What I’m looking for in Gators Spring Game
by Bob Redman, aka “Hollywood Bob”
With the two teams announced Wednesday for Thursday night’s Florida spring game in the Swamp, the welcome surprise is that we should get to see the top offense versus the top defense and vice versa. While the staff has kept from really announcing the depth chart, what we have seen and heard about on the practice field is about how they are split up between the teams and it should create some nice action on the field.
But there are certain things that I personally will be looking for. This team has certain known quantities when it comes to quality players. While I want to see those do well and that’s what most fans really want to see, there are some that we have heard about this spring, but just haven’t had a real chance to watch and see what they can do. These are the guys I’m looking to see what they can do Thursday in The Swamp.
I have personally settled in on Anthony Richardson as the quarterback this fall. He just needs to stay healthy. So moving past that position, I really want to see the running backs and what they are capable of. All spring I have heard that Lorenzo Lingard is the strongest, fastest, and hardest worker of the group. I would really like to see him show up big against the first-team defense. I want to see Demarkcus Bowman and Montrell Johnson perform well too, but Lingard has my curiosity stoked.
Staying on the offensive side of the ball, there are a couple of receivers I will have my eyes on. Daejon Reynolds is a player we didn’t get a chance to see last year. He’s been a star in the slot this spring, at least that’s what my sources have said. I want to see him and also hope to see Marcus Burke who we saw make a couple of nice catches against South Carolina a year ago and nothing else. He’s supposed to be an athletic star.
On the offensive line, all eyes will be on right tackle and Michael Tarquin who is working with the first group. It was the big question heading into the spring and I have heard continuous good things about Tarquin all season. But in the second unit, I will be keeping my eyes on transfer linemen right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and right tackle Kamryn Waites as well as left tackle Austin Barber. Torrence will actually line up with the blue team which is most of the first team offense.
Defensively there are a few spots I will be looking for. Up front, it’s that defensive tackle spot next to Gervon Dexter that really has to be filled, but beyond that the Gators need backups to the two starters as well. I’m looking for any of these guys that can make plays at this point. I think the edge rushers are going to be good for Florida so while I want them to perform well, I think that will happen.
The next spot for me to look is at inside linebacker. A group of horrible tacklers last year, especially when Ventrell Miller went down with injury, the inside linebackers were said to have picked things up in a big way this spring according to sources. Names like Derrick Wingo, Diwun Black, and Scooby Williams are guys we haven’t seen at all and it will be good to see how well they perform.
On the back end, Jason Marshall and Avery Helm have supposedly nailed down the starting roles, at least for the spring. The biggest thing for me is to see how the guys behind them are doing. I want to see Devin Moore, Jordan Young, Ethan Pouncey, and Jalen Kimber. I want to see them make plays.
I have said the same thing about the safety group all spring. They have a bunch of athletes back there and a number of them could start. More than anything, I want to see communication in this group. That has been the biggest downfall of the defense in genera over the last few years. The best communicators will likely be the guys that get on the field in the fall.