Youth is the key word in the Gators’ wide receiving corps.
Although redshirt senior Quinton Dunbar is Florida’s leading returning receiver, a trio of sophomores will fill several key spots this upcoming season.
Second-year receivers Ahmad Fulwood, Demarcus Robinson and Chris Thompson united to make the largest impact on the Orange and Blue Debut on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“It’s a huge part for our receiving corps because, I mean, we lost Trey Burton and [Solomon Patton], so those are two great players,” Fulwood said. “We understand that you know we have to step up and we have to make forward movement in our play.
“So we’re working hard, you know, we’re taking those first-team reps, splitting them so we’re just doing a really good job with it.”
The trio racked up a combined 114 receiving yards on 11 receptions Saturday. Robinson and Thompson both caught touchdowns.
Fulwood made the biggest impact for Florida last season, making 17 catches for 127 yards.
“Ahmad Fulwood, he’s a huge target out there,” quarterback Jeff Driskel said. “He’s improved his ball skills every day since he’s been here.”
Robinson was expected to play a major role in the offense last year but instead got suspended twice and made only five catches for 23 yards.
Because he got the ball more than any freshman receiver in 2013, Fulwood has some of the biggest expectations placed on him, but he tries not to put them on himself.
“We just like to play,” he said. “We really don’t talk about expectations, we just know that the ball is going to be spread around and we’re going to move the ball and we’re going to put points on the board. And that’s what we want to do.”
The group of receivers will have a much bigger role to play in this year’s offense. New offensive coordinator Kurt Roper is looking to speed the offense up and bring in a spread-style attack.
Fulwood has experience playing in the spread. When he attended Jacksonville Bishop Kenney High, he played in a similar scheme.
“I ran the spread in high school,” he said. “But we never did no-huddle. … The pace that we move at, taking that year off last year of not being in that type of offense and then coming back to it, I got to catch back up.”
Unlike last year when the Gators went with a run-heavy approach, the ball is going to be in the air often this season — and Fulwood is going to be one of the biggest targets.
“It’s definitely comforting to know the ball is going to be spread around and definitely have a chance to make some plays when you do get it,” Fulwood said. “Rope’s always got something up his sleeve. He’s always got something cool to do.
“It’s definitely exceeded my expectations because it’s a lot faster than what you could ever anticipate for. There’s no conditioning, no type of running that could prepare you for this type of tempo of an offense.”
Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @alichtenstein24
Ahmad Fulwood (5) recovers from a tackle made by Jabari Gorman (2) during Florida’s Orange and Blue Debut on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Fulwood is one of several sophomore wide receivers who expect to have a large role in the Gators’ offense in 2014.
