The morning after practicing for the first time this preseason,
and only 10 days after having his appendix removed, Florida quarterback
Jeff Driskel proclaimed himself 100-percent healthy and not limited in
any way.
“It was good,” Driskel
said Friday of his first practice Thursday night. “Everything felt good
in my stomach. I thought I threw the ball really well and I thought we
had a good day offensively.
“I
wasn't limited at all. I was full go. I didn't have any pain, no
issues. I didn't get all the reps I'd like to because I'm still in the
(NCAA) acclimation period, so I couldn't be out there in pads. So, there
were a couple of things I couldn't do. But other than that, I wasn't
limited at all.”
The
Gators opened practice with a one-minute drill, and Driskel led the
offense to a winning field goal, UF coach Will Muschamp said.
“Great
to have Jeff Driskel back at practice last night,” Muschamp said. “Very
accurate with the ball, felt very comfortable in there. For me standing
behind the offense, he had great command in what we were doing and
directing traffic with our offensive football team. Really pleased to
get him back on the field.”
Driskel
practiced in shorts Thursday and Friday and will be in shells (small
shoulder pads) for Saturday's scrimmage and Sunday's practice. Per NCAA
rules concerning the start of preseason camp, Driskel cannot go into
full pads until after his fourth practice.
Driskel said he is good to go health-wise and has no future doctor's appointments concerning his appendectomy surgery.
“There's
nothing scheduled. I'm in the clear,” he said. “It was great. I went in
(Thursday) morning and the doc said I'm good to go. He said, ‘Don't be
dumb about it.'
“If it hurts, tell the trainers and they'll do what's best for me. Don't push through pain is basically what that means.”
Even though the quarterbacks are in non-contact jerseys, Driskel said he thinks he could take a hit right now if he had to.
“I'm
sure I won't take a hit until the first game, but I'm sure I could. We
haven't tested or anything like that. Everything seems fine, and that's
not really any issue for me anymore."
Driskel said he does not feel that missing six practices has put him behind in preparation for the start of the season.
“I
think I'm up to speed,” he said. “Second year in the offense means
there's not really anything I haven't done yet. I think I've done a good
job of staying alert in the meetings and getting the mental reps. I
think I'm good to go.”
Muschamp said Driskel did not look rusty in any way throwing the ball Thursday night.
“Very
good, very good,” Muschamp said. “He had great command. He threw the
ball extremely well. Nice zip on the ball. He threw a couple nice touch
passes. I thought he looked sharp.”
Muschamp
and offensive coordinator Brent Pease have said they expect Driskel to
be a much-improved quarterback in his second year as the starter in
Pease's offense. Driskel said he's eager to show everyone the progress
he has made since last season.
“I'm
excited for the first game to really show it off,” he said. “Thus far I
feel like I've gotten a lot better and I think we've gotten a lot
better as a whole on offense.
“I
just think I'm a lot more comfortable. I know where to throw the ball
and I know where to throw the ball in certain situations, and we're a
lot better at timing. I'm getting the ball out before they're breaking
rather than waiting for them to break to throw the ball. That's a big
difference in catching the ball and getting tackled or catching the ball
and turning it up-field.”
