Spring football breakdown

Quarterback

The good: After a slow start, Tim Tebow started throwing the ball much better in the last two weeks. He said he's improved two areas that needed work — decision making and pocket presence.

The bad: Cameron Newton struggled with consistency (especially throwing the ball) throughout much of the spring. John Brantley was limited by a sore left shoulder the first two weeks, then missed the spring game with an injured right hand.

What's next: Newton and Brantley will carry their battle for the No. 2 spot into August. Urban Meyer wants to play two quarterbacks this season, so one has to emerge early in camp.

Spring star: Tebow did his usual thing and finished with a strong spring game despite playing with the flu.

Spring surprise: That the Gators came out of drills no closer to knowing who their No. 2 quarterback is going to be in 2008.

Tailback

The good: The Gators showed they have plenty of talent and speed at the position, where they are a legitimate five-deep. Redshirt freshman Chris Rainey had a breakout spring and was the star of the Orange and Blue Debut.

The bad: Southern Cal transfer got off to a slow start and appeared tentative in the offense. He showed some real flashes down the stretch (and in the spring game), but his shaky ball security became a huge issue with Urban Meyer.

What's next: The competition should be intense in August. Regardless of who starts, the Gators likely will try a lot of different combinations in the backfield in 2008 because of the diversity at tailback.

Spring star: Rainey did a pretty fair Percy Harvin imitation with the way he made big plays throughout the spring.

Spring surprise: After being in the offense all last fall, the coaches were expecting Moody to be a little more effective.

Receivers

The good: Redshirt freshman Deonte Thompson showed he has a chance to be a playmaker at wide receiver. Cornelius Ingram and Aaron Hernandez were so impressive at tight end that the coaches have inserted a two tight end set in the 2008 playbook.

The bad: Percy Harvin missed most of the spring with a bothersome heel injury that required surgery (and will need more than two months to rehab). Starter Louis Murphy also missed considerable time with chronic headaches and a staph infection, while Carl Moore missed the spring game with an injured ankle.

What's next: The wide receivers and Ingram (ankle) need to get healthy and continue to work with the quarterbacks this summer. Harvin won't be doing much for at least two months as he recovers from surgery.

Spring star: With Harvin and Murphy missing for much of the time, redshirt freshman Deonte Thompson emerged as a playmaker and go-to receiver.

Spring surprise: Many were expecting junior college transfer Carl Moore to be an explosive deep threat, but he looked more like a possession receiver as he searched for a comfort level in the offense.

Offensive line

The good: Maurkice Pouncey made a smooth transition from guard to center and big Carl Johnson, a redshirt sophomore, started playing up to his reputation as a five-star recruit.

The bad: With injuries to Phil Trautwein, Jim Tartt, Maurice Hurt and James Wilson, depth became a major issue and forced the starting five to play both ways for most of the spring game.

What's next: Depth should improve with the return of the injured players in August, and the Gators will try to find a No. 2 line that's capable of spelling the starters.

Spring star: Former starting guard Maurkice Pouncey dribbled some snaps to the quarterbacks early in the spring, but shored that up and became a rock in the middle — and a probable future star at center.

Spring surprise: Redshirt freshman guard James Wilson seemed dead-set on transferring at the start of the spring, but decided to remain after getting a chance to practice with his teammates for the first time.

Defensive line

The good: Sophomore end Carlos Dunlap had a breakout spring that culminated with a four-sack performance in the Orange and Blue Debut. Dunlap, Justin Trattou and true freshman Matt Patchan showed enough versatility (and strength) to play both tackle and end. Terron Sanders did some good things at tackle.

The bad: No one really stepped up at the tackle positions like the coaches had hoped. John Brown, Troy Epps and Torrey Davis all struggled with consistency — and had a tendency to take some plays off, which will not fly in the fall.

What's next: The defensive tackles need to continue to develop for the defense to be where the coaches want it to be in the fall. Motivation arrives on May 11, when true freshman tackle Omar Hunter starts classes.

Spring star: Dunlap accepted some tough love from new defensive line coach Dan McCarney and emerged as a potential big-time talent. He was pretty much unblockable in the spring game.

Spring surprise: Patchan, a five-star offensive tackle recruit and an early enrollee, was moved to the defensive line midway through the spring and consistently made plays. McCarney said there's a chance Patchan will start next season, citing his aggressive, all-out approach to the game.

Linebackers

The good: Junior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes had a dominant spring and has taken over as one of the team leaders. Dustin Doe closed strong with an excellent spring game and Brandon Hicks consistently made plays.

The bad: Injuries prevented the Gators from building depth, with Ryan Stamper, John Jones and A.J. Jones all missing considerable practice time.

What's next: The Gators need to get their young guys (Brendan Beal and John Jones, in particular) ready to play because they'll probably have to contribute this season.

Spring star: Spikes has that All-America look about him heading into the season.

Spring surprise: Hicks gave the coaches a good indication on special teams last season that he could be a player. He proved it this spring, earning a battlefield promotion to the first team with two weeks to go in drills.

Secondary

The good: The cornerbacks played with much more confidence and were more effective in man-to-man coverage and breaking on the ball. For the first time since Urban Meyer's been at UF, the Gators have some depth at corner. Meyer said UF has seven who can play — Joe Haden, Wondy Pierre-Louis, Jacques Rickerson, Markihe Anderson, Moses Jenkins, Janoris Jenkins and Jeremy Brown.

The bad: Free safety Major Wright's penchant for always going for the huge hit caused him to miss some tackles, especially early in the spring.

What's next: The Gators will be striving for consistency as they head into two-a-days in August.

Spring star: Haden understandably felt lost at times last season because he had never played cornerback before. Now, with some experience, Haden has emerged as UF's best overall corner.

Spring surprise: Redshirt sophomore Jamar Hornsby was a forgotten player heading into the spring. He came out of it looking like he'll see playing time at both safety positions.

Special teams

The good: The Gators have all sorts of potential big-play options in the return game, led of course, by Brandon James. True sophomore punter Chas Henry improved his consistency and launched some real boomers. True freshman place-kicker Caleb Sturgis has a big-time leg and had a chance to show it off with a 60-yard field goal in the spring game.

The bad: Sturgis and Jonathan Phillips struggled some with consistency.

What's next: The Gators need to settle on a place-kicker and decide which combinations to go with in the return game.

Spring star: Henry bombed some 70-yard punts in scrimmages and it looks like he could be a major factor flipping field position in the fall.

Spring surprise: Scholarship kicker Jonathan Phillips was a non-factor in his first three years at UF, but he had an excellent spring and will be battling Sturgis for the field-goal kicking job in the fall.