Florida football: Five players Billy Napier says have stood out in spring practice

Florida football is well underway with spring practice and had their first spring scrimmage in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium last night.

After a frustrating 6-7 season last year, Billy Napier and the Gators are looking to bounce back and show the country that the Florida Gators aren’t going anywhere.

Perhaps this year more than most, spring practices in Gainesville are vital, and will tell us a lot about what the team will look like when fall rolls around.

Part of why this year’s practices are more important is because of how much turnover there has been of both players and coaches. Anthony Richardson is gone and will likely be a top-ten pick in the NFL Draft. O’Cyrus Torrence is gone to also be a pro.

The Gators lose their veteran LB and leader of the defense in Ventrell Miller, and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney is off to the Arizona Cardinals, bringing in Austin Armstrong to call the plays. 

With all of these changes, these practices are critical for all the players and coaches to get used to each other, and for the best players to rise to the top.

Graham Mertz, the transfer QB from Wisconsin, needs this time to better understand the offense. And the Gators have a few freshman wideouts like Aidan Mizell and Andy Jean that are turning some heads.

After their scrimmage last night, Napier took to the podium and shared with us some of the players that have been standing out throughout these practices.

Let’s see who they are.