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- Updated Fall Football Roster
- Take Five: Fall Preview
- Post-Spring Ranking of Florida position-by-position
- Tulane player goes in-depth on Sumrall
Florida head coach Jon Sumrall addressed the media Monday morning to discuss the results of what was an ongoing battle for the starting quarterback position, an injury update, and what he saw during Saturday’s second scrimmage of the fall.
PHILO NAMED STARTING QUARTERBACK
Sumrall previously had stated that he wasn’t planning on a big announcement regarding the quarterback battle between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr., even once saying that “It may be five minutes before the game before anybody finds out.” He completely changed course on Monday. He stated “We are preparing for him [Aaron Philo] to be the starter week one.” Sumrall then spoke on Philo winning the job, mentioning that the offense would be more efficient with him in the starting position. Sumrall also made sure to compliment Jones Jr., stating that he was “fired up” about him and he has improved a lot.
INJURY REPORT
As he has done throughout fall camp, Sumrall opened his press conference with an injury report. Wide receiver Dallas Wilson was withheld from Saturday’s scrimmage. Wilson had “a little bit of a head cold, fever-type thing. Nothing major. He was back at practice today,” Sumrall said. He also added that defensive lineman Jeramiah McCloud had the “same symptoms” and missed practice today. Tight end Evan Chieca and offensive lineman Jason Zandamela were both back at practice today. Sumrall described defensive lineman DK Kalu as one of two guys with “significant limitations from practice”, saying that he was still coming off an “ankle boo-boo.”
OFFENSIVE LINE
The offensive line has been a big question mark throughout the offseason and fall camp. Sumrall held an upbeat opinion about the room this morning, stating that Saturday’s scrimmage was “Their best football since I’ve been here.” He was very complimentary of veteran lineman Bryce Lovett, saying that he was one of the best players on the first drive of the scrimmage. The expected starting line as of right now is “him [Bryce Lovett] at left tackle, Knijeah [Harris] at guard, Harrison Moore center, TJ Shanahan Jr., Emeka [Ugorji] at right tackle,” Sumrall said. He also mentioned that TJ Dice, Eagan Boyer, and Caden Jones, are “still very much alive” at tackle.
FIVE-FOR-FIVE
It has been complete pandemonium lately regarding eligibility among all college sports. Sumrall was asked for his thoughts regarding the latest ruling where a Louisiana judge permitted players currently in NFL training camps to return to college for their fifth season. He said that “I’m for the five-for-five… What I really struggle with is the rules are changing so daily… we need to have some continuity and consistency across the board.” There are no current plans for any additions or changes to the roster; “We have our football team here,” Sumrall said. He also mentioned that he wasn’t opposed to the idea. “Look, I added Jake Retzlaff on July 27th, so I’m not holier-than-thou, acting like I’m not going to add a player,” Sumrall said. He is focused on what is better for the team moving forward, saying that “If it’s best for Florida football for us to add a player, we’ll add a player.”
MOVING INTO NEXT WEEK
Sumrall said Monday morning that training camp was officially over. The team will be entering what he referred to as a ‘Mock game week.’ This is something that Sumrall has done in the past, and he believes will better prepare the team for week one. “What we do is go through the entire week like we’re in a game, and the practices look identical the whole week. Saturday we will do a mock game… It’s not like a scrimmage… It’s like helmets, spider pads, and it’s all the crazy situations that can come up in a football game.” He added, “It’s a run-through, and it’ll be carded. Hey, the center’s helmet comes off; well, now you have to bring another center in, and how do we do that? Who do we move over in? How to take a safety if you need to in a certain game…” This is meant to prepare the team for any odd situation that may come their way during a game.
The Gators are 12 days away from kickoff. They will face Florida Atlantic at 7:45 pm on September 5th.
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