Coach Billy Napier planned to elevate the competition among his players during Week 3 as UF prepared for its second scrimmage Saturday in the Swamp. The Gators will be off Thursday and return to the field Friday.

UF provided a 12-minute window for reporters to observe individual drills.

Top takeaway: While his teammates practiced, senior tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. ran on the treadmill as he pushes to return from a minor right knee injury.

Johnson wore his black non-contact No. 1 jersey and full equipment, toting a football as he ran at a good clip.

The 5-foot-11 ¼, 216-pound Louisiana native led UF in rushing yards the past two seasons. Johnson’s absence has allowed a deep yet inexperienced stable of running backs make their case for touches.

“It’s almost a blessing in disguise to some degree that they’re getting meaningful reps,” Napier said Aug. 7.

Johnson’s availability is yet to be determined for the Gators’ Aug. 31 season opener against Miami in the Swamp.

Step forward: No running back has emerged more than Jakobi Jackson, a redshirt junior from Pensacola who transferred in 2023 from Coahoma Junior College in Mississippi.

Jackson was a spring transfer portal signing who was fifth on the depth chart until Tulane transfer Cam Carroll suffered a season-ending knee injury. The 5-foot-10 ½, 209-pound Jackson, who compiled 1,390 yards on 276 carries for 14 touchdowns in 20 games in junior college, is pushing for touches in a crowded running back room.

Meanwhile, Carroll practiced hard Wednesday, making hard cuts and participating fully. Some believed he might not be able to play again after his second serious injury. A sixth-year player, the 6-foot, 230-pound Carroll’s 2022 season ended in the first game of Tulane’s magical 12-win campaign.

Step back: Sophomore Treyaun Webb enters camp as Johnson’s backup but has faced stiff competition from Jackson and true freshmen Jadan Baugh and KD Daniels.

On Wednesday, Webb left practice and did not return during the open window.

Trainer’s room: Offensive lineman Bryce Lovett and safety Bryce Thornton wore non-contact jerseys.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Hours spent on the field, in the training room, watching film or taking time to rest and recover blend together during fall camp. Through it all, Mertz knows exactly how many days until an Aug. 31 visit from Miami.

At 6:37 a.m. Monday in Kansas City, Justin Hoover’s screen read, “19.”

The next day at 7 a.m., Mertz’s longtime quarterbacks coach replied, “18.”

“We’ve got a couple little things going that lets us know what’s next, trying to keep the main thing, the main thing, and stay connected to and grounded to the day and maximizing it,” Hoover told the Orlando Sentinel. “We just stay on top of that and push him a little bit to stay in the moment and focus on that one thing: what you got today.”

The countdown has begun to the Gators’ opener, Mertz’s final college season and his last chance to put it all together.

While Mertz exceeded expectations after transferring from Wisconsin, his season ended with a broken collarbone Nov. 19 at Missouri and a 5-7 finish by the Gators a week later against Florida State.

Mertz, who turns 24 in December, put his NFL dreams on hold.

“I came back to win,” he said Tuesday evening. “That’s why I’m here right now. That’s why I’m standing up here. That’s why I was just on the practice field for two hours in some serious heat — because I want to win.

“That’s why we’re all here right now.”

Mertz pushes to set the tone.

“His leadership has taken tremendous strides,” redshirt sophomore tight end Arlis Boardingham said. “Just making sure we’re going all the time, all the time. Even today at practice, it’s getting hot — very hot — and he’s talking, ‘It’s about us. It’s about us.’

“Just letting us know as we’re getting closer to the end of practice, we’ve got to be the ones to finish.”

Hoover also notices a different Mertz.

The two have worked together since Mertz was a seventh-grader from Overland Park, Kan., a dozen miles southwest of Kansas City, site of Hoover’s Spin It Quarterback Academy.

Daily text exchanges, FaceTiming from Florida’s football facility and more than 20 days of training this offseason back home have revealed a 23-year-old on a mission and, Hoover believes, in the right place at the right time.

“Through the ups and downs and the things that he’s dealt with, his approach has gotten even more dialed in and more detailed,” he said. “His passion for that school and that coaching staff and that locker room full of teammates has just continued to grow based off what I believe is his investment in them.”

UF coach Billy Napier went all in on Mertz, too.

Mertz’s inconsistency at Wisconsin, where he threw 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions during three seasons, did not dissuade Napier as he sought a replacement for first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson.

Mertz responded with an SEC-leading 72.9% completion rate and a 20-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio while displaying the intangibles UF’s coach covets.

“He’s just got great energy about himself and affects other people in a positive way,” Napier said. “Extremely detailed. Great note-taker. Great in the position meetings.

“He’s a pro.”

Mertz enjoys the spoils of playing quarterback at Florida in the age of NIL.

A player’s NIL compensation is not public, but arguably the nicest car in the parking lot outside the Heavener Football Complex belongs to Mertz — a new Mercedes-Benz coupe through his partnership with the Gainesville dealership.

“I said, ‘Hey, you get a deal on those things, or is this just the one they give you?’” Hoover, 43, joked.

Mertz aims to earn his keep against a taxing schedule featuring eight teams ranked in the Associated Press preseason Top 25.

He will lead an offense with plenty of potential, beginning with sophomore rising star Eugene Wilson III, but also without 2023 leading receiver Ricky Pearsall — an NFL first-round draft pick. Top rusher Montrell Johnson Jr.’s minor knee injury leaves UF to rely on an inexperienced backfield as the Gators prepare for Miami. The offensive line returns just two starters and remains a work in progress, featuring a collection of inexperienced underclassmen and transfers.

Napier left last Saturday’s scrimmage encouraged by his offense’s explosiveness but wants to see more this weekend during the Gators’ final tune-up before Week 1.

“We were a little short of our goal,” he said Monday. “That’s an area where we’re trying to put an emphasis this week.”

Tight end Hayden Hansen said Napier told the team Tuesday that 75% of games are won by the team with more explosive plays. The redshirt sophomore also said not every team has a quarterback like Mertz.

“It helps a lot, Mertz coming back — a great game manager, got a lot of trust,” Hansen said. “That’s really the key word to this whole thing: trust. We all trust each other, trust the communication.

“It overall speeds up the process.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

If you think the University of Florida’s Billy Napier and other college football coaches spend way too much money on bloated support staffs, you haven’t seen anything until you read about the outrageous spending habits of outgoing UF president Ben Sasse.

Sasse left UF a few weeks ago after just 17 months on the job, citing his wife’s epilepsy for his abrupt resignation. Thanks to some superb investigative journalism by UF student journalist Garrett Shanley in the school newspaper — The Independent Florida Alligator — it’s now coming out that Sasse, even though he’s a conservative Republican, was spending money like a drunken Democrat. Sasse, it seems, was lavishly forking out millions of dollars in UF money to hire his political pals and allies. According to the Alligator’s reporting, presidential spending tripled in Sasse’s first year on the job, from $5.6 million in former UF president Kent Fuchs’ last year to $17.3 million under Sasse.

“A majority of the spending surge was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried remote positions for Sasse’s former U.S. Senate staff (when Sasse represented Nebraska) and Republican officials,” the Alligator reported. “Sasse raised his former Senate staffers’ salaries at UF by an average of 44% compared to their Capitol Hill pay.

“Sasse’s consulting contracts have been kept largely under wraps, leaving the public in the dark about what the contracted firms did to earn their fees. The university also declined to clarify specific duties carried out by Sasse’s ex-Senate staff, several of whom were salaried as presidential advisers. The university said Sasse’s budget expansion went through the ‘appropriate approval process’ but did not answer questions about how Sasse bankrolled his splurges, where the funds originated or who authorized the spending.”

Sasse’s former Senate chief of staff was hired as UF’s vice president for innovation and partnerships — a newly created position — paying him $396,000, which doubled his Senate staffer salary.

His former Senate communication director was hired as UF’s communication director at a salary of $432,000, replacing the previous communication director who was making $270,000.

And many of these high-priced employees worked remotely and didn’t even bother moving to Gainesville. Sasse’s office spent over $600,000 on travel, compared to the $28,000 in travel expenses by his predecessor.

It’s no wonder Sasse, in 17 months as the president of the state’s flagship university, never sat down for an interview, held a press conference or answered the media’s questions.

At least Napier and the football team raises the money it spends whereas Sasse was spending millions in taxpayer money to reward his cronies.

If you ask me, the student journalists who essentially work for free at the Alligator are much better at their jobs than Sasse and his obscenely bloated  multi-million-dollar staff.

As one clever sports fan so aptly posted on social media: “A Nebraskan hasn’t looted the University of Florida so thoroughly since Tommie Frazier in the ’96 Fiesta Bowl.” …

Short stuff: Austin Dillon wrecked two drivers — Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin — coming down the homestretch to win his first NASCAR race in nearly two years on Sunday. That gives me an idea. Hey, if the IOC really wants to make the Olympics entertaining,  I’m suggesting that track athletes be allowed to adopt NASCAR rules. Can you imagine the excitement in the final 300 yards of the 1,500 meters if the inferior second-place runner is allowed to purposely trip or grab the race leader?  As NASCAR fans like to say: If you ain’t cheatin’, then you ain’t tryin’! … Speaking of the Olympics, I’m glad Team USA won the gold medal in women’s soccer, but I have to admit I was sort of rooting for Brazilian soccer legend and Orlando Pride captain Marta to finally win the gold in her final international competition. … By the way, did you see where Brittney Griner stood on the medal stand with her hand over her heart and tears in her eyes as the Star-Spangled Banner played following Team USA’s gold-medal performance in women’s basketball? Clearly, Griner — who said the WNBA shouldn’t even play the national anthem before its games back in 2020 when social unrest was at the forefront during the “Black Lives Matter” protests — has figured out that living in the good ol’ USA is pretty damn good. I’m thinking that a stint in a Russian prison will do that to a person. …

Last word:  Chi Chi Rodriguez — the iconic Puerto Rican golfer and flamboyant, quotable showman — passed away a few days ago at the age of 88. Said Chi Chi  when asked once about his woes on the green: “I read the greens in Spanish, but I putt in English.”

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

The 6-foot-6 Ingram played during the summer with Orlando powerhouse Oak Ridge High for two summer basketball tournaments.

Ingram averaged 24 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 21 games in 2023-24. He is ranked No. 73 overall and the No. 11 small forward in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.

With his father as head coach, Ingram threw for 38 touchdowns, 2,618 yards and completed 64.3% of his throws to lead Hawthorne to an unbeaten season and a second straight 1A state title. Offered a scholarship by Billy Napier to play receiver, Ingram recently decided to focus on basketball.

Ingram has yet to decide where he will play high school basketball in 2024-25.

“I’m here at Hawthorne now,” he told the Orlando Sentinel. “I could be at Oak Ridge [for the basketball season], but most likely I’ll stay at Hawthorne.”

Ingram’s father faced a similar decision upon his 2004 arrival to UF. Cornelius Ingram did initially suit up for the Billy Donovan’s basketball team, but switched full time to football and moved from quarterback to tight end.

He caught 64 passes for 888 yards and 8 touchdowns but tore his ACL during fall camp in ’08. He played four NFL seasons after the Philadelphia Eagles selected in the 2009 draft (fifth round).

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Varsity sports editor Buddy Collings contributed to this report.

The Gators ran 122 plays this past Saturday in the Swamp, providing players a chance during a game-like environment to make their case for snaps and gave coaches a better idea of areas to address. Media was not allowed watch.

By the time UF stages its second scrimmage of fall camp this weekend, Napier hopes to see rapid progress.

“This is a big week for us,” he said Monday. “We started today. We’re seeking consistency. We’re seeking habits that will hold up on game day, and we’ve got to have urgency to get that done.”

Lineups, rotations and responsibilities remain in flux as the Gators prepare to host No. 19 Miami  on Aug. 31 — one of eight teams on UF’s demanding schedule ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 released Monday.

“We kind of reboot the computer and organize them in a way for this week,” Napier said. “Then we’ll scrimmage again next week, and ultimately that’s where we’ll start paring it down.”

Napier observed Saturday’s scrimmage from the field while he allowed his new co-coordinator Russ Callaway and the offensive staff to call plays. Despite the Gators’ offensive inconsistency the past two seasons, Napier retained playcalling duties, noting UF’s steady improvement in 2023, and promote Callaway.

The vantage point allowed Napier to witness some young playmakers make the explosive plays the Gators seek in 2024.

Speedy receiver Tank Hawkins, one of two Gators to run more than 23 mph this offseason, caught a long touchdown pass from fellow freshman DJ Lagway. Hawkins also scored from the red zone.

The fleet-footed first-year player from Bradenton’s IMG Academy is one of several unproven receivers competing for targets behind sophomore star Tre Wilson and veterans Chimere Dike, a Wisconsin transfer with a long history with quarterback Graham Mertz, and Kahleil Jackson, a former walk-on and son of former UF star Willie Jackson Jr.

“He’s definitely playing faster. His skill level’s improving,” Napier, a former receivers coach at Alabama, said of Hawkins. “He’s getting comfortable. That group as a whole, ton of competition.

“You talk about a big week in a competitive camp.”

Four tailbacks also are vying for roles expanded by a minor knee injury to starter Montrell Johnson Jr., who is week-to-week following arthroscopic surgery.

While Napier praised all four backs, he singled out KD Daniels, another true freshman, for a long run.

Named Mississippi Class 5A Mr. Football after he rushed for 2,737 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2023, the 5-foot-11 1/2, 197-pound Daniels displayed how much he’s matured since his January arrival.

“Everybody’s a little bit bigger, a little faster, the holes are a little smaller,” Napier said. “Their footwork, their eye discipline … those instincts come back. Just to see him, that thing just opened up just a little bit and his ability … I could see him.

“He saw it and he accelerated — and almost went to the house.”

Better perimeter blocking, Napier said, would have led to six points.

Improving small details is at a premium.

Napier said the Gators missed 20 tackles and did not play with the offensive tempo he’d like to see.

“We know what to do,” he said. “Let’s get lined up and play with a little more pace. We can buy back six, eight, 10 plays a game.”

Yet the Gators’ first scrimmage of Napier’s third fall camp showed marked improvement from the past two years.

“It was just much more intense, much faster, more physical, less loafs, the film’s cleaner — we’re just deeper,” he said. “You put the first and second group out there, it’s a good football play. Even the 3s played pretty clean in the scrimmage.”

The Gators’ depth did suffer a hit when redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jamari Lyons broke his ankle. Lyons has the versatility to play nose tackle or end but will miss the season.

The entire team came onto the field as a show of support as medical trainers applied an air cast to the injury and carted Lyons off the field.

“I’ve never seen that in my entire coaching career,” Napier said. “That’s an indicator that these guys are doing something right — that there is that type of connection.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Next up …

Florida vs. Miami

When: Aug. 31, at the Swamp, 3:30

TV: ABC

Saturday’s scrimmage, the ninth practice of 17 during fall camp, was calm before the storm, along with a rare opportunity to compete on UF’s iconic field.

“I feel like each time I step foot in there, whether it’s for a team run or spring ball scrimmage, it’s just great energy,” Washington transfer safety Asa Turner said Friday.

Family members sat in the stands as players prepared for the simulated game, which coach Billy Napier hoped would begin to clarify some position battles.

UF provided an 18-minute window for reporters to observe warm-ups and some individual drills.

Top takeaway: Florida’s depth is much improved, creating competition and lineup options.

Injured players could get left behind.

On Saturday, several Gators with a chance to contribute would have to wait their turn.

Receivers Ja’Quavion Fraziars, a fifth-year senior, and Andy Jean, a promising sophomore, wore non-contact jerseys.

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Fraziars, who has 15 career receptions for 143 yards and 3 scores, hopes to get into the mix after primarily having a minor role. Jean generated buzz during 2023 fall camp but struggled with injuries, appeared in just four games and redshirted.

Defensive end Kamran James, a former Orlando Olympia standout, offensive linemen Kamryn Waites and Fletcher Westphal, edge rusher Jake Pyburn, tight end Gavin Hill and Caleb Rillos, and cornerback Cormani McClain also wore a non-contact jerseys.

Of those sitting out, 6-foot-8, 343-pound Waites, who missed last season with an Achilles tear, has the best chance to compete for a starting role — at right tackle.

Step forward: Senior defensive tackle Cam Jackson started all but one game for the 5-7 Gators but did not make the impact expected after he transferred from Memphis.

One reason was the 6-foot-6 Jackson’s conditioning; he ballooned to 374 pounds from 353 in the spring of 2023. But Jackson now weighs in at 342.

The difference is clear.

During individual position drills, Jackson was more explosive and quicker than his teammates, save perhaps Penn transfer Joey Slackman. Yet the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Slackman does not possess Jackson’ raw natural power.

Step back: Jean’s injury struggles continue to hold back a player with the route-running ability and sure hands to be a key contributor.

Following an injury-marred freshman season, the Miami native was banged up again during spring practices, leading him to attack the offseason program. The 6-foot-1 Jean is 184 pounds, down from 198 a year ago and 191 during the spring.

The key now is to get on the field, and stay there.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

After each lost his coach by season’s end, Turner and Dike were suddenly in similar situations, seeking new schools and better opportunities.

Both found their way to Florida — Turner reuniting with his former position coach and Dike his former quarterback.

The two transfers, among 12 signed during the offseason, hope to make the most of their final college season.

“I feel like coach Napier did a really good job of getting guys with good character,” Dike said Friday evening. “This team already had a really good culture developing. So being able to kind of bring our own experiences to the room and to the guys who are already here doing really good things, I feel like can help enhance that.

“I feel like we can make a big impact.”

Turner and Dike bring experience and production to positions of need.

The back end of the Gators’ defense allowed more 40-yard completions than all but one team (UNLV), producing two interceptions and countless missed tackles.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Turner totaled six interceptions at Washington, but established himself more with his hard-nosed style from the strong side.

“I’m going to bring it every play,” he said Friday night.

Turner, now in his sixth season, accompanies brains with brawn to help younger DBs get up to speed.

“Me and Asa could sit down all night and just break down film,” sophomore free safety Jordan Castell said. “He’s been doing it for a long time, so just soaking up anything will help my game. I’m going to add it on to my bag.”

Turner, a member of the 2019 class, also benefits from his history with UF secondary Will Harris, who coached Washington’s defensive backs from 2018-21.

When Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer bolted for Alabama days after a 34-13 loss Jan. 8 to Michigan in the CFP National Championship, Turner entered the transfer portal. Harris immediately reached out.

“He was kind of first dude that hit me up,” Turner said. “That connection goes a long way.”

Dike’s connection with quarterback Graham Mertz, himself a Wisconsin transfer, and the Gators’ search for a veteran receiver made it a fit.

UF’s passing game, after all, was a bright spot behind a resurgent Mertz during a 5-7 season. But the Gators lost top target Ricky Pearsall, an eventual first-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers, to pave the way for Dike to join his Badgers teammate from 2020-22.

“We kind of grew up together in college football,” Dike said.

Dike, 22, aims to accelerate the growth of a young receiving corps, led by sophomore star Tre Wilson, and blend in with veterans, including former UF walk-on Kahleil Jackson and Arizona State transfer Elijhah Badger.

“I’m a student of the game and I like taking things and learning things from different people,” Dike said. “There’s so many different things that you can take. They do a good job of getting guys who have different skills and traits and bring different things to the room.”

The 6-foot, 195-pound Dike is already a different player since his January arrival.

Working in the revamped offseason program under Tyler Miles, Dike has increased his personal-best maximum speed multiple times to exceed 22 mph — one of 17 Gators, including many receivers, to hit the mark.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Dike said.

Meanwhile, Turner is finally 100% healthy.

At one point in 2023, he played with a cast on his surgically repaired right hand and a heavy wrap on his broken left thumb.

“It’s hard to even shower, hard to do daily things,” he said.

The grind of fall camp has been an adjustment amid Gainesville’s oppressive humidity.

“The heat’s different,” Dike said. “It’s almost like wet outside. It’s definitely an adjustment.”

Following Friday afternoon’s practice and media obligation, Turner planned to get some intravenous fluids — a small sacrifice for a player who transferred almost 3,000 miles for the right situation.

“I feel like we’re not going to shock anyone, but other people outside this building, we know what we have in here,” Turner said. “Just being here for the past six months, I’ve seen it come so far. Hopefully [we’ll] make some shake this year.”

Up next …

Florida vs. Miami

When: Aug. 31, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 3:30

TV: ABC

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Third-year coach Billy Napier said Saturday’s scrimmage in the Swamp will give players a chance to separate themselves in heated position battles. Only a handful of starting roles are set, Napier said Wednesday.

“We literally are adjusting how many reps for each group based on performance, how they grade,” he said. “The scrimmage is an opportunity to get off the field and actually play in sequence. It challenges the situational awareness, the football intelligence of the player.”

Napier said coaches will not be on the field during the game-like set-up while also putting the program’s entire operation on notice.

“It’s really a great opportunity for every single part of the organization — equipment to video to the headset crew, offense, defense, special teams. All parts of our team will get a little bit of a dry run in a game, so that will be part of the emphasis,” he said.

The Gators held Friday’s mid-afternoon session, the eighth of 17 during camp, in mid-90s heat index and brilliant sunshine.

UF provided a 15-minute window for reporters to observe individual drills.

Top takeaway: The improvement of Florida’s defense could well be the key to the 2024 Gators.

New co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts has provided a veteran presence for a young staff, new ideas and clear communication. The 56-year-old also has presence every time the Gators take the field, with Friday being no different.

“He brings a lot of baller energy.  I love him,” sixth-year Gator Ja’Markis Weston said this week. “He helps you be able to process things;  he demonstrates things.”

Roberts has better material to work with than 31-year-old co-defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, among three of five defensive assistants in his 30s.

The Gators appeared to be more physical and cohesive during the abbreviated viewing windows.

Step forward: UF’s running backs recorded nearly 20% of the receptions in 2024, totaling 55 of the team’s 282 catches (19.5%). Montrell Johnson Jr. led the way with 30 grabs, but the senior leader is sidelined following minor knee surgery.

The Gators could still be in good hands.

Two days after dropping a short pass, sophomore backup Treyaun Webb made a nice over-the-shoulder catch without breaking stride. True freshman KD Daniels followed with an identical play, which is difficult to defend by a linebacker in one-on-one coverage.

Step back: UF’s Sanders Practice Field was slick two hours after heavy rains drenched the area. Receivers Kahleil Jackson and Chimere Dike, both expected to start alongside sophomore Tre Wilson, lost their footing.

In Dike’s case, it led to an incompletion. A wet field could lead to injury.

The Gators’ receivers initially warmed up in the team’s indoor practice facility.

Trainers room: Offensive tackle Fletcher Westphal (mononucleosis) was the only scholarship player in a black non-contact jersey.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

“These are the days that really test your intangibles … just the attitude and the energy and the focus,” coach Billy Napier said Wednesday. “Our ability to show up and push the envelope and try to grow … for the most part, it’s all mentality, mindset.

“We want it to be hard.”

The Gators began Thursday’s late morning practice, the seventh of 17 during camp, in temperatures approaching the mid-90s in the heat index.

UF provided a 15-minute window for reporters to observe individual drills.

Top takeaway: Napier’s robust support personnel includes several key analysts now heavily involved in coaching on the field following an NCAA ruling in June permitting it.

“It’s helped,” Napier said Wednesday. “Special teams in particular have been great.”

Much has been made of Joe Houston’s arrival to help improve special teams. Meanwhile, veteran quarterback Graham Mertz has lauded his work with Ryan O’Hara.

On Thursday, John Donovan worked with the tight ends to improve their blocking skills on the sled. Napier mentioned Donovan a couple of times a day earlier as another key addition.

Napier references the veteran coach’s attitude toward practice tempo: “Run to it, as coach Donovan would say.”

Donovan joined the Gators as a senior offensive analyst in 2023 with extensive experience. He spent the previous season in the same role for the Green Bay Packers after two seasons as the University of Washington’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He had worked four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, including with Oviedo standout Blake Bortles during the Jaguars’ run to the 2017 AFC South title.

Donovan’s ability to work directly with players, rather than assist from the sideline, frees up tight ends coach Russ Callaway to also serve is in his new role as co-offensive coordinator.

Step forward: Redshirt junior receiver Marcus Burke continues to stand out, highlighted by a one-handed catch. The 6-foot-3 3/4, 197-pound Jacksonville native continues to make his case for a significant role after managing just 12 receptions since his arrival with the 2020 class.

Step back: Burke’s playmaking stood out even more in contrast with some of the efforts of UF’s other pass catchers. Drops continue to occur during routes against air, including by sophomore star Tre Wilson. While the observation windows provide a small sample size, this has been a recurring theme.

Trainers room: Napier said starting tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. would be week-to-week as he recovers from minor knee surgery. Joining Johnson in black non-contact jerseys were offensive tackles Fletcher Westphal (mononucleosis) and Caden Jones (undisclosed). Defensive backs Ja’Keem Jackson (lower body) and Asa Turner (shoulder) were back to full contact after donning black jerseys Tuesday.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

• DJ Lagway (0:00)
• Key injury (4:40)
• Fighting for starting positions (9:52)
• Elijhah Badger factor (14:00)
• Challenging the team (16:27)
• Bill Napier’s culture (32:57)
• Billy Donovan visit (40:32)
• Jeremy Foley’s Corner: Olympics (43:36)

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com