AP ON FIRST PRACTICE

THREE FLORIDA QB'S



Associated Press:

GAINESVILLE, Fla.

During Florida's first day of spring training practice on Wednesday the senior quarterback outperformed the freshman phenomenon. The star wide receiver made an impressive return from a horrible leg injury. In a wide open running back race, one candidate may already be out of the picture. And one starting defensive tackle from 2005 is not on the team at the moment.

The Gators, who have not won an SEC East title since 2000, hope to get back to their championship level of the previous decade, but they have a few issues to settle along the way."We've only had one day," said coach Urban Meyer. "After we've practiced 12 times, Ill let you know."

Chris Leak, who has started since the fifth game of his freshman year in 2003, looked sharp.

Heralded freshman Tim Tebow, who enrolled for the spring semester, was less accurate as his father, his two brothers and his high school coach watched."I'm just real excited to be in the same offense for two consecutive seasons," said Leak, who had three offensive coordinators in his first three seasons. "I feel comfortable.

"Leak and Tebow both were Parade All-America selections, but Tebow, who owns the Florida record for high school passing yards, created almost unprecedented buzz when he committed to the Gators last December."I thought he'd be a little more comfortable because he ran similar stuff in high school," Meyer said. "He's out here wanting to set the world on fire instead of just completing passes, but he's going to be terrific."

Several of Leaks passes went to Andre Caldwell, a junior who was redshirted last season after sustaining a broken right femur against Tennessee. That injury normally is associated with high-speed car accidents or falls from high places, and Caldwell is practicing with a long metal rod in his leg.After catching 43 passes for 689 yards in 2004, he was poised for another huge year when he got hurt on a kickoff return against Tennessee. Known for his speed, he was on crutches for six weeks and worried if he would play again.He was able to cut and run in a no-contact jersey on Wednesday, drawing Meyers praise for his progress."I had flashes (of his career being over), but my teammates, family and friends got me through everything," Caldwell said. "They always kept my head up."

Also, sophomore running back Kestahn Moore is out with a back injury that Meyer said might require surgery. Moore rushed for 277 yards as a true freshman and was on top of Florida's pre-spring depth chart.Without Moore, the three scholarship backs remaining are senior DeShawn Wynn, sophomore Markus Manson and freshman Chevon Walker.

Senior defensive tackle Steven Harris, who started every game last season and made 17 tackles, was not at practice. Meyer said Harris was taking care of personal issues and had "a little work to do before he's welcome back.