One Florida Gators Position Battle Still Undecided Heading into Week 2

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Last week, Florida Gators on SI detailed three position battles to keep an eye on in the Florida Gators' season opener against Long Island: backup quarterback, No. 3 running back and punt returner.

Two have been decided.

True freshmen Tramell Jones Jr. and Vernell Brown III have seemingly locked up the backup quarterback and punt returner spots, as seen in the 55-0 win over the Sharks, leaving just one position battle left in the third running back spot behind Jadan Baugh and Ja'Kobi Jackson.

Head coach Billy Napier on Wednesday detailed the battle to Florida Gators on SI as No. 13 Florida is set to host USF for Week 2.

"It definitely continues. KD (Daniels) and Duke (Clark) both have had good weeks this week. Both had good days (Wednesday)," Napier said. "I think they're both still young players relative to the amount of experience they've had on game day, but they've had a ton of practice reps. We need them to continue to take steps forward."

Florida Gators running back KD Daniels could make an impact in 2025 after redshirting last season. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Daniels, a redshirt freshman, took the first reps last Saturday, rushing for nine yards on four carries. Clark, a true freshman, had more success, though, with 19 yards on five carries. The two have separated themselves from true freshman Byron Louis, who didn't enroll until the summer, while redshirt sophomore Treyaun Webb still recovers from offseason hamstring surgery.

While his performance in the season opener left a lot to be desired, Daniels has the benefit of a redshirt season under his belt and in-game experience in last year's Gasparilla Bowl, where he rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Daniels also benefitted from a strong offseason.

"He's doing good. He's doing really good," Napier said during fall camp. "I think he's trusting his eyes. I think he's eye discipline's improving, his footwork is more consistent. I think the protection component, he's becoming more of a student of the game. I think he's doing a better job."

Meanwhile, Clark made significant gains both on and off the field in his first offseason with Florida, gaining 21 pounds between spring camp and fall camp, now weighing 211 pounds. His maturity, despite being a freshman, stood out to his teammates.

"I would say, his mentality and just his ability, like, how mature he is now," Jackson said during fall camp. "Like, from January to now, he's still a freshman, but, like, we wouldn't think he's a freshman. So just how he going day by day, every day in the facility and stuff and handling his business."

Florida Gators running back Duke Clark made significant gains both on and off the field heading into his first season. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida faces an interesting test on Saturday with USF, fresh off an upset of then-ranked Boise State, coming to town before taking on a tough slate with games at No. 3 LSU, at No. 5 Miami, at home against No. 7 Texas and a road trip to No. 19 Texas A&M over the next month.

With Saturday's contest being the last non-Power 4 game of the season and before three-straight games against top 10 teams, Florida will look to establish the third back sooner rather than later.

"At some point, we're going to be counting on those guys, right?" Napier said. "So it's one of the positions on our team where we need progress, knowing what's in front of us and the teams we'll play in the future. So they also will need to be a factor on special teams. That's a huge part of the puzzle, so we need those two guys to continue to develop."

Kickoff between the Gators and the Bulls inside the Swamp is at 4:15 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.

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