Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Instant Analysis: Keeping up with the Joneses
- O&B Board: Post Game Press Conference
- O&B Board: Live from the Swamp
- O&B Game Box Score
- Initial Impression: Transfers
- Initial Impression: Freshmen
- Take Five: Spring Preview
- Projected Starting Lineup: Pre-Spring
- Pre-Spring Ranking of Florida position-by-position
- Grading the Gators: New Additions
- Tulane player goes in-depth on Sumrall
JON SUMRALL
Opening Statement…
“I thought the pace was good. Defense started fast, offense finished the half strong. Certain guys flashed. I thought [Senior Safety] DJ Coleman’s interception was a really nice play. A couple interceptions were tips, not really completely on the quarterback. It was almost behind the receiver, so it probably could have been in a better location. I think we got out of it fairly healthy. [Sophomore Defensive Lineman Jeramiah] McCloud started the game and had a little boo-boo, but nothing major. Nothing that will be long-term. I think everybody else was pretty clean, good work. The model we did, it’s not going to end 3-0 because there’s going to be points on every drive. Whether the defense gets points or the offense gets points, I want it to be competitive. We did it that way too so we could see different [offensive line] combinations. I wanted to see [Redshirt Junior Offensive Lineman] Bryce Lovett play some tackle and some guard. I wanted to see [Redshirt Sophomore Offensive Lineman] Eagan Boyer play left and right tackle. And the secondary, I wanted to see the same thing. I wanted to see [Redshirt Junior Center back] Cormani [McClain] with the ones and the twos and see how he would respond. Same thing with [Redshirt Freshman Center back] Ben Hanks [III] and all those guys. Moving a lot of pieces around. The secondary and the [offensive line] is the reason we did the format. I think we got a lot better this spring. We have a long way to go, but [I am] pleased with the work we got today. Great turnout, grateful for our fans. [We had] awesome energy in the stadium. I don’t know who went to church last night and prayed for the weather but thank you for that. That was a Chamber of Commerce day weather-wise. Beautiful day for football.”
On the quarterbacks’ performances today…
“[Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver Micah Mays Jr.] made some big-time plays. When you get the whole picture of the offense around them settled, that makes it easier to play quarterback. So, right now with the [offensive line] being in such flux of moving a lot of guys around, there’s not as much continuity. Both guys have done some good things. That room has done good things as a whole. I will sit down with all of those guys on Monday and have a really transparent conversation about after about 15 practices, this is where we are. I’ll talk to them about if we had to play a game next week, this is what it would probably look like. I won’t make an announcement because we don’t play a game next week…I think our players earned honest conversations. I’ll meet with all 111 [players] this week and I’ll talk through where [they] were, where [they] are, and where [they] need to go next to continue to grow and develop. So, nothing is decided yet. I do think sometimes we can almost make too much about the quarterback deal when we got to figure out who our [offensive line] is, which tight ends can do what, which backs are certain types of runners. But, the quarterbacks have done some good things.”
On what he thought about Aaron Philo’s interceptions and performance as a whole…
“I thought one of his balls was a little bit behind, and got tipped. The other one (interception), was a great play. We want him to take some shots. We can’t turn the ball over and expect to win, but at the same time can’t play passive. He has protected the football pretty well throughout the spring. Today wasn’t what the normal has been. He has operated at a very high level. All of the guys have. So, he will be fine…”
On what his message is to the team now that spring is done and heading into the fall…
“We break the year into four phases. Phase two is spring ball and now we’re done. Now we enter towards a little bit of a discretionary period. The weightlifting is more on their own for a couple weeks. I told our team this week that I will learn a lot about this football team in the couple weeks ahead that are discretionary by how we work, and what kind of shape that we are in when you return to team activity. Our nutritionist, Jake Sankal, does a phenomenal job. Jake has met with our staff and accessed every player on our roster. All of them, except three, have had muscle gain and weight loss, on our entire roster. There’s a couple guys who haven’t, but they are going to hear about it… So I am going to learn a lot about who we are then. Really, as you go through the spring, you are trying to figure out what certain guys do well, install all of these systems and work through communication.
The thing that I have voiced is, I would love to go out and have a free-agency period and fix a couple more spots than we have fixed right now. And it’s not really available to me. We just have to continue to develop the guys that we got. No one is going to annoy the starter tomorrow or Monday. They are not going to get told “Hey! Here is where we are,” if they like that, they need to continue to build upon that. If it’s not, here is what you need to do to change it… So, there is still a long way to go.”
On if he noticed how well of a day some of the transfers had today…
“We have 50 new players and 30 transfers. When you get 30 transfers, you are not going to get 30 starters. I would love to, but that is just not realistic. So certain guys have certain roles. What we want to see is, as we shift towards the season, everyone has to know their role, embrace their role, and be a star in your role. If you do that, then your role grows. It is nice to see certain transfer guys make plays and elevate towards a level that we thought. Certain guys flashed, but others had to do more.”
BUSTER FAULKNER
BRAD WHITE
Courtesy GatorVision | Alyssa Britton-Harr and Jordyn Banks contributed to this report
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