10 things to know about Florida heading into the 2010 season.
1. Anytime you have a schedule in which you could find yourself facing the defending national champions not once, but twice, it’s a tough year. Life in the SEC is never easy, but 2010 could be rougher than usual for the Gators. October 2 has been circled since about two minutes into the second half of last year’s SEC Championship Game. And if the experts are right, December 4 might be too. Florida and Alabama could meet twice. Facing a team like the Crimson Tide once is tough enough. Facing them twice, well, that’s the SEC. Only one week after that first matchup with Bama, the Gators host LSU in what is sure to be another battle for Florida. This feeling toward the schedule is nothing new though. Year after year we discuss the schedule and year after year we believe the Gators will have a difficult road ahead of them. But year after year they perform – to the tune of 48-7 over the past four years and 26-2 over the last two. The schedule will be hard. Florida will be ready for it.
2. Welcome to the John Brantley show. It’ll be a good one. You won’t want to miss an episode and will probably be so pleased with it that you’ll ask for the DVD in your stocking at Christmas. I don’t want to tell Florida fans to forget Tim Tebow, but forget Tim Tebow. In two days, #12 takes the field as the starter and one of the team’s leaders. He has the talent, but has yet to get the chance to showcase it when it mattered. Now is Brantley’s time. He’s admitted to being a little nervous, but also said that’s a good thing. If that logic is good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.
3. Oh so many glorious weapons. Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Andre Debose. I could name more, but those three stand out as being the biggest threats in multiple areas. In Demps you have a guy with world-class speed (literally) who not only will be the primary ball carrier, but will also get a shot at returning kicks. In Rainey you get a receiver who can go into motion and suddenly take handoffs out of the backfield. And in Debose you get…well…you don’t know what you get, but you’re all sorts of giddy about it. You hear the phrase “he’s a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball” a lot. With these three, that couldn’t be truer. They are the dynamic, exciting, explosive, game-changing parts of the Florida offense.
4. I spoke about it in my 100 Thoughts about the 2010 College Football Season piece (shameless plug), but I really do believe we’re looking at possibly the best collection of talent across the entire offensive line that the Gators have ever assembled. Then again, you could argue that based on that statement, last year was the best collection of talent since it was essentially this year’s unit plus Maurkice Pouncey. But anyway. The line will be one of Florida’s greatest strengths and should keep Brantley upright and open truck-sized holes for the running backs.
5. How do you have a season preview (if that’s what this really is) and not mention the nation’s top freshman? The answer is you don’t. How can you not be excited for Ronald Powell to hit the field? There are plenty of great new Gators that will get playing time this season, but Powell is the one everyone will be watching. The last time Florida got the nation’s top high school player was in 2006. It was some guy that went by the name Percy Harvin. It sure worked out all right for both the Gators and Harvin. Three years and two national titles later he was a first-round draft pick. I’ll take the same from Powell thank you very much.
6. The “starter” battle between Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins has been interesting and all, but let’s not for one second think it mattered. Both are too talented and valuable to the defense to be kept off the field for extended periods of time. They each have their strengths and will contribute to the package which caters most to those strengths. When you have two potential future All-SECers, you get them on the field. You don’t start one and sit the other indefinitely. One may start, but both will play a lot. All of the linebackers have been working out at each position to ensure they’re each ready to play whenever needed. Expect to see plenty of both Bostic and Jenkins in 2010.
7. Entering his junior year, it’s finally Will Hill’s time. Hill has seen the field more than most “backups” during his time at Florida. For two straight seasons, the Gators basically had three fully capable safeties to play in any situation, but Hill was number three. He may have the most natural talent among all of the safeties on the depth chart, but Ahmad Black and Major Wright played too well to give up too much playing time to Hill. With Wright bolting for the NFL, Hill will get as much time he wants…MAYBE. Like Hill did for the last two years, Matt Elam will be breathing down the necks of the starters. All three will play. All three will excel.
8. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Chas Henry is the best punter in the nation. Someone once told me that if you read something 17 times, you’ll have it memorized. I have no idea if that’s true, but it’s worth a shot.
9. Don’t expect Urban Meyer’s health to be an issue of any kind. Meyer has done what doctors have told him and is living much more of a reserved lifestyle (at least in comparison to the past). He’s still the head coach of the Gators and will be for some time, but he has pulled himself back from certain areas and hopefully certain stretches. Sorry fans of other schools, Meyer remains. And for those of you haters out there, keep trying to convince the rest of us that you wouldn’t trade your coach for Meyer in a second. Unless you‘re among only a handful of other schools, you’re kidding yourself.
10. Sometimes it’s nice not being expected to rule the world. Think about it. The pressure isn’t on Florida in 2010. It rests squarely on the shoulders of Alabama. The Gators are expected to lose to the Tide in October and then again in December. They aren’t expected to play for the national title. Not having those expectations to live up to is a good thing. A very good thing. Let Bama deal with that while the Gators do their thing and turn themselves into a true championship contender.