Florida football: ESPN FPI is high on the Gators for next season

Florida football has had a good past few weeks of practices and recruiting success, but their goals and expectations for the 2023-2024 season are still relatively modest. With a new QB and young defense, as well as coming off of a 6-7 season, it’s hard to expect Florida to go out and win double-digit games.

However, things aren’t all bad for the Gators. In fact, there are some who believe that the Gators could surprise some people this fall.

ESPN’s FPI released its preseason top 30 today, and the Gators were getting more respect than many expected them to.

Florida came in at 18th in the country, ahead of teams like Texas A&M, Washington, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

At first glance, it’s hard to conceive why the Gators are projected as a top 20 team in the country. After a losing season, they’re now without their first-round QB in Anthony Richardson, and lose a couple of veteran leaders on the defensive side of the ball.

But maybe this isn’t so odd.

Maybe the Gators are better than people are giving them credit for. We all know that there’s talent on that roster, but is it enough to have a good season?

One thing we know for certain is that the Gators’ run game will be great. Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson are one of the best RB duos in the country, and Tulane transfer Cameron Carroll flashed his potential during the Spring Game.

The big question mark is at QB. Graham Mertz doesn’t have a great reputation, and Jack Miller looked poor in the bowl game last season. But there has been a lot of positive buzz from camp about what Mertz is doing.

Florida’s system is favorable for Graham as it won’t force him to do a lot on his own. A run-heavy offense takes the pressure off of Mertz to make big-time throws, and with Florida’s lack of depth at receiver he’ll likely only be asked to make short, quick passes when they throw.

There’s plenty of excitement about Florida football’s defense too. New defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong has already changed the energy on that side of the ball, and his aggressive style of defense seems to have brought some swagger back to Gainesville.

With young playmakers like Shamer James and Kamari Wilson, as well as the veteran presence of Jason Marshall Jr., this defense has the chance to surprise some people and perform the way they did during the Will Muschamp era.

So maybe it isn’t so crazy that Florida is at 18. Sure, they aren’t that flashy and don’t have the firepower of some of the better teams. But maybe they have all the pieces in the right spots to make something happen.

Maybe the Gators will surprise the country this year.

Keep up with Florida football at Hail Florida Hail.