Biggest Winners From Florida Gators Spring Game

Eight top performers and four honorable mentions, not including Anthony Richardson, from the Florida Gators' spring game.

Photo: Diwun Black; Credit: Alex Shepherd 

The Orange and Blue game presented new head coach Billy Napier, his coaching staff, fans and media alike with an opportunity to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Florida Gators roster as it stands.

The Gators, as Napier has often said this spring, are in dire need of quality and experienced depth across the roster. That being said, a handful of young and unproven players made the most of their reps in the scrimmage, along with some transfers and players contributing at new positions.

Due to their strong performances on Thursday night, AllGators has compiled a list of the eight biggest winners from the game as well as four honorable mentions — players who stood out enough that their roles should be locked in for the upcoming season, or at least, the path to playing time is now much clearer.

Anyone that watched or followed the spring game understands that quarterback Anthony Richardson put up a stellar performance, therefore, we've focused on players other than Richardson in the breakdown below.

RG O'Cyrus Torrence

O'Cyrus Torrence, who aligned at right guard with the first-team offense (Blue team) for most of the game, was our highest-graded player upon film review. The former Ragin' Cajun allowed only one quarterback on the night, in the fourth quarter against Gervon Dexter, but was otherwise instrumental in Richardson having ample time to throw throughout the night. 

The guards will be tasked with more combo blocking in Napier's offense compared to Dan Mullen's due to an increase in gap-scheme blocking, another area in which Torrence stood out. He showed off power out of his stance as a down-blocker and quickly made his way to the second level to seal off linebackers, which running backs Lorenzo Lingard and Montrell Johnson benefitted from on numerous chunk plays. Johnson followed a path cleared in part by Torrence en route to a touchdown.

Torrence and tackle Michael Tarquin appeared in sync on the right side of the line. The two memorably handled a stunt rush by defensive end Justus Boone and outside linebacker Chief Borders, where Torrence stonewalled Boone into a traffic jam with Borders while the rushers attempted to switch lanes before seamlessly swapping blocks with Tarquin.

Torrence had rotated with Josh Braun as the first-team right guard throughout spring camp but owned the role on Thursday night, establishing himself as the likely starter come fall and a critical member of the Gators' offensive line before playing his first game at Florida.

DE Tyreak Sapp

Tyreak Sapp was a member of the second-team defense but looked like he belonged with the first team often throughout the scrimmage. The 6-foot-2, 264-pound redshirt freshman defensive end finished the matchup with six tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble that led to a touchdown and a quarterback pressure which helped create an interception by safety Donovan McMillon. Another pressure from Sapp led to a pass breakup by linebacker Diwun Black.

Florida Gators DE Tyreak Sapp forces a fumble while tackling RB Demarkcus Bowman / Alex Shepherd

Sapp was also consistently around the ball while defending the run. A stout and strong, hand-in-the-dirt edge rusher, Sapp won the leverage battle against offensive tackles and guards alike to redirect the rushing lane and make several tackles around and behind the line of scrimmage, both on his side of the formation and in pursuit of the ball-carrier to the other side.

His progress as a strong-side defensive end will be of importance when fall camp rolls around. Florida has intriguing talent at the position in Sapp, Princely Umanmielen and Justus Boone, but Sapp appears to be the biggest playmaker of the trio.

CB Jalen Kimber

Following his transfer from Georgia earlier this year, Jalen Kimber emerged as the ballhawk of the Gators' defense on Thursday night, making plays in coverage more than anyone on either roster. He finished the game with an interception and two pass breakups, along with six tackles.

Kimber's two PBUs were on downfield routes, one up the seam and another in the endzone on an overthrow from Jack Miller III to receiver Ja'Quavion Fraziars. His pick was the result of an underthrow from Jalen Kitna deep down the left sideline, which required Kimber to collect himself and dive back toward the ball. Kimber displayed impressive route mirroring technique and adequate speed to keep up in man coverage.

Kimber may have picked off another pass and perhaps returned it for a touchdown with a quick break and close on a screen pass from Miller to receiver Daejon Reynolds, however, the pass was significantly underthrown and neither the receiver nor corner could make a play on the ball. Kimber played the route perfectly, though.

Although he played with the second-team defense, Kimber presented a case for playing time come fall in the spring game. He also made an impact playing downhill against the run game and short passes, specifically halting running back Demarkcus Bowman to a three-yard gain with a tackle after beginning the play in deep quarters coverage.

LB Diwun Black

We saw the ballhawk that coaches have deemed Diwun Black throughout spring camp on Thursday night. The former defensive back-turned-linebacker broke up two passes throughout the game, one almost resulting in an interception and the other showing off his speed to the sideline to cover a curl route.

Florida Gators LB Diwun Black / Alex Shepherd

On top of his coverage prowess, however, Black also proved his worth in the tackle box and playing downhill. In one instance, he journeyed from the middle of the field to the sideline to make a tackle against a screen for a minimal gain. He also made a run stop by keying the play quickly, flipping gaps and shooting toward the line of scrimmage with plenty of explosiveness. Black finished the game with three tackles.

Although he isn't named a big winner in this piece, redshirt freshman linebacker Jeremiah 'Scooby' Williams deserves some praise as well. He rotated with the second-team defense and showcased tons of speed in pursuit of ball-carriers and when blitzing, splitting a run stop with Tyreak Sapp and posting a quarterback hit. Florida can be pleased with the progress of both of these linebackers.

TE Dante Zanders

One of the biggest stories of Florida's spring camp, Dante Zanders made the move from defensive line to tight end due to injuries at the latter position. He had previously played the position when he originally enrolled at UF, and he appears to have picked things back up quickly.

Zanders was Florida's leading pass-catcher in the entire scrimmage and Anthony Richardson's top target, hauling in five receptions for 56 yards. He found himself open on underneath crossers several times and made sure-handed catches on those routes while bracing for contact by linebackers. Zanders also made a jumping grab on a seam route for a big gain, quickly turning his body around to ensure the best field position as two tacklers came flying in. On a free play, Richardson rolled right and made a throw across his body to Zanders for a first down, too.

A big-body at 6-foot-5, 261 pounds, Zanders was utilized as a blocker quite a bit as well and held his own in that department. In one instance, Zanders created room for Richardson to run for eight yards on an option play with a back-side, second-level seal block.

STAR CB Jordan Young

The Gators were extremely thin at STAR nickel cornerback in the Orange and Blue game, without Tre'Vez Johnson, Jadarrius Perkins and Dakota Mitchell at the position. Jordan Young, who spent his freshman season last year at outside corner, and Kamar Wilcoxson, a safety who missed the 2021 season due to injury, filled at STAR, and Young in particular made the most of the opportunity.

Young posted six tackles throughout the game, including one big hit on tight end Keon Zipperer (46 pounds heavier) for a gain of just five and another on running back Montrell Johnson (22 pounds heavier) on a dump-off to the flats on a 3rd and 5 that failed to convert.

Although it wasn't on the box score for some reason, Young also broke up two passes during the game, one up the seam targeting receiver Jordan Pouncey and another on a slant pass to Pouncey on 4th and 4. He was sticky in man coverage at outside corner, too, forcing a pass out of bounds targeting Ja'Quavion Fraziars on a curl route.

No currently rostered player has proven themselves in seasons past as a dependable starter at STAR nickel corner. That could change in Patrick Toney's simplified defense, as deemed by players, but Young appears to have entered the mix to contend to start with the veterans at the position.

RB Montrell Johnson

Florida Gators QB Anthony Richardson hands the ball off to RB Montrell Johnson / Alex Shepherd

Two running backs earned meaningful touches on Thursday in Louisiana transfer Montrell Johnson and former Clemson transfer Demarkcus Bowman. Bowman finished with more yardage, but Johnson was more efficient, averaging 4.2 yards per carry compared to Bowman's 3.6. Johnson was also safer with the football, not fumbling once while Bowman did both on a rushing attempt and a kickoff return.

Johnson specializes in making defenders miss and bouncing off of tackles, so if you're looking for a Dameon Pierce replacement in this running back room, Johnson is as close as it gets. His footwork and field vision are strong, which allow him to cut and go through gaps and cutback lanes. He pairs these skills with plenty of contact balance to bounce off of defenders attempting to make a tackle.

Interestingly, as he was heavily involved in spring camp, former Miami transfer Lorenzo Lingard only earned four carries on Thursday. He turned one into a seven-yard gain and caught a pass for seven yards as well.

Johnson appears to be leading the race to start at running back among himself, Lingard and Bowman, although there is expected to be a rotation at the position with Nay'Quan Wright involved as well, as soon as he is fully cleared from a lower-body injury.

Kicker Adam Mihalek

Incoming freshman Trey Smack appears to have some competition to start at kicker for Florida with redshirt freshman and walk-on Adam Mihalek. Mihalek impressively connected on field goals from 52 and 49 yards out on Thursday night, while last year's starter Chris Howard missed his lone attempt from 32 yards.

Mihalek was inconsistent while handling kickoffs, lacking the leg strength for touchbacks and instead gave returners a couple of advantageous starting positions. He also placed a kickoff out of bounds. However, when it comes to accurately kicking field goals from long distances, Mihalek made a name for himself in the scrimmage and that could be enough to create a fall camp battle.

Honorable mention

DT Gervon Dexter: Gervon Dexter is going to need some pass-rushing help at the tackle spot next to him as massive defensive tackle Desmond Watson is better suited for run downs. Still, Dexter can certainly get his job done on his own.

Dexter racked up four tackles, a sack on Anthony Richardson and a tackle for loss during the scrimmage, displaying his well-known power and speed for a 6-foot-6, 313-pound defensive tackle while primarily operating as a three-technique. He also pressured Richardson into a throwaway with elite closing speed while the quarterback rolled out of the pocket. Dexter was the only defender to create pressure against O'Cyrus Torrence in the game and also made a strong impact against the run, notably stuffing a rush by Lorenzo Lingard.

TE Noah Keeter: Dante Zanders may have been the Gators' most productive pass-catcher on Thursday, but Noah Keeter wasn't far behind and has a similar story. A walk-on outside linebacker and former UCLA transfer, Keeter made the move to tight end in spring as well due to injuries and to fight for playing time however he could.

Keeter was a big factor in Richardson's passing success in the scrimmage, hauling in three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. He produced the most when targeted on flat routes, in one case crossing the formation post-snap to leak out of the backfield, creating yards after the catch with solid speed turning upfield. Keeter's 29-yard catch-and-run was the longest play of the game.

LG Ethan White: While O'Cyrus Torrence stole the show on the first-team offensive line, left guard Ethan White appeared to fit comfortably into the Gators' new blocking schemes as well. He, too, impressed with combo blocks by clearing rushing lanes and sealing off the second level, several times in tandem with Torrence. White also opened the A-gap by clearing out Desmond Watson, which Montrell Johnson rushed through for a chunk of yards and a goal-to-go set-up.

Florida Gators S Donovan McMillon intercepts a pass / Alex Shepherd

S Donovan McMillon: Donovan McMillon didn't load up the stat sheet despite quite a bit of playing time, but he did intercept quarterback Jack Miller in the endzone in the second quarter. It was an acrobatic grab in coverage against receiver Daejon Reynolds, who McMillon followed closely from hash to hash in order to make the play.

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