The Jim McElwain era is two Spring practices in and McElwain already sees areas for improvement.
McElwain cranked it up a notch on the second day of practice after taking things slow with the offense on Monday.
With the quarterbacks being under center primarily during the first practice, McElwain introduced the pistol and the shotgun offense on Wednesday.
Things weren’t perfect on either side of the ball as the team took a step back from the first practice and will have to break down parts of the offense in more depth on Friday.
“I thought it was a little sloppy actually (Wednesday),” McElwain said. “We’ve got a lot of details that we need to take care of, and yet that’s to be expected when you get new install like this in.”
Brandon Powell adjusting to new position: Former running back Brandon Powell is making the move to wide receiver during the Spring.
As a freshman, Powell finished last season with 70 yards on 16 carries with one rushing touchdown, while catching 15 balls for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Powell was moved around in the backfield and saw time in the slot in former offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s scheme, but McElwain is trying to keep him at wide receiver.
“In our offense, he’s a guy that’s obviously got to touch the ball, but he’s probably more comfortable at running back, but we’re putting him at full-time receiver,” McElwain said.
“I think he really looks comfortable out there. That’s something good to see.”
Special Teams: With Andre Debose finishing his six-year career, a void has been left in the return game. Debose completed his career with five special teams touchdowns, with four of those coming on kickoff returns, a school record, and one on a punt return. Debose finished last season second in the Southeastern Conference and sixth nationally with a 14.04 punt return average.
McElwain said Brandon Powell, Demarcus Robinson, Vernon Hargreaves and J.C. Jackson have been involved with the special teams.
Robinson had three punt returns last year for a meager total of two yards, while Hargreaves saw time fielding punts inside Florida’s territory.
“They’ve been handling the kicks. We haven’t determined any really starters on any of the special teams,” McElwain said. “We worked punt heavy the first two practices. We’ll get kickoff return in this third practice.”
Tight End: With the rising popularity of the spread offense throughout all levels of football, having a tight end who can play with his hand on the ground is key in a pro-style offense.
“Honestly, it’s kind of a lost art,” McElwain said. “It’s a position that everybody is looking for. It’s a position the next level struggles finding…but with that being said these guys have adapted and we’ll be in lot of 12 personnel.”
McElwain is also searching for something Florida hasn’t had in a while: a playmaking tight end.
With Jake McGee not competing in team drills as he continues to rehab after surgery on his broken tibia and fibula, UF will have to find someone who can step up. Other than McGee, no other tight end on the roster has caught a pass. Bair Diamond and DeAndre Goolsby saw game action last season, but didn’t record any stats. The last time McGee caught a pass happened when he was still at the University of Virginia two seasons ago.
Follow Luis Torres on Twitter @LFTorresIII
