Gator Football Practice Observed By Newcomer: A Different Energy
Which players had the dings, who looked promising and what QB DJ Lagway did.
By ALLEN BARNEY
The sun was not the only thing blazing at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as the team bounced around in individual drills with an energy that appears different in comparison to recent years. Saturday was the first open practice for media and fans to see the 2025 edition of the Gators football team.
Here are my observations from the 23-minute open period to the media:
- The team started off with a full group stretch where George Gumbs Jr. led a portion, including the breakdown before players dispersed into position drills. DJ Lagway (sporting a compression sleeve on his left leg) did not take part in the group portion of stretching but did his own stationery stretching that was closely watched by the training staff.
- During individual drills, Lagway did throw passes to various players, including a beautiful deep ball to Eugene Wilson III. The sophomore quarterback seemed to have the same zip on his throws that everyone is so excited about.
- True Freshman Tramell Jones Jr looks the part of a future star SEC quarterback and has the same zip or velocity on his throws that is seen from Lagway. The development of the Jacksonville native will be crucial because he will not be able to depend on physical talent alone.
- Freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson looks physically ready, and his route running/natural instincts were crisp during the open portion. Lagway connected with Wilson on a stop route.
- Defensively, the biggest surprise was seeing junior cornerback Aaron Gates fully participating in the practice and did not have a brace or sleeve on the knee in which he suffered a torn ACL last November. Redshirt freshman Jamroc Grimsley did have a knee brace on as he continues to work his way back from injury.
- The most notable non-participant was junior cornerback Dijon Johnson, The Tampa native dressed out but did not have pads or a helmet on. He was wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg and appeared to have a positive attitude in his interactions with teammates and coaches.
- A group of NFL teams (Raiders, Texans, Cowboys, Broncos, Patriots and Rams) sent scouts to the open practice and chatted with defensive line coach Gerald Chatman during the stretching period and the early portion of individual drills. Speculation would lead to believe that they were discussing senior defensive tackle Caleb Banks. The group of scouts gave some attention to other position groups such as safety and wide receiver.
- Other players that dressed but did not participate in stretching or drills included Kahleil Jackson and Muizz Tounkara. Players seen with a black non-contact jersey but participated included Grayson “Pup” Howard, TJ Dice, Enoch Wangoy, Treyaun Webb, Michai Boireau and Grimsley.
-
Great intel of the players and actions that they were involved in !
Keep up the good work Allen and Go Gators !
We are unable to printout the entire article
Well done on your reporting, Allen, and welcome to GatorBait! I would guess those NFL scouts asked Coach Chatman about Tyreak Sapp, too. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve had a pair of seniors, and both 5th year guys, on our defensive front their caliber. With the encouraging reports elsewhere on Devin Moore as well as the positives about Aaron Gates the vibe is even higher.