Optimistic about offense
Unit has talent and potential to be best Gators have fielded in a decade
GAINESVILLE – UF assistant coach John Hevesy tends to keep things simple, subdued, even a little bit boring.
Hevesy never looks ahead to the next practice, or even beyond the next snap, during the slow, arduous process of improvement for his inexperienced offensive line as it prepares for Saturday’s showdown with Miami.
“I’m always very monotone in everything I do,” Hevesy said. “There’s nothing too high, too low, very monotone.”
So when the 48-year-old ventures outside his comfort zone and makes a bold proclamation, one takes note. On Tuesday, Hevesy could not contain his excitement about the potential of the Gators’ offense.
“It’s as talented as I’ve been around,” the team’s co-offensive coordinator proclaimed. “It’s awesome.”
Mind you, Hevesy was an assistant for the Gators (2005-08) when Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and an NFL-bound supporting cast spearheaded some of the most explosive attacks in school history.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks’ closing flourish last season, a wealth of talent and depth at tailback and receiver and coach Dan Mullen’s deft play-calling are reasons for optimism this season. But Hevesy is well aware the Gators’ offense will light up scoreboards only if his O-line rises to the occasion.
“We’ve got to hold our own and do our job,” Hevesy said. “Elite skill players and quarterback and running back and receiver, all those guys. So we’ve got to give them an opportunity to make a play.”
UF’s offensive front must replace four starters from a unit that really came together during the team’s season-ending four-game winning streak.
Hevesy said the current starting unit has plenty of ability, along with the advantage of being in Year 2 with him and the coaching staff.
“It’s a different deal [than 2018],” Hevesy said. “I think we have as much potential, if not more. The thing is, last year everyone was learning. Me, the offensive coaches. These guys know me now for the most part, besides the young kids. Everything last year was new. Everything out of my mouth these guys had to understand coverages, pressures, it was like, ‘What? What? What?’
“Now it’s like half the room has it, half the room is saying, ‘What?’ So cut it in half a little bit.”
Depth could be a concern if injuries become an issue. Other than promising right guard Chris Bleich, a redshirt freshman, the starters feature three redshirt juniors — left guard Brett Heggie, left tackle Stone Forsyth and right tackle Jean Delance — and redshirt senior Nick Buchanan.
Beyond that sit a host of first- and second-year players in backup roles.
Hevesy said of the overall O-line, “There’s six, seven, eight I think could go in there and play that I feel comfortable with.”
Buchanan, the returning starter, and Heggie, who started seven games in 2017 before injuries sidetracked him, are the only Gators with any significant experience. Big things are expected from the 6-foot-7, 323-pound Forsyth, who started one game last season and must prove he can handle the NFL-caliber talent on the front seven he will face Saturday night and during the SEC season.
“That’s the money position; that’s what it is,” Hevesy said. “He’s done a great job in terms of just picking everything up and understanding the little things to the offense. He’s got all the physical tools. Again, for him it’s still being able and being comfortable using those tools.
“I’ve told him that for a year and a half. ‘You have all the tools. Now are you center still using them and be confident in using them?’”
Hevesy said his primary concern with the entire line is eliminating mistakes and moving beyond them when needed.
“There’s a lot of new, young guys out there. To me, we just got to keep our poise,” Hevesy said. “We can’t shoot ourself in the foot, biggest thing. You’re going to get knocked down; you’re going to do something wrong. That’s going to happen.
“Play the next play.” Given the explosiveness on the Gators’ offense, the next play could be a big one, maybe even a touchdown.
“It’s a lot of talent,” receiver Freddie Swain said. “You can just see whether we’re going 1s [first team], 2s or 3s, just everybody is making plays, whether that be a small run turned into a big one or a little catch turned into a big catch.
“You can see the excitement out of guys and a burst of energy out of guys.”
These days, that even includes Hevesy.