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Florida Gators running back Adam Lane transfers from program

ByJonathan Bass|
Apr 12, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Adam Lane (22) rushes with the ball during the first half of the spring game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Adam Lane (22) rushes with the ball during the first half of the spring game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Florida Gators running back Adam Lane has transferred from the program.

Next: 30 Greatest College Running Backs Of All-Time

The Florida Gators granted sophomore running back Adam Lane a transfer release on Sunday. According to head coach Jim McElwain, Lane is dealing with some issues in his personal life and desired to move closer to his hometown of Winter Haven, FL (a midway point on I-4 between Orlando and Tampa – roughly 2 1/2 – 3 hours away from Gainesville).

Typically, losing a scarcely-used backup running back (24 attempts, 181 yards, one TD, seven games) isn’t major news. However, for Florida Lane’s departure is one notch below crippling.

Florida is painfully thin on offense, and was already staring at an all-hands-on-deck season. The loss of Lane further illustrates just how dire the situation is in Gainesville. Lane was supposed to play the role of backup to expected starter Kelvin Taylor, while true freshmen Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkite were to battle it out in camp for the RB3 position. With Jim McElwain already stating his plans to play three backs per game, it appears as both young guns will now be thrust into action.

Unfortunately for the now-lighter backfield, it will be running behind a patchwork offensive line that consists of true freshman and offseason transfers. While taboo to speak about in down in The Swamp, Florida’s depth at the line scarily resembles that of the team’s moribund 2013 season – i.e. barely enough bodies.

Elsewhere, the team is monitoring a quarterback battle between redshirt freshman Will Grier and sophomore Treon Harris, who started during the latter half of last season. Grier is expected to win the job, which bodes well for the future of the program, though could lead to further lumps this season.

So, if you’re marking at home, Florida will likely have an untested quarterback playing behind a paper-thin line. With a coach wanting to pump the rock, he can hand off to one running back yet to harness his potential (though in Taylor’s defense, Will Muschamp always seemed perplexed at how to use the second-generation Gator), and a couple of other youngsters.

Grier’s weapons on the outside include the talented Demacus Robinson and X-factor Brandon Powell. Powell has drawn some comparisons to former Florida great Percy Harvin, both for good and ill – in space he’s dangerous, but he’s also plagued by injuries. McElwain could slide Powell into the backfield (where he has spent time in the past) though that would heighten his chance of injury moreso than bouncing around the slot and H-back position.

McElwain was brought in to inject life into a program whose offense had completely flatlined under the previous regime. While most of the talk out of Gainesville is that he’s playing the dual role of architect and coach – giving the entire program a facelift – this first year, at least at the moment, figures to be exceedingly challenging. Gators fans can only hope that he is, at worst, an eyelash more innovative than Muschamp when faced with adversity and players going down. Not that those expectations are too terribly tough, given the last coach’s steadfast refusal to deviate from a plan even as the wheels were falling off.

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