Kerry Dixon saw it in the spring.
The speed. The skill. The playmaking ability.
“It was just a matter of when,” Dixon, UF’s receivers coach, said on Wednesday.
Dixon has been impressed by Kadarius Toney, Florida’s electric freshman playmaker who is averaging 9.8 yards per rush and 9.7 yards per reception this season. Dixon said the coaching staff knew Toney was special months before the season started, and has made an effort to increase Toney’s role in Florida’s offense week by week.
But, two weeks ago, that effort was put on hold. Toney missed UF’s game against Texas A&M on Oct. 14 because of a shoulder injury he suffered against LSU on Oct. 7. Toney’s absence, along with that of sophomore receiver Tyrie Cleveland, who was limited against the Aggies after missing UF’s game against LSU with an ankle injury, has been a blow to a Florida offense.
On Wednesday, UF coach Jim McElwain said Toney and Cleveland are probable to play against No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.
“I'm not gonna say they're gonna play because they're trying so hard to play, but ultimately we've got to wait for the trainer and all that come game time,” McElwain said.
Dixon knows how important both are to Florida’s offense, which ranks 12th in the SEC in points per game (23.7). If Toney plays, Dixon said, UF will try to place him in the wildcat formation more often, allowing Toney to receive direct snaps in the backfield to either run or throw.
And, Dixon added, if Cleveland returns, Florida will get back a big-play weapon it has desperately missed its last two games.
“There's a comfort level when you have that deep threat out there,” Dixon said. “They have to make certain coverage adjustments to him, which is a great asset to the offense.”
McElwain regrets bringing up death threats:
Two days after announcing that members of Florida’s football team had received death threats, McElwain expressed regret that he brought up the threats in the first place.
“Sometimes things are on your mind and I go ahead and speak,” McElwain said on Wednesday. “It doesn’t make it right.”
McElwain declined to provide any new details about the death threats except saying they were anonymous. He said bringing up the threats was “out of character” for him, and said it has given Florida an unnecessary distraction.
“It’s exactly what I tell our guys not to do,” McElwain said. “(You) let something like that, you know, creep into the focus on what you’re here to do.”
McElwain declined to say whether he and his family were directly threatened. When asked if this week has been a teachable moment for him, McElwain said yes.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” he said, “and obviously allowing the clutter to get to you is not what it’s all about.”
Other Injury updates:
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jabari Zuniga, who is recovering from an ankle injury, is probable to play on Saturday
Sophomore receiver Josh Hammond is highly questionable with a back injury
Redshirt freshman defensive back C.J. McWilliams will be a game-time decision with a hamstring injury
McElwain said he expects freshman defensive lineman Elijah Conliffe and redshirt freshman linebacker Jeremiah Moon to play on Saturday.
You can follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @icohenb, and contact him at icohen@alligator.org.
Kadarius Toney was found with an assault rifle in the back of his Chevy Monte Carlo.
