Florida Gators Spring Football Preview: GameChangers

The Gators open spring football camp March 15 under first-year coach Billy Napier and his staff. UF will have 15 practices including the spring game on April 16.

Over the past two weeks, Gators Online has previewed Florida’s offensive and defensive positions. We wrap the series today with special teams, or “GameChangers” as Napier calls them.

Past previews: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line | Defensive Line | Outside Linebackers | Inside Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties

Special teams

Departures: Jace Christmann (K), Malik Davis (KR)

Returners: Chris Howard (K), Jeremy Crawshaw (P), Xzavier Henderson (PR), Fenley Graham (PR/KR), Demarkcus Bowman (KR), Ja’Markis Weston (KR), Marco Ortiz (LS), Rocco Underwood (LS)

Newcomers: None

Signees: K Trey Smack (summer enrollee)

2021 production

The Gators had one of the SEC’s best punters last season, but finished with the second-worst field goal percentage in the SEC after losing kicker Evan McPherson to the NFL. 

Florida’s Jeremy Crawshaw punted 52 times for an average of 44.10 yards, which ranked No. 3 in the SEC behind Texas A&M’s Nik Constantinou (46.61) and Auburn’s Oscar Chapman (44.12). 

Crawshaw was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team with 20 50-plus yard punts, 20 punts inside the 20-yard line and a long punt of 69 yards. 

Chris Howard and grad transfer Jace Christmann split kicking duties in 2021. Howard hit 7 of 9 field goal attempts with a long 42, while Christmann connected on 3 of 6 attempts with a long of 51.

UF ranked 13th in the SEC with a field goal percentage of 66.7 after ranking first in 2018 and 2019 with McPherson. 

Florida also produced minimal results in the return game. 

Malik Davis was Florida’s primary kickoff returner with 14 attempts for an average of 22.79 yards, which ranked fourth in the SEC. Ja’Markis Weston also returned three kickoffs for 31 yards and a punt for 14 yards. 

Xzavier Henderson returned 23 punts for 162 yards (7.04 avg.) with a long of 33 and two kickoffs for 26 yards. 

Spring preview

Christmann and Davis are gone, but the Gators return their starting kicker, punter, punt returner and long snapper. Marco Ortiz did not record a muffed snap in 13 games last year and was placed on scholarship midway through the season. 

Howard will face some competition in fall camp with the arrival of signee Trey Smack, but the starting kicking job is Howard’s for now. 

Henderson was reliable fielding punts in 2021, but didn’t make much happen after the catch. He’ll have to compete again this spring with Fenley Graham, who will likely get a look from the new staff on punt return.

Graham was a return specialist at Lakeland High School, averaging 48.6 yards per kickoff return in 2018 and 44.3 yards as a senior. He also averaged 22.6 yards per punt return in 2018 and 21.7 yards in 2019 with two touchdowns.

Graham was signed in Florida’s 2020 class specifically for his ability as a returner. However, he has not returned one kick or punt in the past two seasons. It’s time to give Graham a legitimate shot and see what he can do. 

His teammate at Lakeland, Demarkcus Bowman, could also emerge as the replacement for Davis on kickoff return. Bowman has elite acceleration and top-end speed. 

Bottom line

The Gators are set in the kicking department but need to get more out of their special teams. It feels like forever since they blocked a punt or kick. And if Napier wants “GameChangers” in the return game, he has a pair of Polk County playmakers in Bowman and Graham. #FreeFenley