Finding a capable replacement for Caleb Sturgis is a thought that surely gives Will Muschamp headaches. Heck, it might even give him nightmares at this point, and the season is still more than four months away.
Muschamp joked near the end of last season that Florida was “looking for an extra year of eligibility” for the redshirt senior kicker.
Gone is the two-time Lou Groza Award finalist, an honor given to the nation’s best kicker.
Gone is the nearly automatic right leg that took the pressure off of Florida’s underperforming offense by essentially guaranteeing three points if the Gators could at least advance past inside the opposition’s 40-yard line.
Gone is the program’s all-time leader in field goals made.
But more important than what is gone is what is returning for the Gators in the kicking department next season. And if Saturday’s performances during the Orange and Blue Debut are any indication, the cupboard is pretty bare.
Neither senior Brad Phillips nor redshirt freshman Austin Hardin was particularly impressive during drills or at the end of scrimmage periods. No official statistics were kept, but simply watching was more than enough for me.
Kicks missed left. Kicks missed right. One kick resembled a clay pigeon shot out of the sky at a shooting range, slamming into the left upright and bouncing away.
Florida’s offense again looked average. The kicking game was a mess.
And from statements made by coaches and players, it is clear this was not a one-day outlier. Rather, inconsistency from the two kickers has become the norm.
“I’m not going to lie, we’re missing Sturgis right now,” punter Kyle Christy said earlier this spring. “But … it’s definitely not because of lack of effort.”
Of course it isn’t. Nobody wants to struggle when replacing a program legend, just ask John Brantley.
But on a team that lost talent across the board, Sturgis could prove to be near the top of the list in terms of the Gators’ biggest loss.
Junior quarterback Jeff Driskel made a salient point on Saturday. While speaking about Florida’s offense, he talked about how “it is hard to just put drives together consistently” and about the necessity to develop an offense with quick-strike capabilities.
He is correct.
Connecting on throws down field and hitting big plays makes scoring much easier. Last year’s team did not have that capability. It remains to be seen if this squad does.
But Sturgis showed his true value when Florida’s offense became stagnant and stalled. That is when he did his job better than anyone else in the country.
Sturgis was 3 for 3 on attempts from 50 yards or longer last season. He was 24 of 28 overall.
Florida’s approach to winning games en route to a Sugar Bowl appearance was strong defense, great special teams and an offense that grinded out just enough points to win.
I don’t foresee that plan changing much next season.
But if Phillips or Hardin — or even walk-on Frank Velez, who was apparently thrown into the mix during spring — can’t become consistent enough to continue the plan, the entire team will suffer.
Then Muschamp won’t be the only one experiencing nightmares.
Contact Phil Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Kicker Caleb Sturgis (19) celebrates with former special teams and current defensive coordinator DJ Durkin during Florida’s 37-26 win against Florida State on Nov. 24 in Tallahassee.
