In some ways, when Florida takes the field for its annual spring game on Thursday this one will feel like one of the most important in a long time for the Gators.
Which says something about spring games, but that’s another story.
Florida fans with a little bit of history remember the one in Jacksonville in 1990 that paved the way for [autotag]Shane Matthews[/autotag] to be Steve Spurrier’s first starter.
That was a big one. [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]’s first spring game as a starter in 2007 resulted in a huge crowd (47,500 estimated) and we saw a glimpse (three TD passes) of a Heisman season to come.
This one feels different than most spring games because it is different. In the first place, Florida fans have been deprived of spring games for the last two years because of the pandemic.
In the second place, it’s a Thursday night, a move made by [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] to hopefully enhance recruiting.
And thirdly, this is our first look at Billy Ball.
So, it does feel important. Just don’t get carried away. Here are five things that really matter about this spring game.