Florida Football: Reasonable expectations for Emory Jones in 2021

Heading into the 2021 Florida football season, there’s a lot of hype surrounding quarterback Emory Jones. Here’s a look at expectations for him in 2021. 

When it comes to Florida football in 2021, one of the biggest question marks is quarterback Emory Jones.

There isn’t a question about Jones’s talent, not at all. But there is a question of how that talent will translate to being the Gators’ starting quarterback in 2021.

Head coach Dan Mullen has already given him that title, even though his spring was less than stellar at times according to reports from 247 sports. Here’s what Thomas Goldkamp wrote about the way Jones performed this spring:

"“There wasn’t expected to be much drama surrounding the starting job or the backup job, really, with Anthony Richardson the clear backup. That’s essentially how things played out, though Jones might not have created quite as much separation as UF’s coaching staff would have hoped. Still, it’s his job going forward and he likely won’t be on all that short a leash with Alabama on the docket in Game 3.”"

As a former top-100 recruit, there’s no denying that Jones has talent. He’s played 23 games over the past three seasons for the Gators and has rushed for 514 yards, and six touchdowns, as well as 5.6 yards per attempt.

As a passer, he has completed 55-of-86 attempts (64 percent) for 613 yards, to go along with seven touchdowns and just one interception. He has also averaged more than seven yards per attempt.

Yet, Jones has big shoes to fill as he will be taking over for Heisman Finalist Kyle Trask.

Jones has actually gotten some Heisman buzz of his own, however, Mike Farrell of Rivals just doesn’t see it according to his latest round of Fact or Fiction.

"“I have seen Emory Jones listed as a potential first-round pick and now I see him being referred to as a Heisman candidate. Jones has a big arm and upside. But will he have the weapons to put up stats like Kyle Trask did? While Jones could flourish under Mullen this season, for now, he’s far from a Heisman candidate.”"

Reasonable expectations for Jones in 2021?

Jones isn’t polished enough to say that he’s going to be a Heisman contender this season for Florida football. It’s not completely impossible, especially because he’s likely to be a very productive runner, but he has a lot to prove.

Dan Mullen is one of the best offensive coaches in college football and that will really help. The Gators don’t have the weapons they had a year ago and it would be nearly impossible to duplicate that with top-20 picks at receiver and tight end.

But Florida is Florida. The running back room was upgraded with Demarkus Bowman, who was ranked as one of the top transfers in 2021.

The running game should be dynamic and Bowman is a skilled receiver too. If Jones can complete 64 percent of his passes, all bets are off but saying he will be a Heisman contender this season is still a little premature, although a solid season is still expected, one good enough to make him a Heisman favorite in 2022 if he stays that long.