Florida football position power rankings for 2023
By Will Thomas
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gestures alongside Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15), Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2), and Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F480a5b26fd88c46cc6584e625d49514ed8d5ea53369dc6ed817b549db865e63c.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gestures alongside Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15), Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (2), and Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne (7) during fall football practice at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, August 5, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
Florida football position power rankings: No. 1, RB
This really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anybody. The best position group for the Gators this year is the running backs. And it isn’t particularly close.
Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson are both legitimate 1,000-yard rushers who would be the clear-cut RB1 at a lot of other Power 5 schools.
Etienne ran for 719 yards last season and six touchdowns, while Montrell put up 841 yards and 10 touchdowns with a heavier workload.
Those two guys balance each other out very well. Etienne is much more shifty and explosive and is the big play threat out of the Gators’ backfield. Meanwhile, Montrell is the bowling ball who is great in short yardage situations and for breaking down a defense physically.
One guy who isn’t getting a ton of attention is Cam Carroll, the transfer from Tulane who holds that RB3 spot behind the top two.
Cam is a redshirt senior who missed virtually all of last year with an injury but was a very effective runner for Tulane in his prior years. Now he provides depth to one of the best running back rooms in the SEC, and I wouldn’t be too shocked to see him get a decent workload.
The Gators also welcome in true freshman Treyaun Webb, who was a 4-star recruit. While he sits at 4th on the depth chart, he has the chance to learn from the three guys ahead of him and take the torch in a few years.
The Gators’ offense runs through these backs. As they go, Florida goes. And there are a lot of reasons to be confident that Florida football will have one of the best ground games not just in the SEC, but in the country.