With probable starters Jon Halapio (partially torn pectoral muscle) and Max Garcia (back) out due to injury, Florida needs someone to fill big holes in the offensive line.
Fortunately for UF offensive coordinator Brent Pease, they don’t come much bigger than Trenton Brown.
The 6-foot-8, 363-pound junior college transfer is drawing Pease’s attention at his first Florida training camp.
“He’s the biggest kid I’ve ever seen out there,” Pease said on Wednesday. “He’s big, he’s strong, and he can move, so he’s going to be a real good football player.”
Brown played two years at Georgia Military College, where he was named a second-team NJCAA All-American, before transferring to Florida. Rivals.com rated him as a three-star prospect.
Pease said Brown is working on his conditioning to get in shape for the upcoming season.
“He hasn’t been in that situation and been here long enough,” he said. “He’s getting there. Our guys are making him work.”
Defenders move to fullback: Two former defensive players, Gideon Ajagbe and Rhaheim Ledbetter, are getting reps at fullback in fall camp.
Ledbetter, a safety, did not play last season and earned a redshirt. He came to Florida as a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com.
Ajagbe made four appearances at linebacker in 2011, but did not see any field time last season.
“He’s very unselfish and willing to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to make these tailbacks 1,000-yard rushers,’” Pease said. “I think Gideon, in the long run, will become a guy that is very versatile for us because he’s got that tight end-type body, and yet he can still be a fullback.”
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Offensive lineman Jon Halapio blocks during Florida’s 27-20 win against Louisiana on Nov. 10 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
