In Spring A Young Man's Fancy Turns To Football

“In the spring a young man’s fancy turns to love.” Tennyson wrote that in 1835. Two things are quite obvious here: (1) Football hadn’t been invented yet; and (2) Tennyson wasn’t from the south. Otherwise he would have known that spring in the south means that thing the guys and girls in shorts do with that round ball is charging toward a finish line punctuated by the song “One Shining Moment” and the third most important sport of all – football in the fall is most important followed by recruiting season which runs from December until the first Wednesday in February. With the exception of Kentucky, where the fans know that basketball wasn’t invented but modernized, the third most important sport is spring football practice.

It is upon us once again. Florida’s football players have gone through the identity program, presumably none of them needing Norton 360 with Lifelock to ensure their identity wasn’t stolen, and since they know who they are – do you? – they can now move on to spring practice. This is Florida’s first spring practice under Billy Napier. It is 15 days of practices in which the Gators have the opportunity to get on-the-job training from their new head coach and the all-star staff of assistants he’s brought to Gainesville with the sole intent of restoring Florida football to championship level greatness.

It has been 13 years since the Gators won a championship. Sure, they won two SEC East Division championships during the Clarabelle the Quarterbacking Dog Era, which some refer to as the Jim McElwain Error, and they got a COVID year East title for Dan Mullen, recently seen doing hot yoga on Instagram and living large on buyout money. Division championships are nice, but until you are man enough, big and bad enough to stick it to the man in the straw hat up in The Tusks Are Loosa, you’re just a wannabe.

That is Napier’s task. To stop the Gators from doing their fabulous Brando impersonations – “I coulda been a contenda!” – and instead of contending, actually win a championship that earns the respect of both the Florida fan base but recruits all over the state, the south and country who will decide that being a Gator is where it’s actually at.

Why is it that the Florida Gators, who from 1990-2009 won more games (202) than any team in the country now trail Alabama by 55 games in the win column from 2010-21? From 1990-2009, the Gators won eight Southeastern Conference and three national championships. They regularly landed recruiting classes that ranked among the top five or six nationally and when the NFL drafted, there were always plenty of Gators hearing their names called. Zook recruited well but lost five games every year. Meyer was a lights out recruiter but he couldn’t recruit and maintain his health.

You can’t blame Napier that Florida’s recruiting class isn’t top ten this year – it’s 16th – and you can bet the farm the Gators won’t fall outside the top ten ever again as long as he’s the head coach at UF. It’s not his fault that only three Gators will get drafted this year while Georgia and Alabama may each have a dozen or more. He will change the level of talent on the Florida roster, whether it’s with high school kids or using the transfer portal, but do know this – Billy Napier will elevate Florida’s talent to a level we haven’t seen in years.

I have a theory about why UF is trying to exorcise the ghost of Spurrier, and understand this, it’s not about making people forget Spurrier, but eliminating the awful and undeserved comparisons, hence the ghost. This is something similar to what happened at Alabama, Oklahoma and Georgia and what is going on continually at Nebraska. It’s called the Exorcising the Ghost Of theory. Alabama went through six coaches with only a pocket of success before the Ghost of Bear Bryant was exorcised with the hire of Nick Saban. Oklahoma has had to exorcise two ghosts – Bud Wilkinson and Barry Switzer – and now that Lincoln Riley has bolted for Southern Cal, OU will have to exorcise the ghost of Bobby Stoops. Georgia went 41 years between national championships so it’s safe to say that Kirby Smart has finally exorcised the ghost of Vince Dooley.

Nebraska? They’re still trying to find the next Tom Osborne. They’re on their fifth (Scott Frost) since Dr. Tom retired. They fired Frank Solich, whose 58-19 record wasn’t good enough. They fired Bo Pelini who never won fewer than nine games and had 67 wins in seven years.

At Florida, we’re still trying to exorcise the ghost of Steve Spurrier, and it isn’t easy. Spurrier went 122-27-1, won at least nine games every year, won a national title (1996) and six SEC championships, and had the Gators in the national championship conversation all but a couple of years. Ron Zook tried but couldn’t get it done. Urban Meyer won two national championships and two SEC titles in his first five years but then came the meltdown, an 8-5 season and a one-year self-imposed exile before he left for Ohio State.

Since then Will Muschamp, McElwain and Mullen have tried without success to restore Florida to the greatness achieved during Spurrier’s 12 years on the job. Now it’s Billy Napier’s turn and this feels different than the five coaches who have come and gone since Spurrier shocked the world by retiring after the 2001 season.

Napier has taken organization and focus to unseen levels in just three months. He brought in a coaching staff that several publications say is the most impressive of any new head coach in the country. He promised “an army” of analysts and support people. More than 70 have been hired and he’s still hiring. He has a new stand-alone football facility that is nearing completion that will give him a boost on the recruiting trail as well closing the gap with Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and others when it comes to training and development.

Napier has broken the calendar year into eight phases. Spring football is the third and an extension of the identity program, which was an intense month of getting stronger, getting tougher and developing the kind of discipline Napier expects. Starting Tuesday, all the lessons learned during the identity program will spill over to the practice field. Napier has 15 practices to grill into his team exactly what to expect when they reconvene in August.

Understand this, Billy Napier didn’t come to Florida to lose, so expectations for this team are already shoot for the stars high.

Here is a look at the roster that takes the field on Tuesday. Please note that freshmen who are not already enrolled are not included.

QUARTERBACKS (5)

Emory Jones (6-2, 201, RJR); Anthony Richardson (6-4, 237, SO); Jack Miller III (6-3, 215, SO/Transfer from Ohio State); Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (6-2, 228, RFR); Jalen Kitna (6-4, 205, RFR) The skinny: Emory Jones hasn’t transferred. Will he? What happens if he lights it up this spring? What happens if Anthony Richardson stays healthy and adapts to the offense immediately? He’s got the great body, the speed and he has a rocket launcher for an arm. Jack Miller III didn’t come to Florida to sit. Big time arm talent. Del Rio-Wilson and Kitna can throw. Well enough to challenge? Does anyone transfer out?

RUNNING BACKS (4) NayQuan Wright (5-9, 201, JR); Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 205, RJR); Demarkcus Bowman (5-10, 183, SO); Montrell Johnson (5-11, 210, SO/Transfer from Louisiana)

The skinny: Wright broke his leg in the FSU game. Does he take any contact this spring? Lingard and Bowman are former 5-star guys who finally will get their chance to show what they can do. Montrell Johnson ran for 838 yards and 12 TDs playing for Napier at Louisiana. Napier likes 3-headed monsters at running back. This is a position of strength. Will there be a transfer?

WIDE RECEIVERS (8) Jordan Pouncey (6-1, 210, RSR); Justin Shorter (6-5, 228, SR); Trent Whittemore (6-4, 210, RSO); Ja’Markis Weston (6-3, 216, RSO); Xzavier Henderson (6-3, 193, SO); Ja’Quavion Fraziars (6-3, 212, SO); Marcus Burke (6-4, 183, RFR); Daejon Reynolds (6-2, 208, RFR) The skinny: From all accounts, Justin Shorter had a great offseason and is ready to be the stud receiver everyone thought he would be when he was 5-star in high school. He was open all last year and didn’t get the ball nearly enough. Who complements him? That’s the real question. Shorter, Trent Whittemore and Xzavier Henderson have seniority. Will the younger guys step up and command playing time?

TIGHT ENDS (4)

Keon Zipperer (6-3, 234, JR); Jonathan Odom (6-5, 245, RFR); Gage Wilcox (6-4, 241, RFR); Nick Elksnis (6-6, 232, RFR) The skinny: Zipperer has the best resume of the tight ends, but he’s never really stood out. Elksnis is an athletic freak who has tremendous potential. How much does Napier use a tight end in his offense?

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (13)

Richard Gouraige (6-5, 310, RJR); O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 335, JR/Transfer from Louisiana); Ethan White (6-5, 334, JR); Kingsley Eguakun (6-4, 305, RSO); Josh Braun (6-6, 357, SO); Michael Tarquin (6-5, 301, RSO); Riley Simonds (6-3, 301, RSO); Will Harrod (6-5, 333, RSO); Richie Leonard (6-2, 315, SO); Austin Barber (6-6, 311, RFR); Yousef Mugharbil (6-4, 311, RFR); Jake Slaughter (6-5, 302, RFR); Kamryn Waites (6-8, 358, RFR/Transfer from Louisiana) The skinny: By all accounts, look for this to be the most improved position group on the team. Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, Josh Braun and Michael Tarquin have starting experience but the two that have everybody’s attention are Louisiana transfers O’Cyrus Torrence and Kamryn Waites. Torrence is going to start. Where is the question. He was first recruited as a right tackle, but moved inside at Louisiana. Will he play outside? Waites has monstrous size. If his feet move with any lateral quickness he could be a beast at tackle. New coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton have gotten rave reviews so far.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (12) Griffin McDowell (6-4, 283, RJR); Dante Zanders (6-5, 261, RJR); Gervon Dexter (6-6, 313, SO); Princely Umanmeielen (6-4, 259, SO); Jaelin Humphries (6-3, 330, RSO); Desmond Watson (6-5, 415, SO), Jalen Lee (6-2, 305, SO), Lamar Goods (6-2, 351, RFR); Justus Boone (6-4, 245, RFR); Chris Thomas Jr. (6-5, 309, RFR); Tyreak Sapp (6-2, 264, RFR); Chris McClellan (6-3, 305, FR) The skinny: This is the position that has everyone holding their collective breaths. The Gators lost four experienced and large defensive tackles. Gervon Dexter is the only tackle with real experience. This is a position that probably gets help from the transfer portal.

LINEBACKERS/EDGE (10)

Ventrell Miller (6-1, 228, RSR); Amari Burney (6-2, 236, RSR); Brenton Cox Jr. (6-4, 253, RJR); David Reese (6-2, 236, RJR); Diwun Black (6-3, 221, JR); Lloyd Summerall III (6-5, 236, RSO); Derek Wingo (6-1, 225, SO); Antuan Powell (6-2, 245, RFR); Chief Borders (6-4, 232, RFR); Scooby Williams (6-2, 232, RFR) The skinny: Ventrell Miller coming back for a super senior season was huge. He’s that tackling machine in the middle who plugs holes and puts people on the ground. A lot of folks think that if Brenton Cox Jr. stays healthy he will dominate. Diwun Black has a ton of potential that needs to show itself on the field. Derek Wingo, Antuan Powell and Scooby Williams have lots of speed and mobility. Miller, Cox and Amari Burney are likely starters. The fourth starter and depth have to be dealt with.

SECONDARY (18)

Trey Dean III (6-3, 201, RSR); Jadarrius Perkins (6-1, 182, JR); Jaydon Hill (6-0, 193, RSO); Avery Helm (6-1, 174, SO); Jason Marshall Jr. (6-0, 192, SO); Rashad Torrence II (6-0, 197, SO); Tre’Vez Johnson (5-11, 192, SO); Kamar Wilcoxson (6-1, 183, SO); Donovan McMillon (6-1, 200, SO); Mordecai McDaniel (6-1, 194, SO); Fenley Graham Jr. (5-9, 166, SO); Ethan Pouncey (6-1, 166, SO); Jordan Young (6-0, 188, RFR); Corey Collier Jr. (6-1, 179, RFR); Dakota Mitchell (5-11, 171, RFR); Jalen Kimber (6-0, 170, RFR/Transfer from Georgia); Kamari Wilson (6-0, 201, FR); Devin Moore (6-2, 190, FR) The skinny: There is no lack of talent and there is certainly depth out the wazzoo. Add to this mix co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who will coach the safeties, and corners coach Corey Raymond, who but the DB in DBU at LSU and the Gators will be better coached than they have in years. Trey Dean III is getting raves for his offseason work ethic and leadership. Jadarrius Perkins, Rashad Torrence II and Jason Marshall Jr. are likely day one starters. Will they still be starting after 15 practices. Freshmen Kamari Wilson and Devin Moore along with Georgia transfer Jalen Kimber add talent and speed. This group will be vastly improved. It needs to be.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

Long snappers (2): Marco Ortiz (6-4, 235, RJR); Rocco Underwood (6-3, 227, RFR)

Punter (1): Jeremy Crawshaw (6-4, 188, SO) The skinny: Crawshaw has the big leg to be one of the best in the country.

This is the most eagerly anticipated spring practice since 2006 when Tim Tebow, Reggie Nelson and Brandon Spikes enrolled early to supplement a veteran returning cast. Billy Napier inherits a lot of experience. Can he bend it and shape it into what he’s looking for? His success at Louisiana tells us he knows what he’s doing and how to build a successful football program. He may be the latest one to chase the ghost of Spurrier, but he might be poised to be the long- term answer who can actually live up to the hype and make Florida a championship football program once again. It’s not going to be an easy task, but every great football team has to start somewhere. Spring practice is the next starting point as Billy Napier re-shapes the Florida football program into one after his own image.