
“[Quinn] has thrown a lot of different defenses at us,” Bostic said. “For a lot of the young guys, it’s kind of overwhelming. But for some of the guys that were here last year, it’s a lot of carryover.”
INJURY UPDATE: Offensive tackle Xavier Nixon and wide receiver Andre Debose did not practice Saturday.
Both have been sidelined by sprained ankles, and coach Will Muschamp said Thursday that he hoped both would be back at the end of last week or the beginning of this week.
Alligator staff writer Tyler Jett contributed to this report.
