Five key questions at UF spring practice

<p><b>1. What role will Urban Meyer play?</b></p><p>The situation: After signing the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the nation on Feb. 3, Meyer began his indefinite leave of absence. A few weeks later, he announced he planned to return for the start of spring practice. He's reiterated that several times since then, so we're going to assume he'll be out there this afternoon.</p><p>The possibilities: Meyer could come back and do all things he did as a head coach before he left. The spring is stress-free. It's a time to teach and develop players, and those are aspects of the job that Meyer seems to enjoy the most. He could be the head coach this spring, or he could choose to be more of an observer and let interim head coach Steve Addazio run the show. The former seems more likely.</p><p>Keep an eye on: Meyer has been the special teams coordinator, but he may be handing off the bulk of that responsibility to new linebackers coach D.J. Durkin, who worked with Meyer on special teams when the two were at Bowling Green. Durkin comes to UF from Stanford, where he coordinated special teams, so he knows how to do it. It's just a matter of whether Meyer wants to let it go.</p><p><b>2. How different will the offense be?</b></p><p>The situation: With Tim Tebow and his unique skill set gone, the offense obviously is going to change to take advantage of what John Brantley does best — which is read defenses and throw the football.</p><p>The possibilities: The Gators figure to be lining up under center more to add the play-action option to the offense. Brantley has some running skills, but he's not going to be used the way Tebow was on those third-and-short situations. That load now goes to the running backs. The Gators obviously will retain some aspects of the spread offense, including the option, but this offense might look more like the one UF put on display in the Sugar Bowl, with lots of downfield passing to the wide receivers.</p><p>Keep an eye on: The I-formation. We might see a lot of it this spring, with the Gators lining up in a traditional two-back set with a fullback and tailback. Those tailbacks are going to like that.</p><p><b>3. What happens if John Brantley gets hurt?</b></p><p>The situation: This is kind of a scary one because the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster this spring is true freshman Trey Burton now that redshirt freshman Jordan Reed has moved to tight end. UF will have only three scholarship quarterbacks next season with the addition of incoming freshman Tyler Murphy.</p><p>The possibilities: If Brantley goes down this spring, Burton will be the guy. He was excellent running a spread offense in high school, but his throwing mechanics need some serious work. With UF expected to be more of a traditional downfield passing attack, Burton is going to have to improve dramatically as a passer.</p><p>Keep an eye on: Chas Henry. Yes, he's the punter, but he was a very good high school quarterback and he's an excellent athlete. He's the next in line behind Brantley and Burton.</p><p><b>4. How different will the defense be?</b></p><p>The situation: Former Arizona Cardinals secondary coach Teryl Austin takes over for longtime UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, whose defenses were among the strongest in the nation the past two seasons.</p><p>The possibilities: When he took the job, Austin said the Gators' basic defensive scheme and philosophy would pretty much stay the same, which should create a smooth transition for the players. Austin, however, will incorporate some of the things he likes to do defensively. What that is, he said, will depend on the personnel he has to work with. If the cornerbacks can cover man-to-man, this will be an attacking, blitzing defense like it was under Strong. This is a defense that will develop a personality over the next three weeks, but it probably won't be dramatically different than it has been.</p><p>Keep an eye on: The 3-4 look (three defensive linemen and four linebackers). The Gators actually ran quite a bit of this under strong, but we'll probably see a lot more of it with Austin's NFL background.</p><p><b>5. Which early enrollees will have an impact?</b></p><p>The situation: In keeping with the growing trend in college football, the Gators have 11 members of their freshmen class already enrolled and ready to compete in spring practice.</p><p>The possibilities: UF is looking to get immediate help from several of these guys. Gerald Christian is expected to make a serious run at the starting tight end role. His high school teammate, Matt Elam, figures to push for playing time at free safety. Joshua Shaw and Jaylen Watkins are highly rated cornerback prospects who should be in the mix to replace Joe Haden. Trey Burton, of course, is the No. 2 quarterback and will get lots of reps — and plenty of coaching from Scot Loeffler.</p><p>Keep an eye on: Neiron Ball has been a bit overlooked, but he's an excellent athlete who could contribute at end or outside linebacker. He could be an immediate factor on special teams.</p>