Florida Football: Gators have had more true freshmen play than anyone

Before the season started, we ran a series highlighting all the true freshmen that were on campus for Florida football this year and we noted how there was a solid chance a number of them would get to play in 2023.

A stat put out by the Gators today confirms what we already know, that Florida is one of the youngest teams in the country.

Florida Football: Youth Movement

Going through the participation chart as listed by Florida, the following true freshmen have appeared in all six games this season:

• Jordan Castell
• Kelby Collins
• Sharif Denson
• Knijeah Harris
• Ja’Keem Jackson
• Kamran James
• Dijon Johnson
• Jaden Robinson
• T.J. Searcy
• Bryce Thornton
• Treyaun Webb

That is 11 players in total and while we are excited for the future of the program, it is also a reminder of why there has been some inconsistency on the field from week to week.

The reason, according to UF, is that no other team in the country has played more than eight true freshmen in every game, and only three other programs can claim they have played more than five in every game.

It drives home the reality that the Gators are in full rebuild mode. Whether one wants to blame some guy named Dan or one feels that Billy Napier is just determined to do it with his guys,  the truth is that Florida just doesn’t have the experience on the roster yet to be the team we want them to be.

The exciting part though is that Florida is able to still beat a team like Tennessee despite being literally the youngest team in the country.

It is also exciting that if Florida football is able to accomplish what they have with the 13th-ranked recruiting class in the country, imagine what is going to happen once the top five classes start rolling in.