Florida Gators pin hopes on a thin line

Florida Gators pin hopes on a thin line

GAINESVILLE — As Florida prepares to break in an offensive line with four new starters, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier isn't yet worried about what plays he'll call as his unit gets comfortable.
The main thing's finding the players," Nussmeier said.

Thanks to a string of bad luck, even that has been a challenge.

The offensive line depth was so depleted in the spring that the Gators began practice with only seven players on scholarship. Of the eight offensive linemen they signed from 2011-13, only Trip Thurman and Cameron Dillard are still on the roster, leading to plenty of external concerns over how UF will protect whoever becomes the starting quarterback.

"I feel like everyone thinks that we're on the downside right now," sophomore lineman David Sharpe said. "I feel like we can really surprise a lot of people this year. This camp's going to tell a lot about the offense. I think we're all ready to get this thing turned around."

If that happens, UF will have to overcome a series of injuries that have led to so much attrition. Shoulder problems ended the careers of Tommy Jordan and Octavius Jackson. Tackle Roderick Johnson was expected to contribute this fall after starting three games last year, but the former Under Armour All-American retired in the spring because of a spinal cord condition.

Add in Jessamen Dunker, who transferred while under suspension over a grand theft arrest, and D.J. Humphries and Tyler Moore — who both left UF early for the NFL — and the Gators had to search for depth in the offseason. One of their coups was Mason Halter, a graduate transfer who started 33 games at Fordham.

"Obviously when they brought me here on a scholarship, they think I have the ability to play," said the 6-foot-6, 295-pound Halter. "I believe that, too."

Halter will be one of a handful of newcomers expected to contribute quickly. He has worked in fall practices at tackle, across the line from another major offseason acquisition, freshman Martez Ivey.

Ivey was the country's top offensive line recruit out of Apopka and chose UF over Auburn on signing day. He is already drawing rave reviews from his teammates.
Martez Ivey has stood out," Thurman said. "He's a guy that wants to learn, wants to know what he's doing and wants to be on the field."

Though much of the line is new, some returning players who have earned opportunities are plugging holes.

Dillard played four games last season and entered fall as the No. 1 center. Sharpe spent time at left tackle last fall as a freshman and has impressed teammates and coaches with the rare athleticism he displays with a 6-6, 355 frame.

"I believe that he is starting to really develop into a really good football player," Nussmeier said. "Each and every day he does something a little better than he did the day before."

The Gators will build their line around Thurman, who is back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him during the spring.

He started 10 games at left guard last season — the only starts among UF's returning linemen — and coach Jim McElwain expects him to learn center and tackle, too, on a line where versatility is key.

McElwain said he hopes to start with eight players who can rotate and swing positions.

"Obviously, by saying that, the sheer number, you're looking at at least three of the new guys, maybe four, being part of that eight," McElwain said. "… It's really about how they adapt and how they learn."