Kurt Roper is a storyteller.
His weekly media availabilities are filled with anecdotes about his coaching experiences, growing up as a coach’s son and his six-year-old daughter Reese — who was probably more upset than Roper about Florida’s season opener against Idaho being suspended.
“It got pretty late — she is 6 — and so my wife said ‘hey at some point she's got to go home,’” Roper said Tuesday. “So my mother in law started to take her and my son home, and my daughter said, 'I got all dressed' — she had her fingernails painted, toenails painted orange and blue — 'I got all dressed up for this. I'm just so disappointed.'”
But there’s one story that fans are waiting to hear from the first-year UF offensive coordinator — the story of Florida’s successful offense.
And while that story won’t be told until Florida is able to play more than just its opening kickoff (cue Valdez Showers pun here), one thing is certain about Roper’s offense: The pieces are there.
Florida’s offense this season has arguably as much depth at its skill positions as the 2008 team — a group that contains names such as Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and Chris Rainey.
The wide receiver position is brimming with talent from redshirt seniors Quinton Dunbar and Andre Debose to true freshman C.J. Worton. Roper plans to rotate at least six receivers around throughout the three wide receiver positions this season.
The Gators also have a formidable pass-catching option at tight end in Virginia transfer Jake McGee. The redshirt senior caught 43 passes in his final year with the Hokies — three more than any of UF’s returning receivers from 2013.
Running backs Kelvin Taylor, Matt Jones and Mack Brown will lead a three-headed attack in the backfield.
Showers’ kickoff return against Idaho would have been a perfect prelude to the Roper-led offense that took the field after it.
The 64-yard return brought the excitement that Roper hopes to bring out of a Florida offense that has been anything but that for the last three seasons.
Mother Nature had other plans, though, and the closest Roper’s group got to a play was huddling on the field before play was suspended for a final time.
But even though Florida’s spread offense debut has been pushed back to Saturday’s game against Eastern Michigan, it will be worth the wait.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_mcpherson1126
Florida offensive coordinator Kurt Roper scans the field during practice on Aug. 14 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
