Three Position Groups with the Most to Prove in Florida’s Spring Game

In the Florida Gators' final action of the spring on Saturday, the revamped roster under new head coach Jon Sumrall will make its debut in front of the Florida faithful for the annual Orange and Blue game, which kicks off at noon inside the Swamp.

Heading into the summer, these three position groups, outside of the quarterback position, will have the most to prove during the final scrimmage as Sumrall and staff continue to evaluate the roster ahead of year one with the program.

Offensive Line

Probably the biggest question mark after a month of spring camp, the Gators' reloaded offensive line unit could ease some pressure on Saturday with a strong performance.

Both Sumrall and position coach Phil Trautwein mentioned a hope for a clear starting five to emerge amongst a large group of talented depth, while the depth chart has been very fluid as the coaching staff looks for the best-working combinations.

"We're mixing and matching the O-line groupings," Sumrall said. "I'm not at peace with where we are there, but we'll figure that out."

Noise has begun to grow around names such as transfers TJ Shanahan and Emeka Ugorji, along with redshirt freshman TJ Dice Jr., while the extended group of unproven talent will have the scrimmage as a chance to answer some questions that have grown after spring practices.

"We need guys to step up. Just because they were a starter last year does not mean they're a starter this year. That's kind of my mindset," Trautwein said. "I'm gonna do everything I can for the University of Florida and to build this offensive line."

Tight Ends

Evan Chieca (85) and Lacota Dippre (17) are two of the three incoming transfers in Florida's tight end room. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Highlighted by former elite recruit Amir Jackson along with a bevy of transfer additions, the Gators' tight end group has been somewhat quiet this spring.

Jackson, Georgia Tech transfer Luke Harping and James Madison transfer Lacota Dippre all seem in position for serious playing time in the new year, yet none have seemingly made much separation, making the unit still somewhat unknown heading into Saturday. That being said, Sumrall said each has their own strengths.

"Amir's really kind of a pleasant surprise. We all know he's got length and can run. He's a willing player at the line of scrimmage, blocking people," Sumrall said. "That's where he's got to grow, but he didn't turn it down at all. Lacota [Dippre] is super physical and wants to play with toughness. [Evan] Chieca is really sort of a versatile, can do a lot of things well. It's, like, continue to just build upon his game. [Luke] Harpring is probably currently just the best all-around. Him and Chieca are both kind of similar, but I think I'd say Harp is probably a little bit ahead right now."

With enough offensive talent in other units to minimize tight end snaps with creative formations, the scrimmage will be an important one for one or more of Jackson, Harping and Dippre to make plays and draw more attention to the unit.

“We have a long ways to go, I think this time, this phase, this spring phase, it’s about the fundamentals more than anything," position coach Evan McKissack said. "I think there are some good things as far as execution but consistency is everything. You are starting to find out what guys can do and we obviously got to try to push the envelope in what guys can do more of, especially at the tight end position.”

Defensive Line

Gerald Chatman’s defensive line unit has arguably seen the biggest boost in confidence this spring, while the group will look to validate the very loud positive buzz around it with a strong performance on Saturday.

Headlined by exciting flashes from former five-star LJ McCray, standout junior Brendan Bett and second-year Jeramiah McCloud, the defensive trenches now have a chance to be one of the
more promising position groups on the field after entering camp with some serious question marks.

Sumrall even went as far as saying it was the position group that has been his biggest surprise.

"D-line is one that I didn't know if I felt like we were good enough to play winning football in the league. I think we can," he said. "How's that look? We still have to figure out the rotations and the patterns and the sub-packages and groupings, but that's one I feel better about."

Watch out for those listed above, along with Baylor transfer DK Kalu, to make plays on Saturday and officially quiet any worries around the unit, with plenty of opportunity to prove the positive buzz right heading into the summer.

“I've seen a lot of different guys step up and be active and make plays," Sumrall said. "I think there's a lot of different types of play styles in there, you know, and different body types. There's good length, there's good athletic movement. There's also good size."