Transfer Tapes: Evaluating Florida Gators Running Back Lorenzo Lingard

Gators running back Lorenzo Lingard will play his first season in orange and blue in 2020. What is Florida getting from the former 5-star?

Things don't always go as planned. 

For Florida running back Lorenzo Lingard, he knows that all too well. 

A five-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting class, the former Miami Hurricane committed to UM on Feb. 9, 2017. But after a torn MCL and sprained ACL in practice, the Orange City, Florida, prospect's college career turned south. 

After suffering the injury just three games into his freshman season, he would only play one more game in a Miami uniform. When he returned for the Virginia Tech game this past season, Lingard sparingly played on special teams. So, he chose to sit out the rest of the season and redshirt. 

Now, Lingard is a Gator. With obvious hopes to return to the flashes of talent that showed why he was so highly recruited, what could UF get out of him? 

Lingard has a fluid, aesthetically-pleasing running style. He is incredibly natural at finding space and he makes huge gains look easy because of it. Long-time Gator fans, strictly in terms of style of runner, think Percy Harvin. 

Watch this 64-yard run from Lingard his freshman season. 

Now watch Harvin's 52-yard run against Oklahoma in the National Championship game. 

Both guys show a field vision that goes beyond what can be coached. That ability to run where defenders aren't means that if the offensive line can get him to that second level, big plays can ensue. 

Additionally, Lingard has a second gear he reaches in the open field that is rare. Another uncoachable quality, if his left knee is truly ready to go, this type of cut-and-go run can change games for coach Dan Mullen's offense. 

In this highlight package from his high school days, watch the middle linebacker on the very first run in the video. He has no chance to stop himself and force a tackle. Lingard times it up perfectly, plants his left foot in the dirt and gets up the field quickly. 

Then? A track meet. And Lingard beats everybody to the finish line called the end zone. 

While it was only through three games, Lingard had an outstanding 17 carries for 136 yards (eight yards per carry) for two touchdowns before his injury in 2018. The 202-pound back can be a nice change of pace to starter Dameon Pierce's power style. 

Lingard does most of his damage in the open field. With an offensive line that should be much improved, if that unit can get Lingard in one-on-one matchups with linebackers and safeties, he can add an element to Mullen's offense that it hasn't yet seen. 

When he enrolled early at Miami before his freshman season, he reportedly clocked in an astonishing 4.27 40-yard dash time. That type of speed is similar to what Mullen had as UF's offensive coordinator in the mid-2000's. 

If the knee is fully healthy and the offensive takes a step forward in run-blocking this season, runs like this could be in store.