With the 2012 college football season only weeks away, the Rant Sports 100 in 100 College Football Preview continues to countdown to the no.1 team in the nation. In this edition, we profile our no.21 team, the Florida Gators.
After a sub-par 7-6 (3-5 SEC) record, Florida head coach Will Muschamp dissected every unit of his football team in order to find ways to improve. Now in his second year, Muschamp expects his team to take the next step in his system after an offseason of change. With 7 and 11 returning starters on offense and defense, respectively, improvement should not be an issue.
Impact Players
Offense
During the offseason, the Gators hired away Brent Pease from Boise State to be their offensive coordinator. The move away from Charlie Weis‘ pro-style offense to Pease’s up-tempo offense should surely help the Florida Gators move the ball better than they did in 2011, the team had the no.105 offense last year and finished 89th in passing offense last year. While the Gators return the same quarterbacks as least season, the addition of Pease and another year of experience will help their passing attack.
Sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel did not fare well last season after being thrown into the fire against the top defenses of Alabama and LSU but the experience will make them better leaders and quarterbacks. Both players were highly recruited and possess a great deal of talent. They head into fall camp neck and neck for the starting quarterback job but the job will go to whoever can pick up Pease’s offense first.
The Florida Gators lost their two leading rushers from last season, Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, to graduation last season and will rely on the likes of Mike Gillislee, Trey Burton, Mack Brown, Omarius Hines, and incoming freshman Matt Jones to tote the rock. None of the aforementioned backs are speedsters the likes of Demps and Rainey but Pease would like to bring a more physical running game to the Gators offense, something this group of backs is capable of. Gillislee will receive most of the carries after averaging 5.9 yards per carry last year and can bring a physical presence to the running game. Trey Burton is dangerous when used in different roles and is a reliable weapon. Sophomore Mack Brown is a true wild card in the backfield as he was a force in high school but has yet to put it together at the collegiate level.
The backs can’t be expected to carry the load of the entire offense and Will Muschamp will need his wide receivers to become reliable playmakers. Tight end Jordan Reed and wide receiver Andre Debose are the team’s greatest weapons but they need to learn the new system to better their dismal numbers from last season. Debose led the returning receivers with 16 catches last season and that is unacceptable. Frankie Hammond and Quinton Dunbar are talented as well but need to figure out the college game before they can be relied upon.
Defense
As a great defensive mind, Will Muschamp has a Florida Gators defense that he can be proud of. The line is full of talented run-stuffers such as Shariff Floyd, Omar Hunter, and Dominque Easley that should improve in year two of Muschamp’s system. All three players were highly recruited out of high school and are beginning to realize their potential. The team will miss Ronald Powell, who led the team in sacks last year with six, after he tore his ACL in the team’s spring game. The line will be reinforced with a stiff linebacking corps that contains years of veteran experience. Linebackers Jelani Jenkins and Jon Bostic are the team’s leaders on defense and will look to improve a defense that finished fifth in total defense in the SEC. Bostic was the team’s leader in tackles last year with 98 and should finish atop the defensive leaderboard this season.
The front seven contains years of experience at the college level but that is something the secondary is lacking. The Florida Gators will start two sophomores, Marcus Roberson and Loucheiz Purifoy, at cornerback this season. Roberson was a starter last season before suffering a season ending injury against the Gamecocks last season and Purifoy saw action in all 13 games last season. The two should be ready for the rigors of a full SEC season. The star of the Florida secondary is junior safety Matt Elam, who finished second on the team with 78 tackles last year.
Schedule
The Gators schedule possesses less challenges than last season as they will not have to face 2011 National Champion Alabama but will still have to face the LSU Tigers. The Florida Gators face a tough slate of games in the season’s first month when they travel to Texas A&M and then to Knoxville to face the Volunteers. The Gators face Kentucky in week four but after that, the team has a run of challenges that lasts five games. They play LSU at home, then travel to Vandy, then have the Gamecocks at home, go to Jacksonville to face off against arch-rival Georgia, and then get to face Missouri at home before playing non-conference opponents.
If the Gators survive the meat of their schedule that starts in week 5, the team may have a chance to compete. Though with two quarterbacks still learning their way in the SEC and a stacked SEC East, that stretch is not exactly favorable. However, this is definitely a program on the rise, so do not be shocked if they compete for the East crown.
Chris Lionetti covers the Southeastern Conference as a College Football Writer for Rant Sports.
Follow Chris on twitter at: @ChrisLionetti
