Highlights
Sophomore Will Hill ran with the first-team defense in the absence of injured safety Major Wright, who sat out after being dinged up Wednesday. Hill made the most of the opportunity, making several plays and intercepting a pass from Tim Tebow late in practice. He definitely looks comfortable in the starter’s role. ... Tebow and No. 2 quarterback John Brantley both did a nice job leading the offense down the field during the two-minute drill at the end of practice. Both were pretty sharp throwing the ball for most of the day. ... Early in practice, starting cornerback Joe Haden blocked a field goal. He broke up several passes later in the practice and continues to be one of the defensive stars of the spring. ... During a one-on-one blocking drill, tight end Aaron Hernandez handled outside linebacker Ryan Stamper. ... Sophomore wide receiver Paul Wilson had one of his best practices since he’s been at UF . He caught several passes, including one for 18 yards and another for 22. ... The No. 1 secondary pretty much had the receivers blanketed during the seven-on-seven passing drill. ...Redshirt freshman outside linebacker Lerentee McCray had a tackle for loss. ... On back-to-back plays, Brantley completed a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Frankie Hammond and Tebow hooked up with Hernandez for a 35-yard gain. A few minutes later, Tebow threw a strike to Hernandez down the middle of the field for a 40-yard gain. On the next play, Tebow threw a 15-yard TD pass to Hammond. ... Defensive end William Green tipped a Brantley pass in the backfield after a strong rush from the outside. ...Tebow found walk-on wide receiver Cade Holliday behind the No. 2 secondary for a 50-yard pass play. ... Cornerback Janoris Jenkins, defensive end Duke Lemmens and middle linebacker Brendan Beal all broke up passes. ... Carl Moore caught a 28-yard pass from Tebow.
Lowlights
The quarterbacks are off-limits in all drills, but redshirt freshman defensive tackle Earl Okine stormed through the line and slung Brantley to the ground on the final play of the day. Brantley was momentarily shaken up, holding his right hand, but he appeared fine as he left the practice field. ... The offensive line is so depleted by injuries that walk-on William Steinmann ran with the No. 1 line at left guard throughout the practice. ... Brantley overthrew a wide-open Hammond behind the secondary. ...Holliday and wide receiver Justin Williams dropped passes. ... Hernandez dropped a touchdown pass after nearly making a one-handed catch. He dropped the ball when he tried to secure it with his other hand.
Young guy watch
Redshirt freshmen wide receiver T.J. Lawrence and Frankie Hammond Jr. each caught several passes. ... Sophomore fullback Steven Wilks looks like he’s making a strong push more than midway through the spring. After catching a touchdown pass in Wednesday scrimmage, Wilks did a nice job during a one-on-one blocking drill, keeping defender at bay.
Play of the day
In the two-minute drill near the end of practice, safety Will Hill drew a huge cheer from the crowd when he reached in and stole a pass from tight end Aaron Hernandez. The interception came against Tim Tebow.
Injury update
Senior tailback Emmanuel Moody missed practice after having a pin placed in his hand to replace a small bone that was fractured in Wednesday’s practice. Running backs coach Kenny Carter said Moody will return to practice Monday. ... Offensive tackle Matt Patchan (knee) practiced for the first time this spring. He looked good going against defensive tackle Jaye Howard in the two-minute drill. ... Several injured players dressed out but did not practice, including defensive tackle Brandon Antwine (knee), outside linebacker A.J. Jones (shoulder), center Maurkice Pouncey (shoulder), offensive guard James Wilson (foot), wide receiver Deonte Thompson (hamstring), defensive tackle Terron Sanders (calf), cornerback Jeremy Brown (back) and defensive end Justin Trattou (shoulder). ... Fullback T.J. Pridemore missed Friday’s practice. There were no details on his injury. ... Redshirt freshman wide receiver T.J. Lawrence appeared to slightly sprain an ankle as he was being tackled out of bounds in the two-minute drill.
