There’s no doubt that the Florida Gators are very talented on offense. Coach Jim McElwain and his staff have done a tremendous job on getting ultra talented player on offense and defense. In Mac’s first year at Florida, he signed offensive weapons like Martez Ivey, Antonio Callaway, Tyler Jordan and Jordan Scarlett. All of those guys have seen early playing time and are some of Florida’s top players. In Mac’s first full recruiting class, Jim McElwain signed Feleipe Franks, Tyrie Cleveland, Lamical Perine, Jawaan Taylor, Josh Hammond and others. It’s clear that Mac has an eye for talent but when you look at the scoreboard, Florida’s offense has yet to produce.
One of the main reasons Florida has struggled on offense is due to the unproductive play at the quarterback position. Will Grier looked to be the real deal for UF but he got in trouble and bailed out. Treon Harris was awful to watch as well as Luke Del Rio once he got injured. With all of Coach Muschamp’s QB out of the picture, the favorite for the starting QB job seems to be Feleipe Franks. Feleipe Franks is the highest rated QB recruit Coach Jim McElwain landed at Florida.
Feleipe Franks was a four-star Army All-American QB out of Wakulla County High School in Crawfordville, Florida. Before he signed with Florida, Franks was a LSU commit until he flipped to Florida about a month before he signed. Franks was a highly recruited quarterback has he received offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. Feleipe Franks enrolled early at the University of Florida with three-star QB out of Texas Kyle Trask. Both of them would redshirt their freshman year as they had a lot work to do before they stepped on the field.
Whether Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask or somebody else is the starting quarterback for the Florida Gators, they are going to have some talented offensive weapons to work with them.
The Florida Gators are deep and talented at wide receiver. Antonio Callaway is the primary receiver for the Florida Gator as he is one of the veterans and best playmakers on the team. Callaway just wrapped up his first spring football and the word out of camp is that he has elevated his game to the next level. He is faster and added a lot of strength. One thing that is getting the Florida coaching staff excited is that his hands have improved substantially. In the past, he has dropped some easy catches but the spring seems to be fixing that issue. Antonio Callaway is expected to leave early and enter the 2018 NFL Draft as one of the top receivers in the class.
Another elite receiver Florida has is Tyrie Cleveland. Cleveland has the size, speed, strength and hands to be one of the top receivers in the nation. He was disappointed in his freshman season because of his off the field issue and the hamstring injury. Now healthy and staying out of trouble, Tyrie Cleveland is focused on becoming a better receiver and leader. If Cleveland can take pressure off Callaway, Florida will have two top tier wide receivers. Others wide receivers that could have big years are Josh Hammond, Brandon Powell, Dre Massey, Freddie Swain and James Robinson. Josh Hammond is the younger brother of former Florida Gators and NFL WR Frankie Hammond Jr. Josh Hammond didn’t see the field a lot as a freshman last season but looked strong in the spring and played well in the spring game. Brandon Powell is the only Coach Muschamp receiver left. He has the potential to be a dangerous receiver for the Gators. He has great speed, solid hands and nice playmaking ability.
Dre Massey has a lot of potential and hype around him since last season. Dre Massey was a four-star JUCO transfer that got a lot of hype for his playmaking ability and explosive speed. Unfortunately, Dre Massey didn’t last long in 2016 as he tore his ACL in the first game of the season. He still isn’t 100% but the medical staff believes that Dre Massey will be ready for their season opener against Michigan on September 2nd.
Freddie Swain had a nice freshman season as he scored a two touchdowns on eight catches. He was four-star WR coming out of high school that had a knack for getting in the end zone. He missed spring ball due to an injury but he should be ready to go for the summer. The youngest receiver in the group will be James Robinson as he is still in high school. James Robinson was four-star Under All-American WR that wowed fans with his size, strength and speed. Robinson stands at 6’4-6’5 and looks like a NFL receiver. If James Robinson can come into Florida and learn the playbook quickly, we are talking about a wide receiver that can make a huge impact as a true freshman.
Besides the wide receivers, Florida is pretty loaded at running back. They’ll have Jordan Scarlett returning for his junior season and the ability to be one of the top running backs in the SEC. Lamical Perine has high hopes for himself as he will be Florida’s first RB coming into the game when Scarlett needs a breather. Mark Thompson will need to fix his fumbling issues if he wants to see the field. The size, speed and strength is there to be one of the top running backs in the country but he hasn’t figured out how to put it all together. Last two backs are the incoming freshmen, Adarius Lemons and Malik Davis. Both were top running backs in the state of Florida. If one of them sees the field it will probably be Lemons assuming he learns the playbook quickly.
None of this will matter if the Gators don’t get strong play from the offensive line. Martez Ivey and Jawaan Taylor are the leaders on the offensive line. Ivey could be a first-round draft pick if he has a great junior season. Jawaan Taylor is coming off a Freshman All-American season as he looks to continue his great play from last season. T.J. McCoy will be the starting center for the Gators again. Not too long ago, McCoy and his girlfriend were struck by a drunk driver in his scooter. Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured and will be ready for the season. Tyler Jordan returns as the coaching staff would like to see him more aggressive and Brett Heggie looks like he has earned the starting left guard spot thanks to his aggressive play and push.
Whoever is the starting QB at the University of Florida, they will have a lot of talent surrounding him. It will probably Feleipe Franks as he is the most talented QB on the team and his teammates want him to be their leader. Once you have your teammate’s trust, you’re the guy. Everybody knows Franks has the big arm and the swagger but can that translate in a game? I guess we are all going to find out next fall.
