Will Muschamp spoke to the media this morning in advance of Florida's final week of fall camp. Things sound mostly hunky-dory to me.
Important takeaways:
- Muschamp says that freshman DT Thomas Holley will redshirt after surgery to treat a labral tear in his hip — one that followed a sports hernia in high school. Holley wasn't ever really healthy this fall, and wasn't likely to be part of the defensive tackle rotation, so it's no huge loss for him to redshirt and get healthy, especially because he's more raw than most of Florida's defensive linemen. As season-ending injuries go — it counts — it's blessedly minor.
- Trenton Brown (foot contusion), David Sharpe (high ankle sprain) and Marcus Maye (hamstring) are expected back Tuesday, next week, and next week, respectively.
- Florida's backup quarterbacks are taking "two steps forward and one step back," but there's no separation. (No word on how many steps back from Will Grier and Treon Harris one has to take to find Skyler Mornhinweg's positioning.)
- Three days after calling depth on the offensive and defensive lines a "huge issue," Muschamp says Florida doesn't have a depth issue on the lines, just a "depth doesn't have experience issue." a) Which is it? b) Just kidding, it's a depth issue.
- Still, Muschamp sounds pretty laudatory of the defensive line, which seems fair. It's an improving unit that should have a lot of depth if most of its players play well.
- Florida can get its three best receivers on the field by playing Ahmad Fulwood and Demarcus Robinson out wide and putting Quinton Dunbar in the slot, according to Muschamp. (Personally, I'd be curious to see Robinson in the slot with those three on the field, but it's likely coaches trust Dunbar far more with the slot route tree.) Imagine Florida going four wide with those three and Jake McGee? It's a sea change from past possibilities in the passing game.
- Matt Jones and Brandon Powell are "natural pass-catchers," which is good, because running backs catching the ball is a "huge part" of Kurt Roper's offense. (Duke running backs combined for 34 catches last year, but that was down significantly from 54 in 2012.) And it's also good because any running back Muschamp didn't mention probably has hands of stone.
Add whatever else you care about in the comments? (#Sorry4GatorVision)