Florida Football: Top five concerns for the Gators in 2023
It may not feel like it, as parts of the Sunshine State have heat indexes of 110 or more, but Fall is in the air for Florida football. And with it comes a new hope that 2023 is the season the Florida Gators return to prominence under second-year coach Billy Napier.
Off the field, things have been amazing with recruiting. But on the field, there are still an array of concerns one must have heading into the 2023 season.
These are the top five concerns we here at Hail Florida Hail have that could prevent the Gators from having a great season.
Florida Football Concerns No.5: Experience
There has been a ton of roster shuffling from Billy Napier since he arrived, as he went on a one-man crusade to get rid of almost every Dan Mullen holdover that was in Gainesville in January of 2022.
In time, the methodology seems like it will pan out, as Florida currently has the third-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2024, and a good number of the freshmen he brought in this season are chomping at the bit to make an impact.
The roster as it stands, however, is young, extremely young.
Napier knows this and hasn’t been shy in stating that the Gators are going to have to rely on freshmen and sophomores this season.
By comparison, Georgia has at least 26 upperclassmen in their two-deep, with 18 of their projected 22 starters entering the season as a junior or senior.
This doesn’t mean Florida’s freshmen won’t do good things, but one has to expect some growing pains along the way.