GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jim McElwain doesn't often single out players for their performance in practice, but it didn't take long this fall for two guys to stand out to him. Freshmen, at that.

After Florida's split-squad practice for newcomers to open camp, McElwain noted two offensive linemen who stood out.

"Tell you, (Jawaan) Taylor today -– I don’t usually throw out names, don’t think he’s like a first-team All-SEC player, guys -- but I will tell you this: I was impressed with that," McElwain said. "I was impressed with Brett Heggie taking control, especially with not being here just having the summer, which tells me Cam Dillard did a great job with him this offseason. I thought that was good up front."

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In the days since, McElwain has pointed to Taylor yet again as a guy who is standing out. Taylor is a massive 6-foot-5, 340-pound offensive tackle who has started off on the left side for the Gators.

And with Florida desperately searching for tackles who can play behind starters David Sharpe and Fredrick Johnson, Taylor may just be able to work his way onto the field early. McElwain pointed to him Monday as an example of what some of the more veteran players on the line need to take note of.

"It’s a long ways to go, but (Jawaan) Taylor has proven that, you know what, he doesn’t care," McElwain said. "He’s just going to go play hard. We need to get some other guys up there to say, you know what, it’s okay to come off the ball, play with pad level and not maybe be passive, if that’s a good word."

It's not just McElwain noticing the difference, either. On an offensive line that was starved for quality depth a year ago, the guys in starting roles now are starting to see some serious competition from the two young guns, as well as a handful of other redshirt freshman guards inside.

"I worked out with those guys specifically during the summer," left guard Antonio Riles said of Taylor and Heggie. "I love their work ethic and the things that they do. They came, they jumped right in and it was as if they already knew what we were doing. So I’m excited about those two guys."

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