Three lingering question marks for Florida Football ahead of Miami on Saturday

One of the cons for Florida Football for opening the 2024 season with a Power Four opponent rather than a cupcake is the inability to work out any kinks they may arise on opening day. We are stuck in a bit of fog of war, and there are still some unknowns heading into Saturday's game against Miami.

The following are three questions that Florida will need to answer in order to emerge victorious this weekend.

What version of the offensive line will we get?

There is no bigger question mark hanging over the head of the Gators than what the offensive line will look like on Saturday. Based on all indications, the group itself will be Austin Barber, Knijeah Harris, Jake Slaughter, Damieon George, and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson.

How they perform is the mystery. Barber was serviceable enough last year and had metrics planting him as an average left tackle nationally, Harris took 171 snaps last year and didn't allow a sack, Slaughter is the most rock-solid member of the group, George is trying to prove himself at right guard after his adventure at right tackle last year, and Crenshaw-Dickson came to Florida with good metric from San Diego State.

But based on reports, Georga and Crenshaw-Dickson haven't solidified their spots along the line, and even at his press conference yesterday, Napier hinted there is still competition for those spots.

Is it a fog of war ploy? Maybe, and it should be noted this group looked decent during the spring game. But we also thought the offensive line was going to be okay prior to last season and we saw how that turned out.

And with Rueben Bain, who had 9 sacks and 26 hurries last year, awaiting on the other side of the line, it could be a long day if this group isn't figured out.

Who will run the ball?

Montrell Johnson went down with a knee injury early in camp, but timelines have always had him coming back soon enough. During the media portion of practice, Johnson has been spotted without a knee brace.

So step one in the fog of war is whether or not Johnson will even try to play. We have a feeling he will be listed on the depth chart and will be in uniform on Saturday. Whether or not he gets any carries is a different story.

The group behind him has been well chronicled, with Treyaun Webb as the presumed backup, but Ja'Kobi Jackson might surprise some people if he gets carries ahead of Jadan Baugh and KD Daniels.

One thing to keep in mind is that Napier might lean on Jackson simply for pass protection, especially if the offensive line isn't holding up, rather than asking his true freshman to get the job done.

Is tackling actually improved?

One of the major downfalls for Florida in 2023 was being the worst tackling team in the SEC and the 22nd-worst tackling team in the country.

Gator fans were excited in the spring when new defensive backs coach Will Harris was seen emphasizing tackling, and during the spring game, the tackling seemed better overall.

Tackling in game one is almost always sloppy; think back to the 2019 opener against Miami and how sloppy that game was. But for a team trying to make this a point of emphasis in 2024, the watchful eyes of Gator Nation will be holding their breath anytime a Hurricane gets into a one-on-one situation, and it is up to the Florida defense to prove they are improved for the new campaign.