Andre Debose has disappeared.
He led the Gators in receiving yards last season, but has yet to catch a pass in 2012.
Most of his playing time has come in the return game, and even those reps decreased significantly against Kentucky. In Saturday’s 38-0 win, Debose sat out the entire first half.
“He just needs to practice better,” coach Will Muschamp said of Debose’s limited playing time. “If he practices better, he’ll play more.”
After halftime, Debose returned two punts for 8 yards. He muffed the first punt, marking his second straight game with a fumble.
Aside from 13 kick and punt returns through four games, Debose has been largely uninvolved in 2012.
When playing wideout, Debose has rarely been targeted.
Perhaps his most effective plays this season were misdirection routes on Trey Burton’s two touchdown runs against Tennessee on Sept. 15.
“That’s not him,” Driskel said on Sept. 10 of Debose’s limited looks in the passing game.
“He’s not the one throwing to himself. We have a bunch of playmakers. We’re trying to distribute the ball evenly. Obviously you have your progressions on each play. You don’t design them for certain people; you design them for certain routes. It’s not anything he’s done wrong.”
When Debose signed with Florida in 2009, he was the No. 2 wide receiver recruit in the nation.
At the time, former UF coach Urban Meyer compared Debose’s speed and style of play to former Gator and All-Pro NFL wide receiver Percy Harvin.
However, Debose and Harvin have not shared the same career trajectory.
Harvin scored 32 touchdowns and averaged 11.6 yards per touch running and catching the ball as a key player on two national championship teams.
Debose has underwhelmed with just five career starts at wide receiver in two-plus seasons.
One area in which Debose has excelled where Harvin did not is in the return game. Debose holds the school record for kickoff touchdown returns with three and has averaged 26.7 yards on 46 career kick returns.
However, unlike Harvin, Debose has struggled to consistently perform well at wide receiver.
He has averaged roughly one catch per contest during his college career.
But when Debose catches the ball, he makes an impact. In addition to leading the Gators in receiving yardage, he paced the Southeastern Conference with 27 yards per catch during the 2011 season. Each of his four career touchdowns has measured more than 63 yards, but all occurred in games decided by 22 points or more.
Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease have given Debose limited in-game opportunities to improve on his receiving numbers this season. The depth chart released before UF’s game against Kentucky listed Debose tied for second with true freshman Latroy Pittman behind Frankie Hammond Jr. at X receiver.
“There’s a key to every kid, and we’ve got to find that key to motivate any young man ... day in, day out, to consistently perform well, to consistently do it the right way,” Muschamp said. “Generally, your practice habits carry over to the game.”
Debose’s struggles to crack the lineup this season have been documented since Florida’s fall camp began in early August.
Four weeks into the season, Debose has yet to make a significant impact for the Gators.
Muschamp said Florida would focus on self-improvement during the bye week.
As far as Debose’s personal list of priorities was concerned, Muschamp was blunt.
“Effort as much as anything,” Muschamp said. “Just consistently doing it the right way. It’s consistently doing it the right way. Consistent effort.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Junior wide receiver Andre Debose returns a kick off against Tennessee at Kyle Field on Sept. 15, 2010. Debose was pushed into a window during a brawl Saturday night.
