By: Brandon Kendrick

After coming off of a championship season last year, many sports analyst are predicting that the Gators will win another one this year. With the return of quarterback Tim Tebow and the entire defense, including defensive captain Brandon Spikes, the Florida Gators football team looks better than ever. Let’s take a look at this year’s spring roster.

Offense

Quarterback:
No problem here at quarterback. Tim Tebow will be anchoring the Gators offense for his final year. Urban Meyer may try using back-up John Brantley in the two quarterback system that he ran back in 2006.

Running Back/Fullback:
The Gators lost Kestahn Moore due to graduation but, with the return of speedsters Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and the powerful bruiser Emmanuel Moody, the Gators should have a top 10 ranked backfield once again. Fullbacks haven’t been used too much since the departure of Billy Latsko back in 2006. The players that will be battling for a starting job at fullback are:

42 Steven Wilks FB 6-1 230 RSO
48 Rick Burgess FB 6-1 230 SR
45 T.J. Pridemore FB 6-1 241 SO

Wide Receiver:

With the losses of Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, the Gators will be looking for replacements at the wide receiver position. Although there is plenty of depth, there is a lack of game experience between the receivers. Battling for starting spots and playing time are the following:

83 David Nelson WR 6-5 212 RSR
11 Riley Cooper WR 6-3 215 SR
16 Carl Moore WR 6-3 225 SR
22 Cade Holliday WR 5-11 194 RSR
39 Joey Sorrentino WR 5-7 175 RSR
7 Justin Williams WR 6-0 205 RJR
3 Brandon Frazier WR 6-3 216 RJR
6 Deonte Thompson WR 6-0 201 RSO
88 Paul Wilson WR 6-0 191 RSO
85 Frankie Hammond, Jr. WR 6-0 175 SO
82 Omarius Hines WR 6-0 204 RFR
18 T.J. Lawrence WR 6-1 196 RFR

Deonte Thompson, David Nelson, and Riley Cooper will most likely be the starters, considering the fact that they’re the most experienced and proven receivers on the team. It will be interesting to see the other receivers battle this spring.

Offensive Line:
The Pouncey twins will be the leaders of the offensive line. Florida lost three starters from last year but shouldn’t have a problem finding replacements. There is plenty of depth at this position. As planned, it will be excellent if Matt Patchan, James Wilson, and David Young develop.

Tight End:
There are only two scholarship tight ends on the roster, junior Aaron Hernandez and freshman Desmond Parks. The other tight end is a walk-on, Christopher Coleman. Urban Meyer’s spread offense can be ran with one tight end but the other tight ends still need to be able to contribute, especially if Hernandez gets injured or fatigued during a game. Coleman dressed for four games last season and only saw playing time against The Citadel. While working with the scout team last year, he showed that he does possess some receiving skills. Desmond Parks, a three star recruit, is an early freshman enrollee that has the speed and catching ability that the Gators look for in a tight end. He will definitely get a lot of reps this spring.

Defense


Defensive Line:
The Gators are pretty thin at defensive tackle. With the departures of Torrey Davis and John Brown, and the injury to Brandon Antwine, there’s not much depth and experience left after Lawrence Marsh. Troy Epps and Omar Hunter are both coming off of injuries and the new junior college transfer Edwin Herbert needs time to physically develop. Jaye Howard, who was recruited two years ago to play defensive end at UF, has grown into a full-time defensive tackle. He and Epps both had in-game experience last season. At defensive end, the Gators are set. The monster, Carlos Dunlap, and Jermaine Cunningham should both have exceptional years.

Linebacker:
This is one of the strongest positions on the Gators football team this year. There were no losses from last year. All of the linebackers return, including the leader, Brandon Spikes. The Gators are two deep at this position on the depth chart. The potential starters are Brandon Spikes(MLB), Ryan Stamper(OLB), and A.J. Jones or Dustin Doe(OLB). Expect Brandon Hicks to battle for a starting outside linebacker position as well.

Cornerback/Safety:
Joe Haden, Janoris Jenkins….enough said. These guys will be the starters once again this year. It’s a lot that’s expected from them this year. Haden is a third year starter and is a possible candidate for the All-American team. Jenkins had an excellent freshman year last season. The scary thing is, he only can get better from now on, as he is entering his sophomore year. The back-ups are very experienced. Wondy Pierre-Louis and Markihe Anderson have both been on the team for three years and have contributed to the team each year. Junior Moses Jenkins, redshirt freshman Jeremy Brown, and redshirt freshman Adrian Bushnell will compete for playing time this year, most likely on the special teams. At the safety position, the Gators are returning Ahmad Black, Major Wright, Will Hill, and Dorian Munroe. Black and Wright will most likely be the starters again. Hill, Munroe, and incoming prep school transfer, Dee Finley, will be battling for playing time.

Special Teams

Kicker/Punter:
Caleb Sturgis and Jonathan Phillips both returned from last year. Caleb Sturgis will most likely handle the kick-off duties while Jonathan Phillips will be the field goal kicker, the same as last year. Also coming back from last year’s team is the punter, Chas Henry. Last year, he averaged forty three yards per punt.

Kick Return/Punt Return:
Back deep for the Gators will be return specialist Brandon James. James is so fun to watch. He’s one of the best returners, if not the best returner in the NCAA. I dare any opposing team to kick it to Brandon James. Meyer might also throw speedsters Chris Rainey and/or Jeff Demps back there as well. Boy, oh boy!….one question, what teams will be able to stop the Gators special teams? The answer: NONE.