Gators HC Dan Mullen Talks Early Enrollees, Desmond Watson's Measurables
With the Florida Gators set to take part in early spring football practices today, head coach Dan Mullen has been making the rounds, discussing all things Gators football, including the incoming freshmen that have since enrolled at the university a bit early, ready to take part in the action.
Mullen made sure to mention most if not all of his early enrollee players but keyed in on two in particular in big-men Christhopher Thomas Jr. and Desmond Watson.
Thomas Jr., one of the team's offers and commitments for the '21 class, hails from Dunbar HS in Ft. Myers (Fla). The Gators will want to continue developing him, but physically, he is nearly a finished product as one of the largest humans in football, period.
Here is a snippet of Thomas' profile via Sports Illustrated All-American:
Bottom Line: Thomas is a massive defensive lineman, with significant growth potential going forward. Powerful enough to contribute early in Gainesville, but his best days are ahead of him with additional weight and technique. Likely multi-year starter who should get a look from NFL based on physical profile alone.
Watson, the big man out of Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) is one of the most physically imposing players among the 2021 signing class for Florida. He fills a large void on the Florida defensive line after the team lost two defensive tackles to the 2021 NFL Draft in Marlon Dunlap Jr. and Kyree Campbell.
One of the men, Watson, came into camp at 440 pounds, a staggering number. While the big man can certainly play lighter than his weight on the gridiron, Mullen made sure to mention that he will be hitting the weights, working with one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the nation in Nick Savage.
“Chris came in at 6-7 ½, I think a little over 300 pounds,” Mullen said via The Gainesville Sun. “Big Des is working with Coach (Nick) Savage getting in shape right now. He checked in at 6-5, 440, which thankfully we have the equipment to even weigh him right there up at 440. But he’s gotta lose, you know, probably about a 12- or 13-year-old right now."
According to Mullen, that would mean Watson needs to drop around 65 pounds to get into an ideal weight for the team. Even at 375 pounds, that would make Watson the biggest man on the team, surpassing guard Stewart Reese at 350 pounds, a giant.
Prior to noting all of the young secondary players that will be coming in this year, Mullen made mention of two players in linebacker Chief Borders and defensive end Justus Boone.
“Chief Borders comes in, a great athlete with a lot of flexibility at different positions on defense," said Mullen. "We also got Justus Boone, who’s an electric defensive end on the outside."
Both Borders and Boone are players Florida will want to get up to speed quickly, and while they may not make too much of an impact in Year 1, they will likely become key players to look forward to down the line.
Spring football will officially kick off today in Gainesville, and with the early enrollees and the new players coming via the transfer portal, Florida is in for a treat as far as development further down the line.
