Will Muschamp described "a hell of a deal" on Friday.
When asked how much he usually expects from incoming freshman, a frustrated Muschamp imparted some wisdom with the assembled throng of reporters.
"The natural progression is to be redshirted, is to play a little bit your redshirt freshman year, (and) compete for a starting job in your third season at Florida. That’s a hell of a deal," Muschamp said.
"Play your junior and senior season. Unfortunately, we label guys if they don’t play or start their first game their freshman year as ‘We missed on him.’ I don’t believe that."
Muschamp is right on the nose with his philosophy.
Simply put, we expect too much out of freshmen.
The obsession with recruiting rankings is largely to blame. "Let’s assign star ratings to guys playing against amateur competition!"
Also to blame are rabid fans with no comprehension of patience or "natural progression."
Many expect Demarcus Robinson to immediately improve the inconsistency at wide receiver that has plagued UF since losing Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy after 2008.
I’m certainly not ruling out the very talented Robinson enjoying a monster season. I think he is primed to enjoy a fantastic first year.
But it’s just unrealistic to pin all the hopes of Florida’s receiving corps on his shoulders.
Not every five-star prospect who walks through the door is going to set the world on fire.
Guys like Harvin, Michael Vick and Herschel Walker don’t grow on trees. All three of those guys were once-in-a-generation talents who dazzled as freshmen.
You remember them for transcending both reason and expectation. Talent hardly ever blossoms that quickly.
Here’s a candidate for "Most Obvious Thing You’ll Read Today": Most freshmen do not arrive on campus and immediately become a team’s top playmaker.
Merely producing on a consistent basis during your first season in the Southeastern Conference is laudable.
It’s easy for a guy like Robinson to dominate against people who were thrilled just to earn a varsity letter for their letterman jackets. Taking on Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson in practice alone is a pretty jarring adjustment.
Robinson is an outstanding player with a bright future. Fortunately, he is surrounded by reasonable coaches who will not push him to realize all of his potential in Week 1.
UF is ripe with cautionary tales of five-star prospects expected to do too much too soon.
Andre Debose has had his moments as a kick returner, but his performance as a wide receiver during his time at Florida has been forgettable.
Whether he was going to finally put it all together this season before suffering an ACL tear is anybody’s guess, but he’s far removed from the Harvin comparisons he received as the No. 2 receiver in the Class of 2009, according to Rivals.com.
Former No. 1 overall recruit Ronald Powell is another example of a guy who was supposed to be elite from Day 1. He enters his fourth season at Florida with something to prove after two relatively quiet seasons followed by an ACL tear.
Both Debose and Powell are supremely talented, but an atmosphere with a lessened degree of expectation may have done each player some good.
Just look at how freshmen under Muschamp flourished last season.
By acclimating first-year guys like Antonio Morrison, Matt Jones, Dante Fowler Jr., Jonathan Bullard and D.J. Humphries to the SEC as role players rather than workhorses, they developed gradually at a reasonable pace.
Now each guy is a critical piece to this year’s team.
I trust that Muschamp will bring along Robinson and the other freshmen responsibly, but it’s up to us to not label these guys "busts" for not producing much in 2013.
Just keep the term "natural progression" in mind and remember your freshman year.
I doubt I’m the only one who would like to take a redshirt.
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan.
Coach Will Muschamp reacts to a call in UF’s 23-0 win against Jacksonville State at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Nov. 17.
