Five storylines to follow for Florida Football in 2024
![Florida head coach Billy Napier coaches Florida quarterback Graham Mertz (15) during Florida spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2179,h_1225,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F213%2F01j488vzsyqhv3jb142a.jpg "Florida head coach Billy Napier coaches Florida quarterback Graham Mertz (15) during Florida spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Will Tackling Be Better?
One stat that was the most emblematic of Florida's struggles on defense in 2023 was their missed tackle rate. The Gators whiffed on a tackle 116 times in 2023, and their missed tackle rate was the worst in the SEC.
New defensive backs coach Will Harris made waves during spring camp when videos started to come out showcasing a renewed focus on physicality and bringing guys to the ground. During the spring game itself, the Gators did an excellent job at rallying to the football and tackling in numbers.
But that was the spring game, and everyone in the country looks good during their spring game. Until the Gators are able to engage in live tackling against an opponent with a different logo, we won't know for sure if tackling has actually improved or if the drills involving Harris himself getting tackled are just smoke and mirrors.
Will The Schedule Be As Daunting As It Seems?
In case you haven't heard, Florida has a hard schedule. If only someone nationally would write about the slate of opponents, the Gators have in front of them.
In all seriousness, though, one counter-narrative that has developed is whether Florida's schedule is going to be as hard as it seems. Many teams on Florida's schedule are either bringing in new quarterbacks or new head coaches.
There is a pathway that by the time the 2024 season is over, we will look back at Florida's slate and realize it wasn't as bad as we all thought it would be before the start of the season.