Florida Gators 2018 Football Preview

Florida Gators 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: Welcome back Dan Mullen, the offense has surely missed you. Mullen, who was the OC during the famed Tebow days at Florida, is back as head coach after a successful run at Mississippi State. He arrives to find an offense that needs his help more than ever, and a defense that has sometimes crumbled under the strain of not having a great offense to support it. If indications are what they are, and he made a long struggling Mississippi State team credible and competitive, things are about to swing back to the good in Gainesville.

Breakdown Offense: Florida scored just 22.1 points per game last fall, which tied them at 108th nationally with Minnesota and Akron. That's not getting it done. The passing game stalled out to a tune of 179.5 yards per game, and they rushed for 156.36 yards per game. Expect a massive upswing in the passing department in year one.

Feleipe Franks is expected largely to be the starter for Dan Mullen, but he may have to prove himself once again. He passed for 1438 yards, with 9 TDs and 8 INTs, and completed just 54.6% of his passes. If there is a push coming, Emory Jones, a freshman, could be the one to do the pushing. Jake Allen also has had a year in the program, and could emerge in the fall race. This job is not a lock yet.

Jordan Scarlett returns at RB, but do not expect him to be the lock to hold the starting job when the season opens. Lamical Perine is back as well, and rushed for 8 scores last fall. Malik Davis rushed for 6.66 yards per carry before getting hurt, and will demand some reps as well. Adarius Lemons showed some big play potential in limited action, averaging over 7 yards per carry. This should be one of the most talented groups of backs in the SEC.

If Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes are eligible after transfers, they should add a different dimension to the receiving corps, but that has not all been entirely cleared up as of yet. Freddie Swain and Tyree Cleveland looked solid in the spring, and Cleveland averaged over 18 yards per catch last season. Josh Hammond will get a look this fall as well. Kadarius Toney will be the Y receiver as we head into summer. Dre Massey returns to add some depth.

C'Yontai Lewis looks to start at TE, while Kemore Gamble and Moral Stephens are the backups.

Martez Ivey (LT), Brett Heggie (LG), TJ McCoy (C), Fred Johnson (RG), and Jawaan Taylor (RT) makes up the starting line. Jean DeLance and TJ Moore add depth at OT, while Tyler Jordan can back up at both OG and C. Nick Buchanan and Kavaris Harkless will look for work as backups at the OG spots as well, while Stone Forsythe is the 3rd team OT.

Breakdown Defense: The Gators will employ a 3-4 front this fall, and should be able to improve upon the 2017 season in which they allowed 27.3 points per game. Florida allowed 195 yards passing, and 153.91 yards rushing per game.

Jabari Zuniga and Jachai Polite are the starters at DE. They combined for 13.5 TFLs last fall, and should be set up to do more damage in 2018. Antonneus Clayton and Zachary Carter are solid backups there. Elijah Concliffe could figure into a rotation as well. Keivonnis Davis adds some depth, as does Luke Ancrum.

Khairi Clark is the NT for the Gators, but could be pushed by Tedarrell Slayton. Kyree Campbell and Marlon Dunlap add to a deep group.

David Reese is a star at the MIKE spot for the Gators, as he led the team with 102 tackles and 10 TFLs last fall. Cece Jefferson starts at SLB, and led the Gators with 4.5 sacks. Vosean Joseph will return at WILL, and finished with 55 tackles. Jeremiah Moon is the starter at OLB and had 24 tackles last fall. Antonneous Clayton,  Nick Smith, Rayshad Jackson, and Lacedrick Brunson add depth at the outside LB spots, while Ventrell Miller, Kylan Johnson, and James Houston IV add tremendous depth on the inside.

CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson are the starters at CB. Wilson finished with 10 PBUs as a freshman last season, with Henderson adding 4 more. Henderson tied for the team lead with 4 INTs. Chris McWilliams and Brian Edwards are the backups. Jeawon Taylor is the starter at SS, and finished with 34 tackles last fall. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is the FS. He finished with 58 tackles last fall, good for second on the team, and added 7 PBUs. Quincy Lenton backs up at SS, while Brad Stewart, and Shawn Davis add depth at FS.

Breakdown Special Teams: Jorge Powell looks to take over at PK, but has big shoes to fill with the departure of Eddy Piniero, who hit 17/18 FG attempts last season. Johnny Townsend, who averaged 47.6 yards per punt, has also moved on, and the battle to replace him will rage into the fall.

Adarius Lemons averaged 22.5 yards per KR, and will man the job again. Dre Massey lef the spring with the PR job, but could be pushed in the fall by Freddie Swain or Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

Final Analysis: As the last several years have been hard to bare for Gators fans, things are about to change. The personnel on offense is such that the Gators should be ready to blow off the shell that has held them back. There is abundant talent at RB and WR, and the line could be as strong as it has been in a long while. If the QB situation irons out, this could be a monumental shift in success on offense this season. Even if it doesn't things should still be better than they have been. Defensively, Florida could show major improvements over last season, and depth is rock solid at almost every spot. There is, again, a ton of talent already on the roster, and the newcomers should make this unit even deeper. Florida may not compete with Georgia for the SEC East, but that though should no longer be a laughing matter. Georgia may finally have some company in the SEC East.