Florida Gators tight ends are a matchup nightmare

With the Orange and Blue Debut in the rear view, the Florida Gators football team enters the doldrums of the off-season. The team will workout together through the off season with the strength and conditioning staff but Jim McElwain and his coaching staff are solely focused on recruiting with the spring evaluation period beginning.

With that in mind Gator Country will go over where the current roster stands, what the depth chart looks like, and how the 13 incoming freshmen will fit in at their positions when they arrive on campus in June.

SO far we’ve covered quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, defensive ends, defensive tackles and linebackers. Today we turn our attention to the tight ends.

The Players
Junior — DeAndre Goolsby
RS Sophomore — C’yontai Lewis
RS Sophomore — Moral Stephens
Sophomore — Camrin Knight

 

Questions heading into spring

How do you replace Jake McGee? The sixth year senior was a safety net for Florida’s quarterbacks, leading all pass catchers with 41 and tied for the lead with four touchdowns.

What we learned

Replacing McGee’s production is no easy feat but it looks like Florida has the horses to do just that. All four tight ends showed improvement in the spring but DeAndre Goolsby and C’yontai Lewis are a cut above the others.

Goolsby and Lewis are both very talented pass-catchers, and big targets. Both players are very good with the ball in their hands as well, and their athleticism and ability to run after the catch is unmatched by the other two players at the position. Goolsby was tied for fifth on the team with 17 receptions last season and his 16.29 yards-per-catch average shows just how dangerous the 6-4, 240-pounder can be with the ball in his hands.

Lewis missed a month and a half last season with a thumb injury. He only hauled in four passes last season, but he made the most of those opportunities scoring twice. Lewis and Goolsby are matchup nightmares for defenses and with Florida still looking for playmakers at the receiver position, both should figure into the offense in a big way.

Camrin Knight made stride this spring and he’s probably Florida’s best blocker at the position. The one thing the group lacks is an all-around player that is just as good as a blocker as he is as a receiver. Knight made strides in the spring and he’ll likely be used as Florida’s inline blocker.

Moving forward

The numbers here are really shallow but the duo of Lewis and Goolsby have the potential to be special. A healthy Lewis and Goolsby gives Doug Nussmeier two weapons on offense and Knight should be able to hold up blocking.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC