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Friday, March 29, 2024
<p>Running back Jordan Scarlett is expected to be the bell-cow back by our sports editors.</p>

Running back Jordan Scarlett is expected to be the bell-cow back by our sports editors.

When fall camp starts on Aug. 3, many of the players on the UF football team will begin duking it out to see who will be in the starting lineup this fall.

Sports writers Chris O’Brien and Mark Stine argue their favorites to start at the offensive skill positions when fans fill the Swamp on Sept. 1 to watch the Gators take on Charleston Southern.

Quarterback:

 

Chris: This one’s a tough one for me. Over the spring, redshirt sophomore Kyle Trask, at least to me, looked like the superior QB of the bunch. I’ve been really, really high on him since he came out of high school. I always believed that if Jim McElwain did ANYTHING right for the university (because let’s be honest, there really wasn’t much), it was recruit an unknown two- or three-star QB (depending on where you look) out of Texas.

Since summer began though, word is redshirt sophomore Feleipe Franks has taken the reins a little bit more. The official odds have Franks as the favorite, freshman Emory Jones as a close second and Trask as a longshot.

But I went to all the spring practices and the general consensus was that Trask was the best. He’s got a great frame, listed at 6-foot-5, 239 pounds, and he has a great motor. Good legs, a good arm, all he really needs is a better command and feel for the offense. I’m going with Trask as a dark horse.

 

Mark: Of the three candidates for starting quarterback ‒ redshirt sophomore Feleipe Franks, redshirt sophomore Kyle Trask and freshman Emory Jones ‒ Franks is the only player with experience at the college level and the easy favorite to win the quarterback position heading into fall camp.
His numbers were mediocre: 125 for 229 passing (54.6 completion percentage), 1,438 passing yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight starts. But there were flashes of brilliance, like the “Heave to Cleve” against Tennessee and his 78-yard run against Texas A&M. And behind a lackluster offensive line, you couldn’t ask for a redshirt freshman to do much better.
Franks’ experience gives him something to build on, and his arm strength and mobility gives Dan Mullen some flexibility calling plays.
Maybe we’ll see Jones in a few games because of the SEC’s new four-game redshirt rule. Maybe we’ll see Trask against Charleston Southern on Sept. 1.

 

Running Backs:

 

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Chris: Another really good position battle is who gets the spell running back position behind incumbent starter, redshirt junior Jordan Scarlett. I actually don’t think there’s going to be a clear back that takes this spot, more of a running back by committee.

I do think the first back we’ll see after Scarlett is junior Lamical Perine, but I don’t expect him to see any more carries than true freshman Dameon Pierce. He’s 5-foot-10, 207 pounds, and he’s got great burst and looks incredibly spry.

The other guy I expect to get a decent amount of carries is sophomore Malik Davis. Davis was easily the best back on the team last year prior to his season-ending knee injury. If he can return to form, expect him to be in the mix as well.

Lastly, keep an eye on Adarius Lemons. Kid is built, and he’ll factor-in some way as well.

 

Mark: Florida’s running back committee is highlighted by two returns: redshirt junior Jordan Scarlett from suspension and sophomore Malik Davis from knee injury.
Scarlett provides a more bruising running style. He’s listed at 206 pounds, but at spring camp he looked more in the area of 215. He has to be the first-choice back after leading the UF backfield in 2016 with 889 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
Davis is listed at 194 pounds, but that’s probably soaking wet with an oversized T-shirt on.

Yet, he provides big play ability, which he showcased in a 72-yard scamper against Tennessee (before he fumbled), and led the Gators with 526 yards in just seven games last season.
Davis and junior Lamical Perine should be great complements to Scarlett, and should contribute well if they develop more chemistry catching passes and blocking for whoever is quarterback.

 

Wide Receivers:

 

Chris: The top two receivers on the team, assuming they get cleared by the NCAA, are transfers Trevon Grimes and Van Jefferson. There’s no debate about it, if they’re cleared, those will be the guys that are trotted out in the fall.

But who’s that last guy going to be on those three-wide sets?

I would go with Tyrie Cleveland if the third receiver wasn’t a slot receiver, but I think he’s more of an X or Z (outside) receiver. The guy I expect to see in the slot in the first weekend is Kadarius Toney.

He reminds me more of a true slot receiver, almost like a Percy Harvin type of player. You’re going to see him in the slot, on the outside, in the backfield - just about everywhere on the field. But you’re going to see him in the slot first.

 

Mark: Florida lost its primary receiving option, Brandon Powell, to graduation and needs a new player to step up in fall camp.
Redshirt junior Van Jefferson appears he’ll be UF’s new No. 1. The 6-foot-2 transfer from Ole Miss racked up 42 catches in 10 games playing slot receiver in 2017, equaling Powell’s total in 11 games at the same position. Jefferson caught 49 passes in 2016 and earned First Team Freshman All-SEC honors.
Tyrie Cleveland ranked second among UF pass catchers last season with 22 receptions, but first in receiving yards at 410. The junior from Houston should be the Gators’ primary deep threat, as he averaged 18.6 yards per catch a year ago.
Junior Freddie Swain or sophomore Trevon Grimes, a transfer from Ohio State, will likely be Florida’s third options, but redshirt senior Dre Massey and sophomore Kadarius Toney should see the ball often because of their playmaking and ability to play in the slot and out of the backfield.

 

Tight End:

Chris: A fifth-year senior is going to take this one. He honestly hasn’t been extremely productive throughout his entire career, but C’yontai Lewis will be the guy the coaches look to. Redshirt sophomore Lucas Krull was a really intriguing late addition in the recruiting cycle and a serious candidate to take this spot.

But, Lewis is the vocal leader of the offense and the team, and he belongs in the starting spot.

He’s a pretty good blocker and a somewhat adequate pass catcher.

We’ll see Krull in the mix. He’s a 6-foot-7, 255 pound behemoth who supposedly has pretty good hands.

But it’ll be Lewis’ job from day one.

 

Mark: Look out for Lucas Krull.
Yes, he was a pitcher at Jefferson Community College in Hillsboro, Missouri.
But the 6-foot-7 transfer put up big numbers as a receiver in his only season of high school football in Shawnee, Kansas. Krull caught 52 passes for 745 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also showed some athleticism running the football for 70 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.

Of course, senior C’yontai Lewis is the favorite to be starting tight end come Sept. 1. But Lewis only caught seven balls for 42 yards last season and doesn’t seem to be developing positively as a pass catcher.
If Krull can develop well enough in fall camp, he could be a go-to receiving threat down the road.

@THEChrisOB

cobrien@alligator.org

@mstinejr

mstine@alligator.org

Running back Jordan Scarlett is expected to be the bell-cow back by our sports editors.

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