Florida Football: Where the Gators need to improve in 2016

Despite winning the SEC East last season, the Florida Gators have plenty of room for improvement in 2016.

Jim McElwain had plenty to be proud of in his debut season as head coach of the Florida football Gators.

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McElwain managed to lead the Gators to an SEC East division title for the first time since the flukey 2012 season under Will Muschamp — and he did so behind a 10-win season, which included decisive victories over rivals Tennessee and Georgia. As impressive as that initial campaign was, everyone is well aware of what happened to this Florida team during the back half of the season.

The offense became anemic (thanks in large part to the suspension of quarterback Will Grier), the kicking game was the laughing stock of the conference and even that elite defense showed its vulnerability in the 41-7 blowout bowl loss to Michigan.

Florida has several areas that need improvement if it is to contend for another SEC title in Atlanta.

Here are the areas of most concern for the Gators heading into the 2016 season:

Quarterback: First and foremost, Florida needs to improve at this position as it’s been the Gators’ Achilles’ heel since Tim Tebow departed in 2009. And the second half of last season with Treon Harris at the helm was particularly disastrous. Now that Harris has elected try his hand at wide receiver, the quarterback battle is down to four candidates. Luke Del Rio, Austin Appleby, Feleipe Franks and Kyle trask will all be competing for the starting role this offseason — each bringing their own unique skill set to the table. Florida certainly has depth now, but it desperately needs one of these signal-callers to take command and change the trend of this offense.

Kicking game: The Gators were so desperate for a placekicker in 2015 that McElwain was prompted to conduct an open tryout for Austin Hardin’s backup — which yielded a 216-participant turnout. Of those, one Neil MacInnes — a senior pre-dental student — was selected. MacInnes would go on to connect on 2-of-3 extra points, but never attempted an actual field goal. Meanwhile, the scholarship guys missed more tries than they made. Fortunately, top recruit Eddy Pineiro signed with Florida to hopefully put an end to the Gators’ kicking woes.

Offensive line: When McElwain first arrived in Gainesville, the offensive line was in dire straits. There was a severe lack of experience and depth all along the line. A few transfers and freshmen stepped up and filled the gaps — and actually looked relatively stout when Will Grier was under center. But as the season progressed and fatigue and injuries took their toll, this group fell apart. Florida allowed the most sacks in the SEC last season and ranked second-to-last in preventing tackles for a loss. McElwain and Co. have their work cut out for them with this unit in 2016.

Nov 7, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Ground game: Florida’s rushing offense ranked No. 13 (of 14 teams) in the conference, averaging just 126.9 yards per game. Sure, the offensive line didn’t help all that much. But the lack of production on the ground was, in many ways, the fault of the running backs themselves. Going forward, the Gators have some holes to fill at the position. Kelvin Taylor — Florida’s primary running back last season — declared for the NFL draft, leaving Jordan Scarlett as the top returning back with only 181 yards. Will he take over and carry the bulk of the responsibilities in the backfield, or will one of the several four-star recruits step up as lead ballcarrier.

Defense: It shouldn’t be surprising to see that the defense is projected to be an area needing improvement in 2016. To start, Florida lost some key playmakers who made this unit elite in 2015. Linebacker Antonio Morrison, safety Keanu Neal, defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III all left for the NFL draft.

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Moreover, the Gators’ lackluster performance against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl — allowing a season-high 41 points in the loss — was a bitter conclusion to an otherwise phenomenal season defensively. Make no mistake, Florida’s defense will be good in 2016. But there’s still plenty of work to be done if its to reach the ranks of the elite, no doubt.

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Florida Football: Where the Gators need to improve before the 2016 season

By Andrew Schutte | Feb 15, 2016