1. No Respect?
The Gators are an SEC underdog going into the 2023 football season. The conference’s media contingent picked Florida to finish 5th among seven teams in the SEC’s East division. This continues a trend for the Gators, who have now been picked to finish 5th or worse three times since 2017.
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“You know, one of the things we are not going to do with our team is we are not going to allow outside opinion or create a narrative to define the reality for the 2023 team,” head coach Billy Napier said at the recent SEC Football Media Days.
2. Miller Time or Love Mertz?
The Gators’ chances in 2023 will depend heavily on quarterback play. The team has to figure out who the starting QB will be for the upcoming season.
Jack Miller is a redshirt sophomore who started the team’s bowl game loss to Oregon State last December. Miller transferred to Florida following the 2021 season.
Graham Mertz transferred to Florida following a long career at the University of Wisconsin. Mertz passed for more than 5400 yards and 38 touchdowns in 32 career starts for the Badgers.
“I mean, obviously Graham has his experience back behind him. Jack had that one game last year, obviously. But just creating that level of competitiveness between the two is going to really benefit them. Then, at the end of the day, we’re going to see who rises to the top,” wide receiver Ricky Pearsall said during SEC Media Days.
3. Run, Gators, Run
The question mark at quarterback puts an added emphasis on the running game. Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson combined to rush for more than 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2022, and they’ll need to be ready to carry the load if the passing game sputters out of the starting gate.
4. Run the Gauntlet
To be frank, the Gators’ 2023 schedule is challenging. Florida opens the campaign against a very good Utah squad on their home turf in Salt Lake City Thursday, Aug. 31. From there, the Gators have winnable home games against McNeese State and Charlotte in two of the following three weeks.
The Gators’ SEC opener is against an excellent Tennessee team on Sept. 16. Other conference challenges include the annual showdown with Georgia in Jacksonville on Oct. 28, along with matchups with SEC West foes Arkansas and LSU.
5. Future Looks Bright
Whatever Napier is selling, folks are buying. The Gators’ 2024 recruiting class is ranked among the best in the nation, according to several industry sources. However things shake out this coming season, the future looks very bright in Gainesville.
“One of the things that we’ve benefitted from at the University of Florida, we spent an entire year completely rebuilding the player experience and we’ve got a unique combination that we offer,” Napier said at SEC Media Days.
The Gators open the 2023 regular season Thursday, Aug. 31 at Utah.
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