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ANTONYA ENGLISHAndre Caldwell dedicated his offseason to making himself an indispensable Gator.
GAINESVILLE - After Florida's season ended in a bitter 37-17 loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl in January, receiver Andre Caldwell did some serious soul searching.
He had played in all 13 games as a freshman, on special teams and as a receiver. At times, he showed signs of being one of those big-play receivers to which Florida fans have become accustomed. Other times, his youth and inexperience showed; he lacked consistency.
"I just looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Is this where I want to be right now?' " said Caldwell, the former Jefferson High standout. "The answer was no. So I went out and worked a little harder to try to make myself a better player."
He spent the summer working countless hours with Florida quarterback Chris Leak. Nothing was off limits: timing and receiving drills, watching tape, intensive workouts. He took pointers from his brother, former UF and now San Diego Chargers receiver Reche.
"He's worked hard in the offseason," Leak said. "He can be one of the best receivers to ever come to Florida."
Florida was once dubbed "Wide Receiver U." after it started producing all-conference wideouts on a regular basis. Since 1990, Florida has had 14 consecutive seasons with an all-conference first or second-team receiver (two were tight ends, including Ben Troupe last season).
Caldwell, 19, wants to be the next player to carry that tradition. And in his mind, there's no reason to put on a Florida uniform and line up every Saturday afternoon if he doesn't believe that.
"I want to be the go-to guy," Caldwell says confidently. "That's why I came here. I'm at the top of my game right now. I just went out in the summertime and took it very personal.
"I went out and worked hard, practiced my routes, practiced my catching, all the little stuff to make me a better player. And it's working out right now."
He's not the only one who believes that. His offseason dedication has been evident to his coaches and teammates in the preseason.
"There's no doubt he's already improved over where he was in the spring," offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said. "He's got great size. He's over 6 foot. He's right at 200 pounds, he's got extremely good strength and he's the fastest wide receiver we've got. He's got the moves, he's got everything and now the key is being consistent in everything he does."
The Gators lost their top three receivers with the departure of Carlos Perez, Kelvin Kight and Troupe. Leak is being mentioned among the preseason Heisman candidates, but he'll need his receivers to help in that effort.
Caldwell's close relationship with Leak off the field will play an important role for the Gators on the field, he and his coaches believe.
"It helps tremendously," Fedora said. "You're talking about the chemistry of the team, the chemistry of the unit. It's so important that those guys hang out together off the field because the closer they get, they are not going to want to make mistakes and hurt their brother, hurt their best friend. And they are going to give everything they've got for that guy."
Caldwell led all freshmen last season with 19 catches for 174 yards. He has spent considerable time in preseason practices at the outside slot, but coach Ron Zook said Caldwell will excel inside or out.
"He's a year more mature, he knows the game better," Zook said. "That freshman year, your first year, things are going so fast. Now he's in the flow and it's so much easier. He knows what to expect, he knows what's going on."
And he knows what he wants: to be known as the player you want on the field when you need big things to happen.
"That's my reason to be here, to be the go-to guy and to help this team win," Caldwell said.