For some strange, inexplicable reason, this is the way it works with the college HOF. In the NFL, the elite players usually get voted into the HOF the year they become eligible (like, say, Emmitt Smith, pro football’s all-time leading rusher). That never seems to happen with the college version of the HOF. The elite players sometimes have to wait decades (like, say, Deion Sanders, who had to wait 23 years after his FSU career ended).

Wuerffel became eligible for the HOF in 2006, 10 years after his UF career ended, but he did not make it on the ballot for the first time until this year (how in the world does that happen?). He, of course, was passed over in the voting that was announced Tuesday.

Wuerffel automatically goes on to next year’s ballot, but that guarantees nothing, as former Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier found out Tuesday. He somehow was passed over for the second year in a row, while two of the three quarterbacks who were voted in (Steve Bartkowski and Tommy Kramer) had college careers that did not even come close to Frazier’s.

It’s pretty obvious Wuerffel might have to wait a while before he gets that call from the HOF.

The College Football Hall of Fame has a track record of shunning some of the game’s greatest players for years before welcoming them into the club.

Here are a few examples: Steve Spurrier, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1966, did not go into the HOF until 1986; Georgia All-America defensive end Bill Stanfill had to wait 30 years; Roger Staubach, who won the Heisman in 1963, didn’t make it in until 1981; Herschel Walker didn’t get the Hall call until 17 years after he last carried the football for the Georgia Bulldogs.

It makes no sense.

When Wuerffel was passed over Tuesday, some reasoned that it’s because players usually don’t get voted in the first time they’re on the ballot. That’s not true. Former UF All-America wide receiver Carlos Alvarez was on the ballot for the first time last year and he was voted in.

Wuerffel was one of the greatest college quarterbacks to ever play the game. He won the Heisman. He led the Gators to the national championship his senior season (1996). He should not have been voted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday. That should have happened in 2006, the year he became eligible.

The way the College Football Hall of Fame votes in members makes no sense, no sense at all.

Well, we’re reviving the tradition here.

We present our version of the Gators’ spring football awards:

Best offensive player — Hard pick here, but we’re going with a true freshman — wide receiver Latroy Pittman, who brought some much-needed electricity to the downfield passing game.

Best defensive player — Easy pick here. Buck defensive end/linebacker Ronald Powell. He was dominant in scrimmages and established himself as a dynamic outside pass rusher. Which brings us to our next award.

Biggest disappointment — Powell tearing his ACL in the first half of the spring game. Just when it appeared he was coming into his own, a major setback for him and the Gators. He could miss the whole month of September and some of October.

Most improved offensive player — Xavier Nixon. After being a revolving door at offensive tackle at times last season, he re-established himself as a very solid player. He’s bigger, stronger — and healthy (which he wasn’t for much of last season).

Most improved defensive player — We have a tie here between cornerback Jaylen Watkins and safety Jabari Gorman. Watkins looks like a different player. Gorman was all over the field making plays in the spring game.

Best disappearing act — Kyle Christy. The Gators punted zero times in the spring game. What’s up with that?

Best true freshman — A lot of guys in the mix here, but we’re going with linebacker Antonio Morrison, who has future star written all over him. Man, can that guy hit.

The Greg See courage award — Easy call. Senior offensive guard James Wilson, whose career has been crippled by chronic knee problems, was granted a sixth year of eligibility and made it through the spring healthy and as the starter at left guard.

Worst hair: Middle linebacker Michael Taylor. He just doesn’t look right as a blond.

Best position battle: No question about this one. Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel are so close in the QB competition that their battle will carry over to the fall. Will anyone be surprised if the Gators end up playing both next season? Didn’t think so.

Most improved position group — The offensive line went from being soft to a potential team strength. The big guys have really bought into this get-tougher mentality.

Best coaching job of the spring — We have a tie. Offensive coordinator Brent Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis. The new guys on the staff really got it done.

“Mike has distanced himself to be that guy,” UF coach Will Muschamp said.

To be THE guy at tailback for the first time in his career.

He’s had such a good spring that now in the final few practices the coaches are giving Mack  Brown and Omarius Hines the bulk of the carries to sort out the pecking order behind Gillislee.

“We need to start creating some separation there (between the backups) because when you get in the season, those reps, practice reps, become hard for everybody to get,” Muschamp said. “That’s what we’re looking for.”

Perhaps the key for Gillislee is the fact that he’s stayed healthy and in the lineup. Over the past three seasons, he’s been hampered by numerous nagging injuries, usually to one of his ankles.

For Gillislee to remain the guy at tailback in the fall, he will have to stay healthy. He said last week he’s taking measures to make sure that happens by working out hard (and smart) and taking care of his body.

Given Gillislee’s injury history, though, Muschamp is still considering all possibilities at tailback, including the position being handled by committee in the fall if that’s the best way to go.

“We’ll let that situation play its way out,” Muschamp said. “You’d like to have the one guy, but obviously if it’s got to be by committee, we’re going to do what it takes to win games. I’m not ready to say right now what that will be.

“Mike is a guy who has been banged up a lot. You’ve got to prepare and have enough depth prepared for that. You’ve got a guy, Matt Jones, coming in as a freshman. I hope he can contribute.”

There is one certainty at tailback. The Gators are going to be much bigger and stronger at the position than they were last year with the two mini-backs — Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps.

“It’s tremendously different,” Muschamp said. “We’re able to run with a bigger, physical back that can take more hits. There’s no question it’s going to help us.”

You can just call him one busy man on the practice field.

Because the quarterback and wide receivers are so intricately linked in the offense — and the fact Pease was the wide receivers coach at Boise State before he became the offensive coordinator there last season — Pease is spending a lot of his time coaching the wide receivers, along with Aubrey Hill.

Senior wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. thinks it’s pretty cool having the offensive coordinator working so closely with the wide receivers.

“He can see things through our eyes,” Hammond said. “When we tell him things, he’s like, ‘OK, I understand what you saw.’ He can go back and tell you and make little corrections and minor adjustments. Him having that kind of background, when we tell him things like, ‘I saw this,’ he has a better understanding because he’s coached the position.”

Pease is spending a lot of time coaching the receivers this spring.

“Yeah, yeah. Most definitely,” he said. “I’m probably a little, however you want to say it, picky or detailed or whatever with those guys, making the quarterback’s throw right on timing and rhythm and things. That’s important to me.

“When I was a receiver coach, I coached it that way so for the quarterback, it’s as easy for him as it can be. You can become robots in that position. You don’t want robots. You want guys that handle things, be able to beat coverages, little adjustments. Because you’re not always just running routes, you’re beating coverages.”

Pease was asked if the UF receivers were fundamentally sound at this point, or does he need to work more with them on that than he thought he would.

“I’d say more work,” he said. “What else do they have to do to make the jump? There’s so much involved in being a receiver. You’ve got stance, catching skills, blocking skills, releases, upper-body mechanics of it, lower-body mechanics of it, you’ve got to adjust to different coverages.

“You have to break all those things down in phases and develop those kids off a play call. That takes a lot of time. Realistically, we don’t always have that much time with them out there. So you’re going fast. They have to learn to be very coachable.

“As soon as you think you know what you’re going to do and something changes in front of you, you’ve got to adjust. That’s a lot of time. There’s a lot of reps. You’ve got to do 2,500 reps to reach perfection, they say. You can’t get that many reps in every little skill ability that they need. You hope they’re natural athletes. Our guys are good enough.”

They’re apparently starting to show it in practice. By all accounts, the wide receivers are consistently making more plays than they did last spring and last season. A lot of it has to do with coaching — making the receivers comfortable and confident in a scheme that fit the receivers so well at Boise State.

In breaking down the wide receivers for the media the other night, new offensive coordinator Brent Pease mentioned only four — and that really catches your attention. He said he was probably leaving somebody out (he was), but the reality is the guys he did not mention likely will be little or no factor in the passing game in 2012.

The overall lack of proven playmaking ability at wide receiver is downright scary. Pease is hoping to generate a consistent passing game that produces some explosive plays. But the burning question is: Who is going to make those plays?

The bottom line is the Gators lack elite, impact players at wide receiver. There are two guys who have a chance to become playmakers, but both have a long way to go to gain that status.

The Gators lack numbers and talent at wide receiver.

Here’s a look at the wide receivers Pease mentioned the other night:

* Andre Debose, Jr. — He was the go-to guy last season, yet he caught only 16 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns. He’s a tough guy to figure out. He’s obviously a gifted athlete with great hands and speed. But he’s been plagued by injuries and an overall lack of consistency. One game he looks like an elite receiver, the next he disappears. He’s once again battling injuries and has not done much so far this spring, according to Pease.

* Quinton Dunbar, So. — He was the talk of preseason camp last summer, then he flopped in the fall. The way the coaches were talking about him in two-a-days, the expectation for Dunbar was that he would be a consistent playmaker and the Gators’ biggest home run threat. But once the season started, he was basically a non-factor, catching only 14 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Pease said Dunbar has shown great improvement already this spring and with a year of experience he could be ready to take off. There’s no guarantee, though.

* Frankie Hammond, Sr.  — The coaches love his work ethic and consistency, but there is nothing flashy about his game or the numbers he’s put up in his career. More of a possession receiver than a big-play threat, Hammond caught only 15 passes last season and has only 41 for 514 yards and three touchdowns in his career.

* Latroy Pittman, Fr. — The early enrollee is a very good athlete who has pretty good speed and hands. He’s very raw at the moment and has a great deal to learn before he’s ready to make plays in the SEC.

Here’s a look at the scholarship wide receivers Pease did not mention:

* Ja’Juan Story, RFr. — This former high school quarterback is still in the early stages of learning a new position, and he’s extremely raw. He has speed, size and impressive athletic ability, but like Pittman, he has a long, long way to go. He’s done little to distinguish himself so far this spring.

* Solomon Patton, Jr.  — This undersized athlete has turned into an excellent special teams player, but he’s done almost nothing at wide receiver. His role likely will not change much in 2012. In his two seasons at UF, he’s caught only seven passes for 62 yards.

* Stephen Alli, Jr. — This little-known high school prospect was an Urban Meyer project that has not worked out. His size and speed have helped him do some things on special teams, but he’s been no factor at wide receiver. In two years, he’s caught three passes for 17 yards in mop-up duty.

Here’s one more who comes on board in the fall:

* Raphael Andrades, Fr. — This three-star prospect from Tallahassee Lincoln was a late addition to the 2012 recruiting class after the Gators missed out on some WRs that were much higher on their board. He has some size (6-foot, 190 pounds) and some speed (4.5 in the 40), but like Alli, he’s going to be a little bit of a long-range project.

It’s a little bit scary when you look at what the Gators have (or don’t have) at wide receiver. Where are the plays going to come from in 2012?

Well, here’s a news flash for all the news hounds who really believe the conspiracy theory: Muschamp did not open these two practices for the media, he did it for the fans.

Now that we’ve set that straight, time to move on to the open practices. Some are still complaining (fans and media) that two isn’t enough. Believe me, having covered hundreds of spring practices over the years, two is more than enough. Two will give us plenty of time to figure out who’s who and what’s what. Then we’ll see the Gators again at the spring game.

Here are a few things I’m going to be checking out during these two open practices:

* Senior offensive tackle Xavier Nixon is listed at 309 pounds on the spring depth chart. This is a guy who was barely pushing 250 last spring. It will be interesting to see if he actually is more than 300, and what kind of extra weight is he carrying (muscle or some mush). If he’s a strong and legitimate 309 pounds, he has a chance to reach his immense potential in his senior season.

* Redshirt freshman Ja’Juan Story is not among the six wide receivers listed on the depth chart, which is interesting (or maybe troubling). Last fall many were speculating that Story had the size, speed and athletic ability to bring some play-making ability to the passing game that was missing in 2011. He’s a former high school quarterback, so maybe his transition to wide receiver is coming along more slowly than anticipated. It will be interesting to see just where he’s at in his development.

* Omarius Hines seeing time at tailback is intriguing. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s explosive, and, maybe, he can help the Gators achieve the downhill rushing attack they are seeking this spring. It’s an experiment that bears watching.

* True freshman offensive tackle D.J. Humphries is not listed on the depth chart, but he and fellow early enrollee Jessamen Dunker (listed as the No. 2 right guard on the depth chart) are expected to add instant depth to the offensive line. Humphries is going to need to gain weight and strength between now and next fall, but he’s a very athletic OT who apparently is a great technician. It will be interesting to see how he matches up against a strong UF defensive line this spring.

* The Gators have not had much success with junior college transfers in the past, but the coaches seem very high on defensive tackle Damien Jacobs, who could have an immediate impact on the defensive front. He’ll work at both tackle positions this spring and should get plenty of reps with Dominique Easley still out while recovering from knee surgery. Jacobs’ development is crucial for establishing much-needed depth on the D-line.

* Loucheiz Purifoy really came on strong at the end of last season as a true freshman and now is listed as a starter at one of the cornerback positions. He’s a big kid (6-1, 186 pounds) who can really run and seems to have a knack for making plays. He has a chance to emerge as one of UF’s best defensive players this spring.

* Like everyone else, I’m going to spend a lot of time watching the two sophomore quarterbacks — Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel. They were so young and inexperienced last season that they weren’t allowed to do much when they were forced to play when John Brantley was injured (twice). We’ll have a chance to see them run the entire offense this spring — and throw the ball down the field. The competition between the two will be the most watched battle of the spring — and perhaps the most crucial.

* I’m really looking forward to watching junior outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who seems primed to emerge as an elite SEC defensive player. I saw him at Pro Day and he’s really cut, weighing a muscular 233 pounds. He looks more like an SEC linebacker now — and he runs like a safety. Some are speculating he could be a first-round NFL Draft pick a year from now.

* Speaking of linebackers, true freshman Antonio Morrison has been an absolute beast in the weight room and in workouts, from what we’ve been told. If he can play like the coaches think he can, he’ll give the Gators some much-needed depth at linebacker.

The news did not come as a surprise to Will Muschamp and the Florida coaches. They knew it was coming. Fowler had told them weeks earlier that he was going to sign with Florida instead of FSU, the school he had committed to more than a year ago.

At Wednesday’s signing day news conference, Muschamp was asked if there was a lot of FSU stuff in Fowler’s house when he visited Fowler and his family two weeks ago. Muschamp smiled and said, “no.” There wasn’t because Fowler was already a Gator.

Fowler should be the poster boy for top prospects who flip late in the process. He maintained throughout that he was 100-percent committed to FSU, while quietly being turned by Muschamp and the Gators. Had he publicly wavered on his commitment, he would have had to deal with all kinds of pressure from Jimbo Fisher and the FSU coaches. Instead, he made the switch to Florida a few weeks ago and sat on that decision until signing day. No pressure, no problem.

Of course, Fowler has been bashed by Seminole supporters on Twitter and Facebook, but he’s OK with that because the decision has been made, it’s final, and he’s a Gator now.

Third OL was not coming
A lot of UF supporters were holding out hope on signing day that standout offensive lineman Avery Young would fall Florida’s way. But it was never going to happen. Here’s the reason: D.J. Humphries.

Young wants to be a left tackle in college (which certainly would boost his NFL stock), but he did not see that opportunity happening at Florida, where Humphries is UF’s future left tackle — and he’s already in school and ready to compete for playing time this spring.

With Humphries in the fold, Florida was not an option for Young. The only surprising thing about his decision Wednesday was the fact he put on an Auburn hat instead of  a Georgia hat.

Howard seemed a lock
The Florida coaches were not surprised at all when wide receiver Nelson Agholor called them late Tuesday night to tell them he was signing with Southern Cal. They expected it all along. The phone call they didn’t expect is the one from cornerback Tracy Howard telling them he was going to be a Hurricane.

When Howard left from his UF visit two weeks ago, he was pretty much all Gator. He knew it, the coaches knew it, so did the other Gator commitments who were on the same visit.

But everything changed with his visit to Miami last weekend. Even though he had shown very little outward interest in the ‘Canes, UM managed to turn him completely. This is the one signing day miss the Florida coaches were not expecting at the first of the week.

Stephon Diggs prediction time?
After my lousy record predicting where nine uncommitted Gator targets would sign, I’m staying away from this one. I know he and his family like Florida a lot, and there is a great chance this is where he’ll sign next week. But I’m reluctant to pull the trigger on this one, especially after Howard’s unexpected switch earlier this week.

It’s a good spot to be in. But it’s also a little bit of a scary one because there are no guarantees at this late stage (no matter what some of these kids have told the UF coaches in private).

Boom or bust. This is what the Gators are looking at on Wednesday. It could be a great day, or it could be a huge letdown.

If I’m Will Muschamp, I’d be OK if the Gators don’t get any of the defensive stars still left on their board. With commitments from 13 defensive players, UF will be fine on that side of the ball even if five-star cornerback Tracy Howard, close to a Gator lock a week ago, signs with Miami (like many are now predicting).

The big concern is on offense. As we saw on the field last season, the Gators desperately need to add some dynamic playmakers on offense. They also need linemen.

Here’s where the really scary part comes in: the Gators have secured only one wide receiver (Latroy Pittman) and two offensive linemen (Jessamen Dunker and D.J. Humphries) at this point. That’s not enough at either position of need, and this is where the Gators could end up.

They have a chance to fill the hole at wide receiver. If the Gators land Stephon Diggs and/or Nelson Agholor, this recruiting class will be a success, even though not quite complete because there’s a good chance UF will not sign any other offensive lineman.

If the Gators pull in both Diggs and Agholor (a possibility), they will have filled their biggest recruiting need in a huge way — with two of the most dynamic wide receivers in the country.

If they miss on both (another possibility), this class will be far from complete (and pretty disappointing) regardless where it ends up in the national rankings.

My advice on that is this: calm down because there’s a good chance it’s not going to happen.

Certainly, Schiano’s stunning move will give Hamilton and his family a lot to think about over the next few days, and it obviously gives the Gators a boost in their attempt to sign him next week.

But here’s one thing to remember about Hamilton’s recruitment: He’s favored the home-town school (Rutgers) for a long time for one reason and one reason only — the opportunity to stay close to home and play college football in front of his family. It’s never really been about the chance to play for Schiano.

Schiano is moving to Florida. Hamilton’s family is not.

The Gators may have a lot to offer Hamilton (big-time program, chance to play early, chance to play in the best conference in college football), but Florida is not home.

Rutgers is.