While all this basketball madness has been going on, the UF football team (Yes, it still exists!) started spring practice last week. I have the sunburn on the back of my neck to prove it.
For those of you glued to your television screens watching people shoot round balls through hoops, I’ve been watching the football team practice with oblong balls and do the same thing over and over again, and here’s what I’ve seen — when the Gators aren’t practicing on the far field half a mile away from the crowd.
Jeff Driskel will start: Remember this guy? He was the starting quarterback last year when UF football fans still had hope and Jameis Winston was still actually considering playing baseball as a career.
Driskel led the Gators to their best season under coach Will Muschamp in 2012, but by the end of last year, he had been almost forgotten — 10 games of Tyler Murphy and Skyler Mornhinweg will do that.
Well, rack your brain and try to remember, because barring another injury or other significant change, Driskel is going to start under center — whoops, in the shotgun — in 2014.
Driskel is by far the most advanced quarterback Florida has on its roster. He has looked good in early drills in the Gators’ first few practices, and his right leg looks fully healed from the broken fibula he suffered against Tennessee last year.
After the first day of practice, Muschamp had nothing but praise for his redshirt junior quarterback. He lauded his toughness — walking off the field with a broken leg is no easy feat — and said Driskel has his teammates’ and coaches’ respect. He had kind words about his arm strength and mobility, too.
After a 4-8 season, Muschamp’s job is on the line. He isn’t going to stick with a quarterback purely out of formality. He’s going to go with whomever gives Florida the best chance to win.
For better or worse, Driskel is that guy.
Will Grier is not ready: On a related note, Grier is not the Gators’ savior at quarterback just yet.
The four-star freshman out of Davidson, N.C., enrolled early at Florida to get a head start on his college career. He needs it.
Grier definitely looks talented. The ball comes out of his hand easily, and he throws hard. But he has plenty to work on.
He has occasionally looked slow in the pocket, holding onto the ball for too long. For every deep, accurate pass he has thrown, there has also been a wild one that’s too far in front or behind a receiver.
As offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said to him during practice Saturday, “It ain’t damn Davidson.”
Jalen Tabor will be vital: Florida could have had the deepest, most talented secondary in the country this season.
Instead, unsurprisingly, juniors Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson decided to forgo their final seasons and enter the NFL Draft.
It’s impossible to blame them for their decision — not entering the draft could have cost them millions of dollars in the pros.
However, their departure leaves the Gators’ secondary a little green behind the ears.
Instead of two extraordinarily talented and experienced corners leading the unit, sophomore Vernon Hargreaves III is the projected top dog on the outside. Whoever comes after that has a big role to fill.
One of the top candidates to fill those shoes is early-enrolling freshman Jalen Tabor.
The five-star corner flipped from Arizona to Florida in January and enrolled in school shortly after.
Tabor has appeared inconsistent in the early going of spring football. He occasionally steps up to make a big play, but other times draws his coaches’ ire.
The Gators got lucky last season. Hargreaves making an immediate impact in the secondary was a luxury.
This season, Tabor carrying his weight looks like it will be a necessity.
Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @alichtenstein24
Jalen Tabor carries the ball during Florida’s second open practice on March 21 at Sanders Practice Fields.
