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Florida Football: Pre-Spring practice preview of the 2016 Gators

By Andrew Schutte

Jan 1, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; The Florida Gators take the field during the the 2016 Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; The Florida Gators take the field during the the 2016 Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Florida Gators entered last season with relatively low expectations following back-to-back disappointing seasons, but wound up shocking the nation and claiming the SEC East title. Now that the bar is raised, what can we realistically expect from UF in 2016?

Jim McElwain set a high standard in his first year as the Gators’ head coach, notching a 10-win season and bringing an SEC East championship trophy back home to Gator Country where it belongs.

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Looking ahead to next season, the question is whether or not Florida will be able to sustain that success and possibly even overshadow last year’s outcome — particularly the back end of the season, where it was outscored by an average 24.3 points in the losses to archrival Florida State, Alabama in the SEC championship game and Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.

We’re just over a month removed from the drama-filled 2015 college football season; with spring practice rapidly approaching (March 9th), what better time to take an early look at what’s in store for the Florida football Gators in 2016.

We’ll start with the Gators’ biggest weakness: the quarterback position — which anchored Florida’s offense and essentially stalled what could have been a remarkable debut season for McElwain and Co.

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Former signal-caller Treon Harris struggled mightily from the moment he stepped in for suspended QB Will Grier at the season’s midway point. Those issues alone were the reason for Harris’ eventual shift to wide receiver this offseason. Now, the Gators will have four candidates competing for the starting job, including Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby, Luke Del Rio and freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask. Regardless of who gets the nod, Florida will almost certainly be better off next season with someone new in command of this offense.

But strong quarterback play will be all for naught if the Gators don’t improve on the offensive line — another underperforming position group.

Florida’s line play was arguably just as bad as its quarterback play last season, if not worse. Overall, the Gators ranked 111th nationally in total offense (334 yards per game) and averaged a meager 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. In addition, this unit gave up 46 sacks (nine more than the next closest SEC team), ranking 121st nationally with their average of 3.29 sacks allowed per game.

Florida was hindered by depth problems and injuries alike throughout the entire second half of last season. If the Gators can stay healthy, they’ll likely improve immensely in McElwain’s second year at the helm.

There’s plenty of room for growth up front as the Gators started three freshmen — led by Martez Ivey — and a sophomore in their blowout postseason loss to the Wolverines. But until we start seeing this group take some strides, the line remains a giant mystery.

Contrary to the offensive deficiencies, the Florida defense was undeniably dominant last season — and it’s poised to compete at an elite level in 2016. Despite losing junior stars Vernon Hargreaves, Keanu Neal and senior Brian Poole, the Gators will still likely field one of the SEC’s top overall defenses.

Nov 21, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Jalen Tabor (31) breaks up a pass to Florida Atlantic Owls wide receiver Kamrin Solomon (82) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Jalen Tabor (31) breaks up a pass to Florida Atlantic Owls wide receiver Kamrin Solomon (82) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

For starters, All-SEC junior Jalen Tabor will enter the 2016 season as the league’s top cover cornerback after logging four interceptions and 14 pass breakups in 2015, while senior Marcus Maye is developing into a true lockdown safety (82 tackles, five forced fumbles, two picks). For assurance, the Gators also have Quincy Wilson and Duke Dawson back as projected starters at corner and nickel.

At defensive back, newcomer Chauncey Gardner will try to steal the spotlight as he vies for a role in the secondary — as well as emerge as the next star DB. Gardner was originally listed as the No. 4-ranked safety in the 2016 recruiting class by ESPN, but he’ll have the opportunity to play at either spot this fall.

Speaking of the safety position, we have yet to see who will be opening for the Gators. Nonetheless, Florida is loaded with high-caliber talent in the defensive backfield and should boast one of, if not the best secondary in the conference in 2016.

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Overall, Florida is primed for another solid season in Year 2 of the McElwain era.

Will the Gators repeat as SEC East champions and book a second consecutive trip to Atlanta? Only time will tell.

For now, it’s simply too early to peg Florida as the divisional favorite, especially with so many question marks on the offensive side of the ball. But, the upcoming spring practice should give us a better understanding of how much this team has progressed and allow us to adjust our expectations accordingly.

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