Offensive line continues to be a competition with Florida rotating its units and trying players out at different positions in order to find the best five to put out on the field. Ivey will be a sure-fire starter when he gets back healthy, while both sophomore
Fred Johnson and redshirt junior
Antonio Riles are expected to find spots, too.
Perhaps the biggest issue for the Gators as a whole is not who is going to start on what positions on offense but rather just practicing well as an entire team. At least, that’s what McElwain conveyed when he began his media availability.
“The overall attitude to come and attack each day the way that you need to I don’t think was there [on Wednesday], and the responsibility as players to understand that they’re playing at the University of Florida … part of that responsibility is to come to work and work your tail off in practice. I’m not sure we did,” he began. “Hopefully, [we’ll] see a little bit more energy as we attack each drill. That’s kind of what we’re looking for, because we do need to get a little bit better each day, there’s no doubt about it.”
Notes and bits:
»
McElwain on senior WR Ahmad Fulwood: “Ahmad is a guy that we are counting on stepping up, not only as a player but in a leadership role. I think he’s taken that and kind of running with it a little bit. I’ve been really impressed with how consistently he’s been catching the football. I’ve seen him actually go up and fight for a couple that are 50-50 balls. … [He’s] just playing with that aggressive nature. I hope to see that continue because he can be a big factor for us.”
»
McElwain on junior WR C.J. Worton: “He’s a talent young guy that’s got some really good ball skills. He’s got great timing; he can go up and get it. Consistency, attention to detail, understanding the importance of it’s not just walk out on the field but you’ve got to put some time into it to get better. He seems to have been doing that this offseason. He’s done some pretty good things this spring.”
»
McElwain on Johnson’s development: “He’s one of those guys that gets better every day. He’s relatively new to football. He didn’t play all the way through going up, so there’s a lot of discovery that still goes on with him. And yet, I love his competitive nature. That’s something that he really brings to that position. He wants to be good, and he’s got a real toughness to him. I’m excited to see how far he can go.”
»
McElwain on redshirt sophomore Thomas Holley, who shed weight to move from defensive tackle to defensive end due to a chronic hip injury: “He’s got a hip that’s like mine. He’s got something that only has so many more movements to it. For him to be able to take the weight off is huge for him just long range. He’s not out of the woodwork yet by any stretch of the imagination, but he wants to play so badly. This was the one opportunity that he kind of had was to slim down and see if he could sustain a little bit with that hip. I’m excited for him. … To see him out there, he’s a guy who can really help this football team. … His evolution, it’s like he’s a new guy. I’m sure he had to go adjust some of his clothes, there’s no doubt about it.”
Read more:
http://www.onlygators.com/03/20/2016/florida-gators-practice-update-offense-taking-steps-forward-after-rough-end-to-2015/#ixzz43YuThtRG
ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive