University of Florida Gator stars

by Jeff Dantzler

Number 6 Jeff Driskel, QB
6-4, 237 Soph.
Oviedo, Fla. (Hagerty H.S.)
In the season opening struggle against Bowling
Green, Florida was rotating quarterbacks.
The following week in College Station, the
Gators were trailing Texas A&M 17-7 at the
half. Since, Florida has flourished behind
Driskel, who has arguably been the best quarterback
in the Southeastern Conference. He
has an excellent arm and is a big, strong, fast
runner. Urban Meyer recruited this blue-chipper
to succeed Tim Tebow. Florida runs a different
style offense now under Will
Muschamp’s watch, but Driskel has put forth
a couple of Tebow-esque performances, highlighted
by a spectacular performance two
weeks ago in Nashville. In Florida’s 31-17 victory
at Vanderbilt, Driskel ran for three touchdowns
and 177 yards – breaking Tebow’s
Gator record for quarterback rushing yards.
With an excellent tailback accompanying him,
Florida’s backfield is a lethal weapon with
dual-action running and play-action passing.
Tight end Jordan Reed is a dangerous target
over the middle and one of Driskel’s favorite
targets.

Number 22 Matt Elam, DB
5-10, 202 Jr.
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Dwyer
H.S.)
One of several five-star prospects now
flourishing for Florida’s defense, Elam
is a big-time, big-game player. He
makes tackles for loss, picks off passes,
causes and recovers fumbles – gamechanging
plays. As a sophomore, Elam,
who can play safety or cornerback, bust
onto the Southeastern Conference
scene, leading the Gators in tackles for
loss, pass breakups and fumbles recovered.
His 78 tackles ranked second on
the squad. His best performance came
against Ohio State, as Elam had a sack,
two tackles for loss and six unassisted
stops. He’s a sure-fire All-SEC and All-
American candidate who absolutely
flies around the field. Florida has stout
defensive front, one of the nation’s
best, and a great group of linebackers,
led by Jonathan Bostic. This gives
Elam a lot of flexibility and freedom,
equaling big plays and lots of bell-ringing
stops.

Number 23 Mike Gilleslee, RB
5-11, 209 Sr.
DeLand, Fla. (DeLand)
A breakout star in the Southeastern Conference,
Gilleslee won the tailback competition
in preseason camp and hasn’t looked
back. In a league that is loaded with dynamic
tailbacks, Gilleslee is right up at the
top of list – averaging triple digits and a
touchdown per game, and over five yards
per carry. A senior, this guy has flat out
emerged. In his first three years, he
rushed for a total of 920 yards, picking
267 yards as a freshman and 328 yards as
a sophomore and junior. He really started
to shine in Florida’s exciting 20-17 comeback
win at Texas A&M – the game that
jumpstarted Will Muschamp’s Gators in
here is 2012. Gilleslee ran for two touchdowns
and 83 yards on 14 carries against
the Aggies. He earned a place in Gators
lore with a sterling second half performance
in Florida’s 14-6 victory over LSU,
chalking up 146 yards and both Gator
touchdowns on 34 carries. He is a crafty,
strong runner with balance and a burst.
And he is physical – really moves the pile.

Tagged: jeff dantzler, georgia sports news, sec football, georgia football, uga football, florida, jeff driskel, matt elam, mike gilleslee