Jim McElwain began his second year as coach of the Florida Gators by talking about laundry.
“They got new workout jerseys. Everything looks pretty (now),” McElwain said at UF’s Media Day on Wednesday. “But when your laundry staff ... has washed it so many times that it starts to dull — that’s when you see what your team is made of.”
As it stands, McElwain isn’t exactly sure what his team is made of.
There are questions surrounding UF’s linebackers, where only two players — Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone — are sure-fire starters, even though the latter missed 12 games with a shoulder injury last season.
There is an opening at the top of the running back group, where three players — sophomores Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett and junior college transfer Mark Thompson — will compete for playing time.
And there is uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position, where transfers Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby are battling for sole possession of the starting gig, ahead of true freshmen Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks.
McElwain is embracing the unknown.
“I think the key to our success will be guys competing for playing time at many positions,” McElwain said.
But among all the positions, Florida’s coach said the strongest will be the running back group.
The most experienced of the top three candidates in the backfield are Scarlett and Cronkrite. Scarlett rushed 34 times for 181 yards and one touchdown last year, while Cronkrite compiled 157 yards on 44 carries and three touchdowns.
Then there’s Thompson, a 6-foot-2, 242-pound running back who has never played a down of Division I football.
But Thompson’s inexperience doesn’t bother him much.
Thompson said his goal is to rush for 1,000 yards by the bye week — after UF’s seventh game.
“I think it’s a bit of an intimidation factor for a lot of people, when you see a big guy coming at you with a lot of speed,” Thompson said.
Even though there is no clear-cut starter among the running backs yet, McElwain said one will likely emerge as the season opener against Massachusetts on Sept. 3 draws closer.
“Positionally, there’s a lot of question marks,” McElwain said. “But there’s a lot of question marks every year.”
DBs praise QBs:
The defensive back group had high praise for the quarterbacks on Wednesday, including cornerback Quincy Wilson, who said he was most impressed by Del Rio.
“Del Rio likes to take charge. He’s a leader out there,” Wilson said. “And that’s something you need.”
But even though Del Rio has stood out, Wilson said he tries to give advice to every quarterback on the roster.
“I like to give them pointers after they make mistakes. To let them know what I was doing, disguising this, disguising that, stuff like that. It’s all about helping them out,” Wilson said. “They’re a part of our team, so they’ll give me pointers too. We’re all helping each other out.”
Junior cornerback Jalen Tabor had a different opinion.
“When we get out there, it’s straight competition,” he said. “I really don’t like quarterbacks.”
Cleveland, Wells to practice:
Freshman receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells will practice with the team despite being arrested on July 18, McElwain said on Wednesday.
Both players were arrested on charges of criminal mischief and for firing a missile into a dwelling after police said they shot BB guns at a UF residence hall.
No team-sanctioned punishments have been announced.
“They were dealt some pretty heavy consequences right as it happened,” McElwain said. “Those consequences are continued on and nothing has been finalized in anything on that.”
Don't call me Jalen:
Florida’s star cornerback has changed his name — at least on the team’s official website.
According to FloridaGators.com, Tabor has requested that he be referred to as Teez Tabor, his nickname during middle school.
“If you call me Teez, you know me,” Tabor said to FloridaGators.com. “If you call me Jalen, you just know of me.”
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Quarterback Luke Del Rio (14) hands the ball to running back Mark Thompson (24) during the Orange & Blue Debut on April 8, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
