2006 Florida Gator Football Preview, Part 1

It’s nearly the start of college football season, which means its officially time for the preview that all of you have been waiting for (note: “all of you” should be interpreted to mean “nobody”), the 2006 Florida Gator Football Preview. We’ve got an awful lot to get to in the next two posts so we might as well skip the lengthy introduction and get right into it. Today’s post will cover the offensive side of the ball with a defensive preview forthcoming in the next couple of days. I’ll break the preview down according to position group with each group featuring my pick for the potential breakout star (read: someone who has yet to make much, if any, impact during their UF career) of the group. Without further ado:

Offensive Line: Offensive was probably the best way to describe last year’s unit. Despite having four seniors in the starting lineup, this unit struggled to adapt to a new blocking scheme and offense and ended up shitting the collective bed to the tune of 32 QB sacks during the 2005 season. There’s no doubt that Chris Leak had a hand in that ungodly number, but the majority of the blame falls on an underachieving o-line.

The good news here is that all but one starter off the aforementioned line has since moved on. However, that also means the Gators will be breaking in four new starting lineman. The performance of last year’s unit combined with the relative inexperience of this year’s o-line has many pundits predicting a disaster in the trenches for the Gators this year. Personally, I’m expecting improvement over last year’s performance (I know that’s not saying much) by a group of lineman who are collectively more physically talented than last year’s group while also having the advantage of two years within the current offensive system. Injuries (Ronnie Wilson’s broken ankle, most notably) have slowed the cohesion of this unit during fall drills but the reviews are still mostly positive about this year’s collection of big uglies. While the entire line will be one of the keys to the Gators’ success this year, special attention will be focused on Phil Trautwein and Calrton Medder, a pair of tackles who will be making their first ever collegiate starts come Saturday.

Breakout player: Drew Miller. Miller was originally slated to play at right tackle until right guard Ronnie Wilson went down with a broken ankle. Miller started some games at guard last season but is best suited for the tackle position. A position to which he’s expected to return once Wilson (or stud freshman Marcus Gilbert) return from injury. Urban Meyer called Miller’s play at tackle “phenomenal” early in camp and has continued to state that Miller is, at once, the Gators’ most talented and versatile lineman.

Quarterback: The only position which seemed to absorb more criticism than the o-line last year. While there’s no doubt that Chris Leak struggled to adapt to Meyer’s spread option scheme last year, the criticism of his overall play struck me as a bit overzealous. For all his faults and seeming incompatibility with the scheme, Leak still ended the year with the third most passing TDs in the SEC (20) while only throwing six interceptions. Furthermore, Leak finished third in the SEC in passing efficiency while still leading Florida to a respectable 10-3 record that included wins over Tennessee, Georgia, FSU & Iowa.

Fast forward to 2006, Leak now has a year under his belt in the system as well as a second year with the same offensive coordinator for the first time since he arrived on campus in Gainesville. Meyer has commented that Leak is “100% more comfortable” this year. This comfort level is no doubt due in no small measure to Meyer and Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullen’s attempts at further tailoring this offense (they made some adjustments to the scheme prior to the UGA game that resulted in a much more efficient offense during the season’s second half) to Leak's strengths by cutting down on some of the zone reads and increasing the rollouts and bootlegs in this offense. Another byproduct of Leak’s increased comfort is a far more vocal leader under center than at any time during his Gator career. I expect Leak to be a vocal leader for this Gator team while also putting together his finest season in orange & blue, ultimately landing him on the SEC’s First Team.

Breakout player: Tim Tebow. By now, every one has seen, or heard about the player ESPN dubbed “The Chosen One”. Tebow seems tailor made for the spread option scheme run by Meyer and Mullen. His performance in the annual spring game even had some irrational Gator fans calling for him to be named the starter. Regardless of the physical gifts that Tebow possesses (Meyer called him “a gorilla playing QB”. Which is a compliment, I think) the fact remains, he is but an 18 year old freshman who needs time to adjust to the rigors of college life and the college game. Tebow will play (and play early) because he must gain experience in case of an injury to Leak. However, something must go terribly wrong for him to assume the starting duties before September 2007.

Running backs: Ahh yes, the position that Meyer’s called “trash” during spring. That wasn’t just hyperbole either. In fact, things got so bad during spring drills that Meyer installed former walk-on fullback Billy Latsko as the #1 tailback and commented that maybe the Gators would just go without a tailback come fall.

Was some of this meant to motivate an underachieving group of backs? Sure. Was some of this just Meyer’s honest assessment of the situation? Absolutely. While the backs have certainly improved since spring ( getting a healthy Kestahn Moore back definitely helped), it is still a position without a defined starter despite the fact that Florida opens against Southern Miss in just over 4 days. If I had to guess I’d say that Moore gets the start come Saturday. However, this position is far from decided.

Breakout player: Wow…slim pickings is the phrase that comes to mind here. I toyed with selecting Markus Manson here but his inability to stand up to a stiff breeze gives me pause. In the end I decided that DeShawn Wynn was the best choice here. While it may seem odd to choose a player who has been an off and on starter since his freshman year, it’s not a stretch to say that Wynn hasn’t been much of a contributor during his time at Florida, especially considering the hype with which he arrived. Other than his amazing (and unbelievably frustrating in retrospect) run against Miami as a freshman, there’s hasn’t been much worth talking about during Wynn’s career at Florida other than trips to the coach’s doghouse and various off-field transgressions. Meyer’s approach (read: ripping your ass) seems to have lit a fire under Wynn this past year. Wynn has responded to Meyer’s various challenges by dedicating himself to his off-season conditioning (which had formerly consisted of drinking, papal elections, and McChicken sandwiches) and playing with a new sense of purpose and toughness throughout fall camp, forcing even Meyer to praise Wynn’s newfound approach to football. Though I feel like I’m setting myself up for disappointment here, I’m going to predict that Wynn gets to (or very near) 1,000 yards this year. If he does, the Gators should ride him to Atlanta come December.

Tight Ends: Technically, Meyer’s offense doesn’t employ a tight end. However, Meyer found quickly last year that the presence of a big, agile player who could both block and catch passes over the middle wasn’t necessarily the worst thing that you could have in the SEC. After Meyer and Mullen tweaked the offense during the bye week before the Georgia game, the tight end reappeared within the Gator offense and actually became a nice weapon within Meyer’s spread option scheme. Tight ends within this scheme are more H-back than traditional tight end, lining up in the backfield, alongside tackle, or split wide.

Last year, Tate Casey saw the majority of the snaps at tight end and though he saw some success, he didn’t develop the way many had expected after a sterling finish to his freshman season. The athletic Casey has plenty of talent and seems to have added some weight to his lanky 6’6” frame but he’ll need to avoid the drops that plagued him last year if he wants to become an impact player with this offense.

Breakout player: Cornelius Ingram. This could very well be the breakout player for the entire Gator offense in 2006. The former member of the UF Basketball team is a converted QB who just made the switch to TE/WR during the spring despite never playing anything other than QB his entire life. Ingram is a fantastic athlete who starred at Hawthorne High (tiny, tiny town outside of Gainesville…some people still ride horses there, seriously) in both sports and briefly contemplated transferring before ultimately deciding to try the WR/TE position. Within days of spring practice opening, coaches and players alike were raving about the talent and potential of the 6’4” 225 lb redshirt sophomore. While his blocking needs improvement, the matchup problems presented by a man this size who also runs a 4.45 forty yard dash are too great to keep him off the field. Oh yeah, during the spring, Meyer commented (and has since repeated) thatIngram has the best hands/ball skills of anybody he’s coached since he was at Ohio State with some guy named Cris Carter. I don’t know much about Carter, but I seem to remember him having a decent NFL career. By mid-season I fully expect Ingram to be a major part of UF’s offense.

Wide Receivers: Easily the most talent laden group on this year’s offense. Despite the loss of second round pick Chad Jackson, this year’s unit possesses more talent and depth than any group at Florida since 2001, and possibly 1996.

After year’s of tantalizing Gator fans with his talent, Dallas Baker finally began to come into his own last year as he posted career bests of 52 receptions and 700 yards receiving. Perhaps more importantly, Baker showed newfound maturity by stepping up in the absence of fellow wideout Andre Caldwell and extraordinary toughness by playing two games with a broken rib and punctured lung. Baker finished the season on high note by claiming Outback Bowl MVP honors with 10 receptions for 147 yards and 2 TDs. At 6’3”, 207 lbs. Baker’s physicality should make him murder in the redzone as well as a valuable possession receiver.

After fracturing his femur against Tennessee early last season, many people wondered if Andre Caldwell would ever play again, much less regain the speed and strength that made him Meyer’s pick as the “difference maker” for the 2005 offense. However, Caldwell attacked his rehabilitation and returned to action this fall looking bigger and faster (he actually ran a faster 40 than last year, 4.29) than ever before. Both Caldwell and Baker have been nearly impossible to cover during fall drills and seem determined to leave their mark on the record books at a school that has seen it’s share of dominant receivers over the years. Rounding out the starting wide receivers is senior Jemalle Cornelius who seemed poised to grab the role vacated by Caldwell last year before a high ankle sprain against Kentucky limited his mobility for much of the year. Cornelius provides great speed and elusiveness in the slot and demonstrated a penchant for big catches late last year with his play against Vanderbilt and FSU. Look for Cornelius to post 35-40 catches and 6-700 yards receiving. One last note: Senior Kenneth Tooks has reportedly looked better than ever this fall and should challenge for a far larger role than he occupied last year.

Breakout player: Percy Harvin. The nation’s #1 wide receiver recruit last year has been receiving praise since the first day of fall camp from both players and coaches for his speed, elusiveness and attitude. He was the first freshman to have his “stripe removed” (signifying a freshman has officially become a Gator) and has continually dazzled observers with not only his ability but also his work ethic. Even Urban Meyer, who is known to be less than effusive in his praise of players, and especially freshman, has been constant in his praise for Harvin. While not yet slated to start, Harvin is not far away as he currently sits at #4 on the depth chart at wide receiver. I’d expect Harvin to play early and often with Meyer and Co. making a concerted effort to get him involed in the game plan through the use of screens, reverses, and options. Special mention of freshman Riley Cooper (6’4, 225, 4.4-40) who has flown up the depth chart and basically forced the staff to play him due to his unique combination of size, speed, and toughness.

Overall, I expect this year’s offense to be dramatically improved and put to rest the (absurd) notion that the spread offense cannot succeed within the SEC. If the o-line jells early and Leak can develop the confidence he lacked early last year, this Florida offense should be the best the Swamp has seen since the final days of SOS.

I’ll return on Thursday with my take on Florida’s defense and special teams.

(Note: Pictures will be included in the post soon. Blogger is not currently cooperating)