From the practice field: Five observations from Florida Gators fall camp

GAINESVILLE, Fla — The media only has small windows to watch the Florida Gators practice, but sometimes much can still be gleaned from those windows. On Thursday we put out a list of 10 observations from the first two practices. Today we’ll add five more, including fresh observations from Friday as well as some others that didn’t make it into Thursday’s column.

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*Rod Kearny, OL: The most interesting thing I saw on Friday afternoon was Kearny working at right guard. Kearny is still working some at center but when the offensive line split into three groups (left side, right side, and centers) Kearny stayed back with the guards. Kearny was the No. 6 ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting cycle but the Gators moved him from guard to center for his freshman season. However, with the emergence of Jake Slaughter at center, who has two more years of eligibility, it’s good to see Kearny working at guard. The Gators are set at center, and probably have the future center in place with Jason Zandamela, so getting Kearny into the mix at guard is a great move, in my opinion.

*Asa Turner, S: I’ve been really impressed with Turner since he arrived in the spring. One thing I haven’t talked much about is his size. Turner’s added at least 10 pounds to his frame and sources have told us he’s improved his speed (through GPS tracking) since he’s been on campus. I think he’s a very good player in his own but the biggest thing he’s bringing to the secondary is his experience and the confidence the cornerbacks can play with because he’s backing them up.

Last year the Gators started a true freshman and a sophomore at safety and the sophomore led the team in missed tackles. Not being able to trust the guys behind them caused Florida’s cornerbacks to play tight. Turner has completely digested the playbook, he knows where he needs to be and he’s earned the trust of the cornerbacks, who are playing with more confidence because they know Turner has their back.

*Aiden Mizell, WR: Mizell is one of the many players who really changed their body this offseason. He’s added 16 pounds to his frame from last year and you can tell he’s starting to fill out. He’s still a long, lean receiver, but based on what I’ve seen, I think he’s put himself in a position to play this year.

*Eugene Wilson, WR: This note will be more from talking to people who are at practice longer than I can be but multiple sources have told me that Wilson has been unguardable through three practices. It’s very similar to what we were told about Ricky Pearsall last spring and fall. Wilson has really filled out and hasn’t lost a step or his quickness.

*Joe Houston: Florida head coach Billy Napier has spoken glowingly about former New England Patriots special teams assistant, Joe Houston, who is working with the special teams. All three days we’ve been out there, Houston has worked closely with the special teams unit. On Friday he had the entire group going through snaps for punt. The NCAA rule change to allow analysts to coach on the field is definitely being utilized here and Houston is the coach I see working with the specialists the most.

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