Florida football defensive linemen tussle during drills
Florida defensive linemen Joey Slackman (97) and Caleb Banks (88) tangle during practice three of fall camp on Friday.
Florida football held its third practice of fall camp Friday at the Sanders Practice Fields.
In all, the Florida Gators will hold 17 practices over a 22-day stretch in camp to prepare for their season opener on Aug. 31 against Miami. The Gators and Hurricanes will square off for the first time since Florida beat Miami 24-20 to open the 2019 season in Orlando.
Florida sophomore wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, one of 14 returning starters on offense and defense for the Gators, said UF has entered the first week of fall drills with a mature mindset.
“The chemistry, all that, it’s a different confidence, it’s a different standard,” Wilson said. “It’s just we hold each other accountable. It’s most definitely a player-led team.”
Even after a storm earlier in the day, Florida chose to practice on a wet field, preparing for elements that the Gators could see during the course of the season.
Here are three takeaways from the 15-minute open portion of practice on Friday:
Officials present as Florida football ramps up physicality in practice
With officials present for the first time, Florida ramped up the physicality somewhat on day three of practice. Defensive linemen went head-to-head on contract drills, with Penn transfer defensive tackle Joey Slackman and returning starting defensive lineman Caleb Banks engaging in a spirited tussle.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Slackman is winning teammates over with his leadership and work ethic.
“The plays he makes, he’s very smooth,” Florida cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. said. “I mean I don’t know much about D-line – I just see him moving and stuff, he looks good.”
DL Jermari Lyons back for Florida football, OT Fletcher Westphal still out
Defensive lineman Jermari Lyons was back taking part in contact drills after sitting out Thursday. Freshman offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal, meanwhile, was in a non-contact jersey for the third straight practice.
Running back Cam Carroll also is back taking part in drills after sitting out the spring and the 2023 season after suffering a torn ACL a year ago. A Tulane transfer, the 6-foot, 230-pound Carroll caught a few passes out of the backfield on Friday.
Passing drills continue for Florida football
Passing drills continued with mixed results. With a wet ball, there were a handful of wide receiver drops. Returning starting wide receiver Kahleil Jackson made a nice over-the-shoulder, catch and sophomore speedster Aidan Mizell continued his consistent camp, catching balls in stride.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66b255db074244cdbacc2fa9aaf94269&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Ffootball%2F2024%2F08%2F02%2Fthree-takeaways-from-florida-football-third-practice-of-fall-camp%2F74551024007%2F&c=16341511237499053784&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-06 05:54:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
