A Gator team still searching for its offensive identity might have found a potential star to tie its reins to in the form of Mike Gillislee.
Head coach Will Muschamp had some high praise for the senior running back following Saturday's scrimmage, according to Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com.
"[Senior Mike Gillislee], to me, has still distanced himself from an all-around back standpoint - protections, carrying the ball, doing the little things, carrying the fakes out," Muschamp said. "His experience helps, obviously. He's very driven. He is a guy that can have top-end speed and finish some runs for us."
While this may seem like Muschamp is finally sold, fans will might still want to take a wait-and-see approach before getting too excited about Gillislee, as the head coach has seemed to forget about the career backup at times.
The 5'11", 209-pound running back actually received a slight decrease in carries last year from his sophomore campaign (58 to 56) with his red-zone opportunities decreasing as well (seven touchdowns to just two).
Working in Gillislee's favor is the fact that Muschamp has already acknowledged earlier this offseason he "should have played him more last year." And with Chris Rainey a Pittsburgh Steeler now, it seems that Muschamp just might be forced to follow his declaration.