GAINESVILLE, Fla. — During his one exemplary season coaching Kyle Pitts, Florida tight ends coach Tim Brewster was reminded of his six-year stint as an NFL assistant in which he helped develop Antonio Gates.
While Gates emerged as one of the greatest undrafted players in history, Pitts projects to be a top-10 selection when the 2021 draft unfolds April 29.
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“I’ve probably talked to all 32 teams at this point about Kyle Pitts, and I think he’s a generational player,” Brewster said Wednesday night. “Antonio Gates, I thought, would be the absolute best player I’ve ever coached.”
That’s where Brewster suggests Pitts could be even more valuable, considering his advanced technique, supreme size-skill mixture and the fact he’s only 20 years old.
“You know that he’s 6-6, 245 pounds, probably runs 4.5, maybe he’ll run better. Catch radius, hands, he’s got the absolute total package,” Brewster said, predicting that teams will attempt to trade up for Pitts.
“There’s just, there’s no holes in the kid. The development that he made in the run game to make him a more complete tight end, I think just totally helped him in the eyes of the National Football League. They look at him a little bit like they’re looking at quarterbacks. If you’ve got an opportunity to get this guy, you better get him.”
Most college offenses would be thrilled to have players in reserve like Keon Zipperer — the nation’s No. 2 tight end in 2019 — and four-star recruits ranging from senior Kemore Gamble to the incoming Gage Wilcox. Then again, when you’re trying to fill a Mackey Award-sized hole like the one Pitts left, the bar rises dramatically.
Brewster can’t publicly discuss the potential arrival of LSU transfer Arik Gilbert, perceived as a generational recruit in his own right. Gilbert committed to the Gators last month but will continue to draw heavy attention from other schools until he enrolls in May.
“For me as the tight end coach, I’m in the dream spot,” Brewster said. “There’s tight ends all over America that are calling and wanting to be part of this offense at the University of Florida. They’ve seen what Pitts did. I kinda kid Dan (Mullen) that I wish I could take three tight ends this year. Right now, the excitement level with players in the country, tight ends in the country, they want to be Gators. And I bring great passion and energy to selling what makes this place great and the position. And then I show a highlight tape of Kyle Pitts, and it’s like ‘wow’, you know, ‘amazing.’ It’s a lot of fun being a tight end coach at the University of Florida right now.”
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Dade County do-wah-diddy-diddy
Hearing Brewster drop a Luther Campbell reference made me realize I need to dig out my 2 Live Crew cassette, one of the few high school artifacts that has accompanied me across nine moves and six states.
Brewster is once more combing familiar territory in Dade County, which features seven Class of 2022 recruits ranked among the nation’s top 200, per the 247Sports Composite. When combining the five years he recruited Dade at Florida State with his recent work for the Gators, Brewster has landed six Dade County natives who ranked as four- and five-star prospects. The most gleaming signee so far was Dalvin Cook, the No. 13 overall recruit in 2014.
“I love Dade County,” Brewster said Wednesday night. “I’ve been in and out of Florida basically at every job I’ve had. But there’s so many great football players in South Florida. I have a lot of contacts in Dade County and South Florida.
“I go down there and I hang out with my buddy Luke and we can talk mess to each other about he’s a Cane and now I’m a Gator. It’s a lot of fun, you know, I have a great time. And most importantly, just the talent in that area. It’s so important for us at the University of Florida to get the best players in the state of Florida.”
If the Gators had a nickel …
Tre’Vez Johnson and Trey Dean are the only returnees with experience playing the star nickel position, but after four spring practices, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham isn’t limiting the field of candidates.
“If you play DB, you could be there,” he said Wednesday.
Second-year safety Kamar Wilcoxson and freshman enrollee Jordan Young are among the young players getting reps there currently. Summer enrollee Diwun Black also could be a factor.
In Grantham’s defense, the nickel defender varies, depending upon whether that week’s opponent features an elite slot receiver or a bigger-bodied physical player.
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“If you’re a DB, there is a chance we may evaluate you as a nickel,” Grantham said. “Because at the end of the day you’re basically aligning to the slot and you’re matching either (receivers) 2 or 3 relative to routes or coverage. You’re really doing the same thing as a safety, so if you can play safety, you can really play nickel from a learning standpoint.
“When there gets to be a little more coverage element, that’s where the guys that have played corner before can come in and play and give you some relief.”
Transferring energy
Auburn transfer Daquan Newkirk was in the portal for fewer than four days in January before revealing he was Florida-bound. Antonio Shelton had a 14-day interim between announcements that he was leaving Penn State and joining the Gators.
Unlike the years-long efforts that go into high school recruiting, the transfer swap shop is often fast and furious.
“When we knew that they were in the portal, we immediately got tape on them, evaluated and looked at them and made a decision that we wanted them to be a part of our team,” Grantham said.
Calling their signings “a big step in the right direction” for a defensive line lacking veterans, Grantham likened their attitudes to what transfer Jonathan Greenard brought in 2019.
“The biggest thing I’ve been impressed with is not only their play and their performance, but their work ethic, their mentality,” Grantham said. “I think it’s always about creating positive energy and leadership and rooms.”
‘Big Dez’ debuts
Before December’s early signing period, we told you that the listed recruiting weight of 6-foot-5 nose tackle Desmond Watson might be on the low side.
A svelte 380 back then, Watson is now 432 pounds, according to Florida’s updated spring roster. How’s that for inflation?
With Florida live streaming practice sessions on Instagram, “Big Dez” sightings have become must-watch. Makes you marvel that the folks at Jumpman can produce pants so stretchy.
“He’s obviously a big human,” Grantham said.
#Gators DL drills:
Big Desmond Watson and Daquon Newkirk pic.twitter.com/fRrLIpwp0G
— Jacquie Franciulli (@JacquieFran_) February 22, 2021
By contrast, Florida’s starting interior defensive linemen last season were Tedarrell Slaton (340 pounds) and Kyree Campbell (295). The primary backups were Gervon Dexter (308), Marlon Dunlap (285) and Jalen Lee (315).
Despite being only a three-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite, Watson became a priority for a Gators defensive staff seeking to fortify the run defense. Of course, the need for mass up front must be accompanied by lateral quickness — not some guy who moves like a manatee. Even in his supersized state, Watson appears relatively agile.
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“The thing that impresses me about him for his size and where he is, he’s really a good athlete,” Grantham said. “He’s really got quick feet and he’s got ability to change direction. He’s obviously going to be a guy that can hold the point.
“But I think if he works to get in the kind of shape he wants to be — and that we want him to be — you’re going to see a guy that will be able to make some range plays. Maybe get from point A to point B a little bit better than you may anticipate right now.”
While the arrivals of Newkirk (318) and Shelton (318) buy time for young linemen to develop, Watson could emerge in short-yardage packages next season. And perhaps he’ll earn more playing time if he slims down to 400 and exhibits conditioning that allows for longer stretches on the field.
“Big Dez Watson is working his ass off in the weight room,” third-year linebacker Mohamoud Diabate said.
(Photo of Keon Zipperer: Kelly Chase / Collegiate Images / Getty Images)