Florida Football has had its ups and downs in recent years. Here’s five reasons why the Gators will get over the hump in 2017.
Offense sells tickets, defense wins games. That’s one way to look at the Southeastern Conference, especially the Florida Gators. The team went 9-4 in Jim McElwain’s second season as head coach, despite having the 107th-ranked scoring offense (23.9 points per game) in the nation.
Florida went 6-2 in SEC play, winning the East division and making it all the way to the conference championship game. They fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 54-16. Then-starting quarterback Austin Appleby threw three interceptions in the game, including a pick-six in the first half.
On the bright side, the Florida Gators defense was stellar in 2016. The scoring defense ranked sixth in the FBS, allowing just 16.8 points per game. The downside: only five starters from last year’s defensive unit are on the roster for 2017.
The Gators offense returns nine starters. With experience under their belt, they hope to turn a corner in 2017. The team will need to put some off-the-field issues behind them, including the recent arrest of wide receiver Antonio Callaway.
On a positive note, the Florida Gators recently earned the commitment of Notre Dame graduate transfer quarterback Malik Zaire. Zaire will be eligible to play immediately. With the starting quarterback likely going to Zaire, there’s optimism the Gators will get over the hump in 2017.
5. Inserting new quarterbacks in the fold
A few issues with the Florida Gators offense led the team down an unlikely path in 2016. Quarterback Luke Del Rio had a heck of time as the Gators starting quarterback. He threw for 1,358 passing yards for eight touchdowns but he also had eight interceptions in six games last season.
Del Rio went down with a left shoulder injury against the Arkansas Razorbacks, opening the door for Austin Appleby to get the starting nod. Appleby didn’t fare much better in his attempt to lead the Gators offense. He threw for 1,447 passing yards, 10 touchdowns while throwing seven interceptions of his own last season.
Entering this season, Del Rio is recovering from surgery on his right shoulder and Appleby is gone after graduating, leaving the starting quarterback job in the air for 2017.
Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, both redshirt freshmen, split time at quarterback this past spring. Franks walked away with the early edge considering he’s 6-foot 6-inches tall and 214 pounds.
It’s hard to foresee Del Rio earning his starting job back if Franks or Trask does well to start the season. This is Del Rio’s third school in three seasons. He began his career at Alabama before transferring to Oregon State then to the Florida Gators. Not to mention, there’s also the wildcard in Malik Zaire.
4. Coaching changes on defense should pay dividends in secondary
The Florida Gators had some coaching changes to make this past offseason. They didn’t waste any time in bringing together some familiar faces. Even if those familiar faces are only familiar with each other.
Randy Shannon takes over full-time as defensive coordinator. It’s a position he held while with the Miami Hurricanes from 2001 until the 2006 season. After that, Shannon became the Hurricanes head coach from 2007-2010.
The addition of Corey Bell as defensive backs coach should also improve the Gators recruiting efforts. Things looked to be grim after Torian Gray bolted for the Washington Redskins after one season with the Gators. Bell was the Director of Football Operations at Miami University from 2007-2010, the same time Shannon was the head coach.
Bell will need to replace starters Jalen Tabor, Quincy Wilson and Marcus Maye in the secondary. Tabor and Wilson left early for the 2017 NFL Draft while Maye found his way to the NFL as well.
The Florida Gators have plenty of depth at the cornerback position to replace their starting trio, including Outback Bowl MVP Chauncey Gardner. Gardner snagged two interceptions and returned one for a touchdown in the Gators 30-3 romping of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Seniors Duke Dawson, Marcell Harris and Nick Washington are a few more notable names in the Florida secondary to know as well.
3. Added depth at key skill positions
The Florida Gators saw a lot of success in this past recruiting cycle, especially at the skill positions. They nabbed six defensive backs, two running backs, two wide receivers and a tight end in the 2017 recruiting class.
Four-star recruit James Robinson, a 6-foot 4-inch tall, 205-pound wide receiver out of Lakeland, Florida, enrolled early in February after running into a bit of trouble while on an official visit with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Robinson has since put all of that behind him in hopes to contribute right away to a Florida offense in need of playmakers.
In terms of running backs, the Gators added two more in three-star prospects Adarius Lemons and Malik Davis, both Florida natives. With five running backs, the Gators hope to increase the rushing production in 2017.
The Gators finished 2016 last in the SEC in rushing yards per game (128.2 ypg). They averaged less than a touchdown per contest (0.8 rushing touchdowns per game). To make matters worse, the offense also finished last in the SEC in total offensive yards per game (344.0 ypg).
Defensively, Florida acquired five cornerbacks and a safety. While it remains to seen if all of them will play right away, it helps the Gators have experienced seniors for the new recruits to learn from.
2. Offensive line has the experience to improve the running game.
The Florida Gators were terrible in the run game in 2016. Running back Jordan Scarlett did finish the season with 889 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Next season, his production should see a huge jump as the Gators return all of their offensive lineman.
With a new offensive line coach in Brad Davis (North Texas), the unit should be one of the Gators’ biggest strengths in 2017. They gave up 28 sacks last season after giving up 46 in 2015 (last in the FBS).
As a unit that continues to improve, Martez Ivey, Tyler Jordan, Fred Johnson, Brett Heggie and Jawaan Taylor are prime for a big season and Davis has made quite the connection with the group in his short time there. While a few players above will rotate, T.J. McCoy jumped into the starting center role late last season.
In terms of recruiting, the Gators got a huge early enrollee in Kadeem Telfort. Telfort is a four-star recruit with measurements of 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, according to 247Sports.
They also signed two other lineman to their 2017 recruiting class in Tedarrell Slaton and and T.J. Moore. Slaton is probably their highest-rated lineman. He is four-star offensive guard ranked 69th overall in this past year’s recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports. Moore is a three-star offensive guard and the 249th ranked prospect from the state of North Carolina.
1. Malik Zaire throws an added wrinkle, giving the Gators’ an edge.
The addition of former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire to the Florida Gators roster is interesting. The Gators already have Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask at quarterback. Adding Zaire to the fold should create an interesting dynamic.
Remember when Tim Tebow and Chris Leak shared the backfield in 2006 en route to a National Championship? That season, the quarterbacks split time. Although Leak took a majority of the snaps, en route to the Gators first SEC Championship since 2000.
Leak threw for 2,942 passing yards and 23 touchdowns on the season. Tebow ran for 469 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman as well.
This could be another one of those seasons where a two-quarterback system proves useful to the Gators’ cause. Zaire isn’t known for his rushing ability. He was used sparingly at Notre Dame, but he could still thrive in Florida’s system. He was considered a dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school.
Next: 5 Reasons Zaire might not start at Florida
Zaire threw just 816 passing yards and six touchdowns in three seasons with the Fighting Irish. He carried the ball just 72 times for 324 rushing yards and two touchdowns as well. He could never overcome DeShone Kizer for the team’s starting job. Zaire hopes to end all of that with a fresh start in Gainesville.