August 27, 2007
Mark Wheeler
GatorBait.net Assistant Editor
Even after watching practice and listening to the coaches, it can be hard to nail down exactly which of the true freshmen will forgo a red shirt season. A couple of years ago, despite being the No. 2 safety prospect in the nation on Rivals.com, Kyle Jackson reported to Florida undersized and needing badly to gain strength. Instead of red shirting as predicted, he went on to replace Cory Bailey as a starter with four games remaining in the season.
Who plays and who doesn't is determined as much by who else is at the position, as it is how prepared the freshman may or may not be. With that in mind GatorBait.net predicts which freshmen will suit up for the Gators this season.
Note: Players are listed alphabetically in each category
TIME TO SUIT UP: Ten freshmen who will play this year
Torrey Davis 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle
Some may have the impression that with Florida's lack of depth along the defensive line, by just showing up a freshman could earn a spot. While the situation isn't quite that drastic, the Gators are near desperate at the position. Though he isn't a starter, look for Davis to see enough action to warrant his foregoing a red shirt season.
Carlos Dunlap 6-foot-6, 285-pound defensive lineman
Physically he is as big as any player Florida has signed along the defensive line in recent memory. He moves well for his size, but don't look for him back returning kickoffs any time soon. His chances of playing are helped greatly by the fact that he can play inside or out.
Lorenzo Edwards 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker
One of the most pleasant surprises from this past signing class. He's bigger than just about every other linebacker on the roster not named Brandon Spikes. Moving from safety, he is of course well schooled in coverage. He could use some work on his technique when it comes to tackling.
Joe Haden 5-foot-10, 189-pound cornerback
Of the twenty-seven man class, he is one of two who could be on the field this weekend with the starting unit. Haden has moved ahead of a couple of more experienced corners and could start if Markihe Anderson is a no-go.
Chas Henry 6-foot-3, 180-pound punter
He has won the job as the starting punter. Enough said…
Aaron Hernandez 6-foot-2, 256-pound tight end
He hasn't been great this fall (at least from what we saw), but he's been solid enough to earn playing time this year. In high school he was more of a pass catcher, but he has improved enough (and is physical enough) to contribute as a blocker.
Maurkice Pouncey 6-foot-4, 311-pound offensive guard
It's never an ideal situation to throw an offensive lineman into the trench warfare that is Southeastern Conference football, but he has earned a spot on the two-deep depth chart.
Cameron Newton 6-foot-5, 243-pound quarterback
Newton won the backup quarterback job on the strength of a strong spring practice. With him sitting out the first week of open practices, we didn't have a chance to see him perform, but from the sound of it, he hasn't been quite as impressive over the last two weeks, but he's been solid enough to back-up Tim Tebow.
Chris Rainey 5-foot-9, 159-pound running back
He's not now, or likely ever going to be big enough to be an every down back in the SEC. He is however speedy, athletic and shifty enough to get 5-to-7 touches a game and is a good bet to break at least one or two of them for a pretty decent gain. The major area of improvement seen so far is that after experiencing some fumbling issues in high school, he has been hanging onto the ball at Florida.
Justin Trattou 6-foot-4, 252-pound defensive end
While the play of Edwards is considered one of the most pleasant surprise, it is Trattou that sits at the top of the list of surprises, if not complete shocks. Big, quick and a motor that never stops running. He should see plenty of action this year.
Major Wright 6-foot-1, 202-pound safety
We'll withhold judgment for now on his coverage skills, but the guy can definitely hit. We could see him mostly on special teams coverage, but we will see him this year on the field.
THE NEXT BEST BETS: Whether or not these seven see action may depend on others
Ahmad Black 5-foot-9, 177-pound cornerbackIf Anderson, Pierre-Louis, Haden, Rickerson and Manson ahead of him, if they stay healthy does Florida really want to burn a red shirt season on a player who this many players ahead of him?
Brandon Hicks 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker
Yes Florida has depth issues at linebacker, but if the injury bug doesn't hit the position and with Stamper being a guy who can play any of the three positions, outside of special teams how much can he really contribute at his size?
Jaye Howard 6-foot-5, 238-pound defensive end
After the first week he might have been the pick right behind Trattou as a player who was definitely ready to step in and play this season. Like others in this group, while he may be ready for spot duty, if that's all he's asked to do, wouldn't it be better to let him take a red shirt season?
Jerimy Finch 6-foot-1, 203-pound weak side linebacker
The move from safety to weak side linebacker means he has to learn an whole new position. With his speed and hitting ability though he could see action on special teams.
Duke Lemmens 6-foot-5, 238-pound defensive end
I know Meyer has singled him out twice in a week as someone who is ready to play, but sometimes Meyer uses the media to send messages such as propping up some kids, or motivating others. We'll see if that is the case here.
Michael Pouncey 6-foot-4, 313-pound offensive lineman
Yes Meyer said within the last week that he was lining up as the second team center. But does anyone believe that if there was a conference game being played this Saturday that a true freshman would be in there snapping the ball and basically captaining the offensive line? This is another case of a player performing well, but do you waste a year on what could only amount to spot duty?
Bryan Waggener 6-foot-5, 228-pound quarterback
Tough call here. He's listed as the fourth string quarterback, but for all intents and purposes, if everyone is healthy Brantley is red shirting making Waggener the third string QB. On one hand you don't want to red shirt a JUCO with the young talent UF has on hand at the position, on the other when is he going to see the field?
ON THE BUBBLE: These four are more likely to take a red shirt season
John Brantley 6-foot-3, 195-pound quarterback
Taking the names and number off the jersey and forgetting about who has done what to this point, Brantley has actually played well enough to push for the starting position - if not win it outright. However, since he wasn't in Gainesville for spring ball, he will take a year to gain weight and learn the offense. If someone goes down ahead of him though, he could get thrown into the fire.
Moses Jenkins 6-foot-3, 175-pound cornerback
The same situation as Black, but Black is one category ahead of him based on being here for spring practice. Jenkins is tall, physical and has advanced coverage skills considering a couple of months ago he was still in south Florida.
Deonte Thompson 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver
He was impressive during the open practices. His speed was a given, the fact that he caught the ball as well as he did was a surprise. Receiver is perhaps the most stacked position on the roster and catching the ball isn't the only thing UF receivers are asked to do - there's a certain amount of blocking as well. It is probably a coin flip whether or not he plays this season.
James Wilson 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive guard
Huge, strong, physical and at one point incredibly mobile for his size. His injury probably set him back enough to put him far enough behind the learning curve to put him this far down the list. By this time next year he could be an established starter, but why put his knee through the riggers of SEC play this year?
WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR: These four need a year to adjust
John Brown 6-foot-2, 288-pound defensive tackle
After missing Summer B conditioning and workouts, he was already behind the rest of the incoming linemen. Sitting out this week or so (assuming he is eventually cleared) hasn't helped matters.
Steven Wilks 6-foot-2, 195-pound linebacker
He isn't lacking in drive, that's for sure, but he does need to put on some weight and learn his position before he makes any sort of contribution.
Bo Williams 6-foot-1, 203-pound running back
By the looks of it, Bo knows injuries. After sitting out the entire spring, he has been limited again so far this fall.
Paul Wilson 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver
While he has shown a dramatic improvement since the spring both in catching the ball and in becoming more physical, he still is behind the others at his position.