When asked which defensive back has given him the most trouble during fall camp, quarterback John Brantley couldn’t give a name.
All he could say was, “That new freshman, No. 5.”
That freshman is cornerback Marcus Roberson, and according to coach Will Muschamp, there’s a chance he will see the field for the Gators sooner rather than later.
“He could possibly start,” Muschamp said. “We’re going to play the best players. I don’t care what grade they are, where they’re from — it don’t matter to me. … If they’re freshmen, it don’t matter to me.”
According to Muschamp, Roberson has been making a variety of plays and tackles in space in the early goings of practice that could earn him immediate playing time when the season opens Sept. 3 against Florida Atlantic.
After losing shutdown corner Janoris Jenkins, who was dismissed from the team following his second marijuana-related arrest in three months, the Gators are left with an inexperienced group of corners.
The unit has a combined 16 college starts under their belts, making for steep competition in an unproven secondary.
While Muschamp has said a series of combinations at corner have run with the first-team defense, with the now-injured Jeremy Brown as the one constant, the other position has been up for grabs — and Roberson looks to be taking hold.
The 6-foot, 184-pound freshman from Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas High was the marquee name on defense among the Gators’ 2011 recruiting haul that included six defensive backs.
Roberson, an Under Armour All-America selection as a high school senior, was a surprise addition for Florida on National Signing Day in February, choosing the Gators after he was orally committed to both Texas Tech and Auburn in the weeks leading up to his decision.
But since arriving on campus in May, Roberson has impressed his teammates, even during offseason workouts before the team was in pads.
“It seems like he already knows the game, he already understands splits and he has great feet, great hips,” safety Josh Shaw said.
“He’s going to be a great player for us.”
Shaw wasn’t the only returning player to praise Roberson.
He has also been lauded by safety Matt Elam and redshirt senior Moses Jenkins — who is competing with Roberson at cornerback.
The common topics among all the acclaim from coaches and teammates have been Roberson’s instincts, technique and work ethic.
While many members of last season’s highly touted freshman class came to UF with a sense of entitlement, there has been none of that from Roberson and his fellow freshmen.
“They all came in with the same chip on their shoulder, they want to learn, they want to work,” Jenkins said.
Since the Gators opened fall camp, Roberson has turned that chip into an opportunity to make an impact in his first year in Gainesville.
“He is a playmaker,” Shaw said. “He just does everything right — he’s a technician, that’s what I would say about him.”
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org
