Notebook: Day 1 of Florida Gators Spring Camp 2022
Photo: Billy Napier and quarterbacks Anthony Richardson, Jack Miller III and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Billy Napier's first spring camp as the Florida Gators head coach kicked off on Tuesday, and unlike years past under former head coach Dan Mullen, media was permitted inside UF's practice facility to observe the action.
Players were in helmets but no other pads to begin the month of camp, although they will add shoulder and lower-body pads as practice goes on.
Below, you can find AllGators' takeaways from the open portion of Tuesday's practice. It is worth noting that media is allowed to view practice for roughly 15 minutes near the beginning of each workout.
Anthony Richardson partakes in practice
A welcome surprise on the first day of camp, quarterback Anthony Richardson had his helmet on and participated in practice following a knee surgery that ended his 2021 season before the Gators' Gasparilla Bowl appearance.
In the open portion of practice, Richardson was with the group of quarterbacks and working on swing passes with the group of running backs under the instruction of Napier, who will be the Gators' primary quarterbacks coach in addition to his head coaching and offensive play-caller duties.
It was originally reported in December that Richardson's procedure could leave the quarterback on the sidelines once spring practice got underway. It is unknown if Richardson is allowed to participate in team drills at this time as media does not have access to that portion of camp, but from what could be seen on Tuesday, Richardson at least appears to be ahead of schedule.
Several players in no-contact jerseys
Five scholarship players were seen in no-contact jerseys in Tuesday's practice, and from AllGators' observations, two players that wore no-contact jerseys who worked through drills hail from the cornerback position in redshirt junior Jaydon Hill as well as redshirt sophomore and recent Georgia transfer Jalen Kimber.
In addition, true freshman safety Kamari Wilson, redshirt junior wide receiver Trent Whittemore and redshirt junior running back Nay'Quan Wright entered the facility with no-contact jerseys on. That being said, AllGators did not see those three players in their respective position drills.
Hill and Kimber were seen participating in cornerback individual drills despite being in no-contact jerseys, but similar to the quarterback observation above, team drills were not open to media and it remains to be seen if the two players are allowed to take part in that part of the workout.
Hill missed the entirety of the 2021 season while recovering from an ACL tear, suffered in fall camp before the campaign began. Kimber, meanwhile, missed Georgia's entire National Championship-winning season as well following an offseason shoulder surgery last summer.
Once the two are at full health, both Hill and Kimber are expected to push for a starting role at cornerback opposite of sophomore Jason Marshall Jr. Redshirt sophomore Avery Helm will be in the mix for the gig, as well.
As for Wright, he suffered a brutal lower-body injury against Florida State at the end of the 2021 campaign.
Are any position changes in store?
At least one position change or at least a cross-training is happening with redshirt sophomore Fenley Graham, who was seen at practice today working out with the rest of the Florida receivers. Graham, 5-foot-9, 166 pounds came out of high school as a burner, able to use his speed as what was believed to be as a return specialist and member of the secondary.
Instead, at least under the previous coaching staff, Graham didn’t quite get the opportunity except for one time during the final game of the season against the UCF Knights. For Graham, a position switch isn’t unordinary, he has speed and an ability to make players miss, using him as a receiver when he can actually get on the field and do just that, is a positive.
Florida is currently stocked with bigger receivers, including 6-foot-5, 228-pound receiver Justin Shorter, 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver Trent Whittemore and 6-foot-3, 193-pound receiver Xzavier Henderson. Adding a player that is smaller into the mix with some quickness, speed and agility would be a good change of pace for the Florida offense moving forward.
Graham might not be the only Florida player to at least cross-train on either side of the football, too, though there weren’t any other glaring examples observed at today’s practice - the media are allowed just 15 minutes of viewing time - it is worth noting that the staff isn’t scared about figuring out where a player may fit moving forward.
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