Showing posts with label Derek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derek. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2013

A lack of production from the tight end position

Want to understand why Florida is struggling so much at the tight end position? Let me give you two reasons:




Of course, Leonard dug his own grave at Florida. If he keeps his nose clean, he's a major contributor on a team competing for a SEC crown. Although his numbers are not particularly impressive so far this season, keep in mind he did lead his team in receiving at Tennessee State a year ago with 51 receptions for 733 yards and six touchdowns.

Christian, on the other hand, is an unforced error on the part of the Florida staff. He should be a senior starter at tight end – a guy who could also line up at H-Back and fullback for the Gators as well.

This topic has been addressed previously in a post regarding the tight end position. Clay Burton is a solid contributor at the position. There's no reason he can't be a No. 2 or No. 3 tight end at a place like Florida. But he should not be a primary target in the passing game. The two guys who are no longer on the roster could have been, and that's the reason we've seen such a drop-off in production from the unit in light of Jordan Reed's decision to go pro.

Quite simply, the Gators have to get better at tight end moving forward. C'yontai Lewis appears as if he could be a good start towards improving the talent level at the position. But he's only the beginning. Florida has to go out and find some other guys in the 2014 and/or 2015 classes who can come in and allow the Gators to get more production out of this unit in the passing game. Period.
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Sunday, September 15, 2013

Recruiting News & Notes, 9/15

– First, to update this Thursday night post, which dealt with Florida's recruiting efforts during the Bye week. Here are a few more notes on where the UF coaches visited on Friday:

Head coach Will Muschamp clearly went where he felt needed the most, and that was to check in with top-ranked defensive end Lorenzo Carter as Norcross took on North Gwinnett in a highly-anticipated battle between a pair of five-star prospects in Carter and North Gwinnett junior offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt. The match-up reported lived up to expectations.


Durkin, if you remember, had checked in with five-star LB Raekwon McMillan the night before in Hinesville, Ga.

Meanwhile, receivers coach Joker Phillips has not given up on the highly-touted receiver duo of Artavis Scott (2014, Clemson commitment) and George Campbell (2015, Michigan commitment) at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, despite the fact both players have already given pledges to other schools.


Running backs coach Brian White was in attendance as Alabama commitment Bo Scarbrough rolled up a four-score, 299-yard performance as the IMG Academy posted a 43-24 victory over Cardinal Newman. Of course, the Gators were also present for Travis Rudolph, who played well in a losing effort.


Louisiana ace Derek Lewis was able to pull double-duty, as he was present for a pair of highly-anticipated tussles in St. Augustine-Edna Karr and John Curtis-St. Thomas Aquinas.


Prospects Lewis got to evaluate in-person included RB Leonard Fournette (St. Augustine), WR Speedy Noil and DL Gerald Willis (Edna Karr), LB Kenny Young (John Curtis) and DL Anthony Moten (St. Thomas Aquinas.) Of course, all of those guys (except for Young) have offers already, so it was more about having a Florida presence at the games than anything else at this point.

Other prospects Florida reportedly checked in with this week include QB commit Will Grier (Davidson, N.C.), CB pledge Chris Lammons (Plantation) and defensive line target Davon Godchaux (Plaquemine, La.)

– Even on a bye week, there's not enough time for the coaching staff to shake hands with every target and commitment remaining on the list. But one player for whom Florida reportedly made no effort to see last week is offensive tackle David Sharpe (Jacksonville Providence.) This one stands out, considering many analysts regard Sharpe as the top remaining prospect on the board. Perhaps we'll find out later this week that a coach did, in fact, stop by the high school. But if nothing else, UF was at least represented at his game by a couple of current players:


Considering how well Washington seemed to recruit for Florida last year, maybe it was a good move to send him in lieu of a coach to Sharpe's game.

– Big week upcoming for the Gators, as the Florida-Tennessee is shaping up to be one of two major recruiting weekends for UF (with the final game against Florida State being the other.) Look for a post later in the week previewing some of the big names expected for the SEC opener in the Swamp.
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Friday, August 30, 2013

College football is back!

If the 2013 season as a whole lives up to the precedent set by the opening night of college football, we're all in for a real treat.

South Carolina-North Carolina was the marquee match-up of the night, and it provided the predictable blandness we've come to expect from this program as we've so often seen in recent years when the Gamecocks open the schedule with a Thursday night primetime game on ESPN. Thankfully other games provided all the fireworks the audience was craving.

Ole Miss-Vandy was a barnburner. While Robert Nkemdiche was perhaps a slight disappointment in his debut (just as fellow former No. 1 prospect Jadeveon Clowney was in Columbia on the same night), the game lived up to its billing as a match-up of two SEC programs on the rise. Jordan Matthews continues to cement his reputation as perhaps the best receiver in the conference. I'm also curious to see how James Franklin rallies the team in light of that gut-wrenching loss to start the season, not to mention the cloud that continues to hang over his program in light of off-field issues that have sullied the program's good name.

The Rebels still figure to drop at least 3-4 games this fall, but Hugh Freeze appears to be building something special in Oxford. This stat that popped up on Twitter seems to bode well for Ole Miss, in the aftermath of their 39-35 triumph in Nashville last night.




Utah-Utah State also provided some high drama out west around the same time Ole Miss-Vandy was reaching its dramatic conclusion. The Utes held on for a 30-26 win. It will be interesting to see if the Aggies can continue their level of play in the post Gary Andersen-era. I'm sure these numbers were of no consolation to Utah State fans as they exited Rice-Eccles Stadium:




But perhaps the most curious finish of the night took place in the San Joaquin Valley, as Fresno State and Rutgers put together an epic display of offense. Derek Carr's heroics led the Bulldogs back from a seven-point deficit with less than a minute to play as the senior completed 52-of-73 passes on the night for 456 yards and 5 touchdowns. After matching the Bulldogs with a touchdown in overtime, Kyle Flood made the decision to go for two. The play call was eerily reminiscent of another famous try for two points. Like Osborne's failed attempt in the 1984 Orange Bowl, Rutgers wasn't able to convert and Fresno State survived with the victory.

In the little bit of the game I watched, I was impressed with Derek Carr. Early draft projections have him as a mid-round guy, but I think he's got the game to go much higher than that. He may not have the same howitzer for an arm that his brother did, but he's got a similar frame and an excellent feel for the game. Precise accuracy on intermediate throws too. I always thought David Carr got a bit of a raw deal in the pro ranks, going to an awful Houston expansion franchise that couldn't keep him upright in the pocket with any consistency.

Of course, he's made about $50 million in career earnings, so it hasn't all been bad. And he still has a primo gig backing up Eli Manning. Still, I can't help but wonder if he would have developed into a top-line starter had he entered the league to some different circumstances than he did. Perhaps Derek will fair better, and with his performance on Thursday night, I'd say he has a chance to rise as high as the second quarterback taken in the NFL Draft. He's not getting past Teddy Bridgewater at this point, of course.
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