GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- There were times last season when it seemed Florida's backfield had too many quality running backs to keep everyone properly fed.
That won't be the case starting Monday when the Gators open their first spring camp under head coach Jim McElwain.
Matt Jones, Florida's leading rusher in 2014, opted to leave school a year early and enter the NFL Draft. Jones rushed for 817 yards and six touchdowns and at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, provided the Gators with a bruiser in the backfield to contrast the running style of Kelvin Taylor.
The 5-10, 209-pound Taylor runs low to the ground and provides a combination of power and quickness. As a sophomore, Taylor rushed for 565 yards and six touchdowns to emerge as the favorite to pick up many of the 166 carries from a season ago that departed with Jones.
Reserve Mack Brown has also departed. A fifth-year senior last season, Brown's role was reduced in Kurt Roper's offensive scheme and he carried just 22 times for 95 yards after playing a key role in 2013 when the Gators spent much of the season without Jones due to an illness and midseason knee injury.
While Jones and Brown are absent, redshirt sophomore Adam Lane showed he has the potential to play a much more significant role by winning MVP honors in a Birmingham Bowl victory over East Carolina.
Lane entered the game with just eight career carries for 72 yards. However, with Jones out due to a sore shoulder and Taylor carrying only four times, Roper turned to Lane to carry much of the offensive load.
Lane produced with 109 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown in the Gators' 28-20 victory. He instantly became one of the most unlikely bowl MVPs in Florida football history.
Lane (5-7, 224 pounds) is a bowling-ball type runner who is difficult to tackle and isn't afraid of contact. He flashed good speed and quickness in the bowl game and reeled off a 48-yard run that led to a Florida touchdown.
Taylor and Lane enter spring as the most proven among Florida's running backs.
Brandon Powell is another talented player who saw action at running back as a true freshman last season. Powell carried 16 times for 70 yards and added 15 catches for 147 yards.
Powell is perhaps at his best when he gets the ball in open space and McElwain said Tuesday that the plan is to use Powell more at receiver this spring. He split time in the backfield and in the slot last season, playing in all but one game.
"We're going to primarily put him at wideout and give us an opportunity there," McElwain said. "That obviously makes us thin at running back, but at the same time, you kind of do a guy a disservice when you try to do a little bit of both."
With Powell getting an extended look at receiver, Taylor and Lane can expect a lot of carries in spring practice.
Senior Mark Herndon and walk-on Darius Masline are also running backs on the roster. Herndon continues to recover from a season-ending knee injury suffered during a kickoff return last season at Alabama.
Herndon is a former walk-on who was placed on scholarship prior to the 2013 season and could factor into the plans once he is healthy. Masline's only appearance last season was in mop-up duty in the season opener against Eastern Michigan when he ran seven times for 25 yards.
Like McElwain said, the Gators are thin at running back this spring but signed two running backs in February who will be here for fall camp: Jordan Scarlett (5-11, 210) from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, and Jordan Cronkrite (5-11, 195) from Westminster Christian in Miami.
Scarlett was considered a big get for the Gators. He was being heavily pursued by Miami and Florida State as well.
"I would describe Jordan as number one, elite, and number two, you're getting a guy who creates so much excitement," Aquinas offensive coordinator Jason Milgrom told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on National Signing Day. "That opportunity is there to hit the home run. The people in The Swamp are going to love this kid. That's a quality certain backs have and certain backs don't have and that's a gift he does have."
Meanwhile, Cronkrite chose the Gators over Miami after rushing for nearly 1,350 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.
