Forty-five minutes before the sun showed its face, the UF football freshmen were stretching, sprinting and sweating.
The Gators opened fall practice Monday with the freshmen and walk-ons participating in early morning drills and the rest of the team taking part in the afternoon session.
The highlight of the 6 a.m. practice was the return of former starting offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson. Wilson, who was suspended from the team after firing a firearm into the air in August 2007, played with the defensive linemen despite playing left guard in 2006. He only has walk-on status right now and is working to officially rejoin the team.
Wilson was unavailable for comment, but did release a statement through the University Athletic Association in which he apologized for his actions and was thankful for another chance.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Javier Estopinan, who played with Wilson in 2006, could line up alongside him if Wilson completes his comeback.
"(He has to) get back on everybody's good side and try to get confidence from everybody," Estopinan said. "He's paying his own way for school, so he's like a walk-on now. He's just got to earn his rights again."
Also notable from the freshman practice was the blazing speed of freshman Jeffrey Demps. Demps - who runs a just-over-10-second 100-yard dash - caught a pass and took off down the field, leaving linebackers and corners in the dust. The play elicited a joyful scream of "speed, speed, speed" from UF coach Urban Meyer.
Demps should be a versatile player for UF this season, and the fact that his position on the Gators roster is simply "athlete" shows he can play many positions.
In the afternoon, the focus was on wide receiver Percy Harvin. The junior had heel surgery in the spring but has recovered and will be ready to play. He didn't participate too heavily in Monday's practice.
"He came out today and opened it up a little bit," Meyer said.
Meyer added he was not concerned as much about Harvin's heel, but instead another part of Harvin's body reacting negatively to the surgery.
UF is most thin at safety, and to help that load, Meyer moved freshman wide receiver T.J. Lawrence to the secondary. Meyer was also confident that freshmen Will Hill and Ahmad Black would be able to handle the load.
Defensive lineman Torrey Davis and safety Bryan Thomas were not listed on the roster handed out at practice. Meyer said Davis was "dealing with some academic issues and other issues," while Thomas was rehabbing from having a cyst removed from his knee. Thomas will be ready when school begins on Aug. 25, Meyer said.
The Gators have open practice every day until Saturday, at which point the remainder of preseason practice is closed to fans and the media. Monday's practice was UF's earliest of the preseason, but the team will have six more days with both morning and afternoon sessions.
