Football Preview 2015 17
Ponte Vedra Recorder · August 27, 2015
Photos by UAA Photographer Tim Casey
Either redshirt freshman Will Grier No. 7 or sophomore Treon Harris No. 3 will take the snap on the
first play of the Gators’ season opener against New Mexico State on Sept. 5.
Last season the Gators were 7-5 (4-4, SEC) and beat ECU 28-20 in the Birmingham Bowl. Florida
opens the season Sept. 5 at home against New Mexico State.
McElwain era begins in Gainesville
Gators open at home
against New Mexico State
Mike Bonts
Special to the Recorder
Jim McElwain, the only first-year
head football coach in the Southeastern
Conference (SEC) this season, comes to
the Florida Gators after three years at
Colorado State.
The Rams won 10 games last year, the
most they’ve won since 2002.
The new coach is very familiar with
the SEC. McElwain is a former Alabama
offensive coordinator and went on to
win a pair of national titles with the
Crimson Tide in 2009 and 2011. He has
his work cut out for him in reviving the
once powerful Florida offense.
Florida ranked 12th or worse in total
offense in the 14-team SEC each of the
last three years. The Gators’ haven’t
averaged more than 186 passing yards
per game in a season since 2009. Florida
hasn’t had a first- or second-team AllAmerican offensive player since that
same year.
“I think part of the experience of
being in this conference is realizing it
doesn’t happen just overnight,” McElwain said. “It’s something that we know.
And yet every time we go to work every
day, every time we wake up, our respon-
sibility is to try to go out there and win.
Last season the Gators were 7-5
(4-4, SEC) and beat ECU 28-20 in the
Birmingham Bowl. Florida opens the
season Sept. 5 at home against New
Mexico State.
“We’ve got a ways to go, and yet there
are some good things in place. Coach
(Will) Muschamp and his staff did some
really good things, obviously setting the
table, and we need to just pick up from
that and move forward.”
A young offense line will try and open
up holes for junior running back Kelvin
Taylor. The son of former Florida and
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred
Taylor has 1,073 career rushing yards, 10
TDs on his career 4.7 yards per carry.
The receiving corps continues to
make strides in fall camp while the
battle at QB continues. Treon Harris and
Will Grier are competing to become the
starting quarterback.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke
Del Rio, who transferred from Oregon
State and joined the team as a walk-on
over the summer, has petitioned the
NCAA to be declared eligible to play this
season. Del Ro is son of former Jacksonville Jaguars and current Oakland Raiders head coach, Jack Del Rio,
Known as an offensive minded
coach, Jim McElwain replaced Will
Muschamp, whose Gators never
finished higher than 90th nationally
in total offense in his four seasons in
Gainesville.
The QBs must improve on last season’s 52.2 percent completion rate.
“It’s a learning curve — a steep one
right now for them,” said offensive
coordinator Doug Nussmeier. “They
weren’t under center last year, so where
we’re starting. Talking about getting in a
stance, proper hand placement to take a
snap.”
The Gators’ defense is expected to be
solid while the offense finds a groove.
Florida’s defense ranked second in the
SEC and was tied for 11th in the FBS
with 30 takeaways last season with
seven returning starters.
Vernon Hargreaves III, maybe one
the nation’s best cover corners. He
registered 13 pass breakups and three
interceptions last season. Senior Brian
Poole led the Gators with four interceptions. Junior safeties Marcus Maye and
Keanu Neal combined for 107 tackles
and four picks.
Maye is one of three players that will
be suspended for the opener including
defensive end Alex McCalister and wide
receiver Latroy Pittman.
“I am really impressed with the
amount of talent they’ve collected at
the position,” McElwain has said of
the depth he inherits in the secondary. “Those guys are really good
players.”
The team’s indoor practice facility
could be completed as early as this
week. McElwain said the Gators should
be able to get some work in the building
leading up to the opening game.