Charlie Weis did not waste time pointing out his favorite receiver to Florida fans.
On the first play of the Orange and Blue Debut on Saturday, Weis called for Quinton Dunbar to run a go route. The result of the play — an incompletion — did not matter nearly as much as the call itself, or the fact that Dunbar was even on the field.
Dunbar, a sophomore from Miami Booker T. Washington High, sat out last season with a hamstring injury. Throughout spring practices, however, coach Will Muschamp and several receivers praised Dunbar for his ability to stretch the field.
By Saturday, the last day of spring football, Dunbar was starting alongside Frankie Hammond Jr.
“Weis is always messing with me because when I first started I was probably seventh on the depth chart,” Dunbar said. “Each and every day, I came out and made plays, and I gradually made my way to the top.”
For all the changes the Gators have undergone this spring, no group has been more affected than the wide receivers.
All 11 of UF’s scholarship pass-catchers were recruited for the spread offense, a system frequently featuring four- and five-receiver sets. Now, under Weis’ pro-style scheme, two or three players will split out wide in each formation.
As a result, only about one-fourth of those scholarship receivers will see significant playing time. In the old offense, about half would have. Fewer available spots on the field, coupled with a new coaching staff free of preconceived biases, has revved up competition.
“Throughout the entire spring, the depth (chart) has changed a lot,” said sophomore Stephen Alli, who finished with two catches for 31 yards in Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage. “Everyone wants to get on the field. No one wants to come and sit on the bench on game days. It helps us get better, too, because everyone wants to make plays. Everyone has to make plays.”
The number of plays made Saturday was limited, as the Orange and Blue squads combined for 181 passing yards. Still, the emergence of Dunbar was one of the most surprising revelations from spring practice.
Perhaps just as surprising? The man Dunbar replaced.
Senior Deonte Thompson, who led the team with 38 catches for 570 yards last season, ran with the second team, while Dunbar and Hammond started with quarterback John Brantley.
“I’m not surprised because I’m there every day,” Alli said. “[Dunbar] has made a lot of big plays, so he’s impressed a lot of people.”
Thompson has long been criticized by fans for untimely drops. Most notably, the receiver bobbled a pass on a slant route against Mississippi State in October. The ball ultimately fell into Bulldogs defensive back Johnthan Banks’ hands and, 11 plays later, MSU scored a touchdown in an eventual 10-7 upset.
At the same time, Thompson has flashed signs of brilliance. Two weeks after the Mississippi State loss, Thompson reached over the shoulders of Georgia’s Shawn Williams to snag a first down on 3rd and 19, setting up a touchdown and robbing Georgia of a sure interception. The Gators went on to win in overtime.
But Muschamp criticized the receivers for inconsistency this spring, something that could hold back Thompson, whom former coach Urban Meyer always stood up for during interviews.
Muschamp preached that no position was set in stone after the scrimmage, and the four receivers atop the depth chart did not separate themselves from the pack Saturday. Dunbar recorded two catches for 21 yards.
Hammond, Thompson and Omarius Hines, meanwhile, each failed to catch a pass.
Perhaps Weis needs to start messing with them, too.
