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During a season when Florida struggled to score and often didn’t get good quarterback play, the one guy the Gators could count on was their savvy sixth-year senior tight end, Jake McGee.
He was their safety valve. And now he’s gone.
So how will the Gators manage at tight end in 2016?
The answer could come in the form of a group effort, not with just one dazzling talent. And the situation might not be as dire as one would think.
“Replacing McGee’s production is no easy feat, but it looks like Florida has the horses to do just that,” wrote Nick De La Torre in gatorcountry.com. “All four tight ends showed improvement in the spring, but DeAndre Goolsby and C’yontai Lewis are a cut above the others.”
McGee’s numbers last season weren’t mind-blowing: 41 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns. But he was always there and it’s that dependability and comfort level that will need to be replaced this fall.
Will the 6-4, 240-pound Goolsby be this year’s better version of McGee? More likely, the production will be more spread out at a position that really needs to be a strength for a program that will be starting another new quarterback in 2016, whoever that turns out to be.
The junior Goolsby (below) showed flashes last season with 17 catches, tying for fifth on the team. His 16.29 yards-per-catch average was eye-popping and showed he could be dangerous down the line if given a bigger role. That bigger role appears to be his in 2016.
But then there’s Lewis. The 6-4, 228-pound redshirt sophomore missed a month and a half last fall with a thumb injury, so he didn’t get a chance to make the impression that Goolsby did. Lewis only had four catches, but two went for touchdowns in the season opener against New Mexico State.
“If Lewis can stay healthy this year, he could become one of the best pass-catching tight ends the Gators have had in a while,” wrote Anthony Chiang in the Palm Beach Post’s Gators blog.
This fall, Goolsby and Lewis should get plenty of opportunities to be productive as a one-two punch. Their ceiling is so high.
“Goolsby and Lewis are both very talented pass-catchers, and big targets,” according to gatorcountry.com. “Both players are very good with the ball in their hands as well, and their athleticism and ability to run after the catch is unmatched by the other two players at the position.”
The potentially dynamic duo has even had the high-level label of being “matchup nightmares” stuck to them, which is probably more than you could say about McGee, who was simply solid if not spectacular.
“With Florida still looking for playmakers at the receiver position, both should figure into the offense in a big way,” gatorcountry.com predicted.
Assuming both Goolsby and Lewis (below) are featured prominently, that freshly minted signal-caller won’t mind having an extra security blanket to look to in the face of those ferocious SEC defenses.
“Goolsby and Lewis will battle it out for the job, but don’t be surprised to see Florida feature both this upcoming season,” Chiang wrote. “They bring similar skill sets to the table. Both are explosive options in the passing game.”
But the well-rounded McGee masked how much Goolsby and Lewis need to improve their blocking. They won’t have McGee to do that anymore, so both will have to get better in that area.
Goolsby and Lewis won’t be asked to replace McGee alone though. Redshirt sophomore Moral Stephens (6-3, 247) and sophomore Camrin Knight (6-3, 230) provide quality depth behind them.
And Gators coach Jim McElwain isn’t hoping they can contribute as accessories. McElwain is expecting it.
“Moral Stephens is a guy that’s really elevated through his offseason and now there’s a real opportunity to jump in there now with C’yontai and [Goolsby],” McElwain told onlygators.com. “Camrin Knight, who took reps for us last year, when you see the guy run out there you might go, ‘Well, geez, who’s that guy?’ Well, it’s because he’s grown up a bit; he had a great offseason.”
Where Knight can really make an impact is as a blocker, allowing Goolsby and Lewis to be the talented pass-catchers they appear destined to be.
“The numbers here are really shallow, but the duo of Lewis and Goolsby have the potential to be special,” De La Torre wrote. “A healthy Lewis and Goolsby gives [offensive coordinator] Doug Nussmeier two weapons on offense, and Knight should be able to hold up blocking.”
There is help coming in a big way at tight end for the Gators in 2017. Kemore Gamble, the No. 1 tight end in Florida out of Miami, committed to UF at the spring game. And the Gators are also targeting top tight end prospect Tre’ McKitty. That’s all nice, but that’s also next year.
In the fall of 2016, they won’t be there and neither will McGee, so the Gators have to make sure Goolsby and Lewis prosper like they think they should, that Stephens continues to develop, and that Knight continues to block and learn.
“I’m real proud of Cam. Cam’s learning a lot of the positions, both as an ‘H’ tight end as well as an on-the-line tight end,” Florida tight ends coach Greg Nord told GatorBait.net.
UF’s defense is expected to be really good again, and it’s this group of tight ends, along with returning receiver Antonio Callaway (assuming he returns from suspension), that can keep that defense as fresh as possible by extending drives and finishing more of them.
Nord said he would like to see Lewis add more size. He also said on the gatorbytes blog: “I’m not going to put a ceiling on the kid. [Lewis] has got a great chance to be a great player before he leaves here.”
Four talented tight ends to share the load, with versatility and explosiveness and a willingness to learn and grow. Sounds like a strong answer to losing McGee. Now all the Gators have to figure out is who will be throwing them the ball.
Cory Nightingale, a sports copy editor at the Miami Herald, lives for Saturdays. He especially enjoys the pageantry, tradition and history of SEC football.
