The Florida Gators did defend their SEC East Division title, but they were embarrassed by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and did not play in a major bowl game. This program needs to try to get back to a point where it loses only two games per year instead of four. How can coach Jim McElwain revive the Gators and enable them to return to the Urban Meyer standard of the previous decade?
Who will be the quarterback?
The Gators know that Luke Del Rio will be in the mix after his injury-plagued 2016 season. However, Feleipe Franks could be the guy who will take over the offense in 2017. That’s going to be a contentious quarterback battle, heightened by the fact that Del Rio’s injuries severely limited the extent to which he could develop. He and Franks are both mysteries after a season in which Florida had to largely rely on Austin Appleby. The lack of extended experience at the quarterback position is part of what makes the situation so muddled for McElwain. It is clear how much it matters that the head coach picks the right quarterback at the start of September, coming out of August camp. When coaches don’t make the correct choice, they have to switch quarterbacks well into the season, and by that time, hopes for championships can already be damaged. Florida has to solve this problem sooner rather than later.
How will the defense replace lost starters?
There are a lot of losses on this defense. The biggest point of concern is on the perimeter, where the Gators lose two members of their seconday, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson. One very important point to note is that quarterbacking in the SEC should be a lot better in 2017 than it was in 2016. SEC East quarterbacks Jacob Eason at Georgia and Kyle Shurmur at Vanderbilt, among others, should be able to evolve within their respective offensive systems. Other SEC East teams have to keep pace on defense, especially in terms of pass coverage. Florida could face a crucial deficit against the competition if new cornerbacks aren’t able to step up. If the Gators’ offense isn’t able to improve at the rate McElwain wants, the Gators have to have a defense which is not merely moderately good, but strong enough to carry the offense through tough times. It will be important that Florida not give up too many big pass plays in 2017. Getting a new crop of studs in the secondary could knit together the whole season.
How will the offensive line shape up?
When the Gators ended the season, offensive line coach Mike Summers was still in the fold. However, less than two weeks after the Outback Bowl win over Iowa, offensive line coach Mike Summers decided to go to Louisville in the same position. This lack of a returning veteran coach will force the Gator offensive line to readjust. McElwain, as head coach, has to create consistency on this part of the roster in order for the 2017 to begin to meet its promise.
Will their recruits deliver?
Taking a look at the Florida Gators recruiting class this season, it doesn’t look so hot. Considering Florida is a hot-bed of talent, the Gators need to be pulling classes that rank them somewhere in the Top 10 or Top 15 – at the very least. Otherwise, they’ll be losing out to teams like Miami and Florida State. As of now, the Gators composite ranking is No. 24, which isn’t particularly strong. They have a total of 15 recruits so far, which is a decent amount, but none of them are five-star players. They have eight four-star recruits and seven three-star recruits. The quality is pretty good – that composite score would rank them No. 15 in the nation – but they need to move their way up the board a little bit. The Gators have room for eight more recruits and if they want to move up the ladder in the SEC and eventually compete with the likes of the Alabama Crimson Tide over the next few seasons, they’ll need to recruit a little bit better.
Click here to bet on the college football futures for the 2017 season right now. DSI has all of the latest lines, spreads and props for this week’s action!
