Florida 2021 Football Preview

2020 Recap

Florida‘s dynamic offense was on display right off the bat in 2020. The Gator’s rode their high scoring offense to back to back wins to start the year. While Mississippi and South Carolina did not have good seasons it was clear that Florida’s offense would be a force to contend with all season.

Florida got knocked off track in Week 3 as the team failed to outscore Texas A&M in a 41 – 38 loss on the road, but rebounded well. They came back to win six straight games, including a 16 point win over rival Georgia, which ended up securing the SEC East title for Florida.

Florida lost their regular season finale against LSU 37 – 34 and then came up short against Alabama in the SEC Championship game as well. The Gators earned a bid in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, but with most of their top receivers not playing in the game the Gators were not able to keep up with the Sooners. Florida was able to top Georgia and win the SEC East, providing hope that Dan Mullen has the Gators building toward a College Football Playoff bid.

2020 Leaders

Projected Starters

Reasons For Optimism

A Talented Back Seven

The Gators return plenty of talent in the back seven on defense, which should translate to a good back line on defense. Linebacker, Ventrell Miller, leads the way for Florida. He is a tackling machine, who is always in close pursuit of the football. Brenton Cox Jr mans the Buck position and is an excellent pass rusher off the edge. Kaiir Elam is emerging as one of the best cornerbacks in the country and still has plenty of untapped potential to improve his game this year. Trey Dean has switched from cornerback to safety and will be an asset in coverage and provide range on the back end. The new man at the star position will be Tre’Vez Johnson whose skill set fits the demands of the position perfectly. Florida has returning talent and new stars ready to emerge, making up a back seven to reckon with in 2021.

Dan Mullen’s Offensive Game-planning

Florida’s offense will look noticeably different in 2021. Kyle Pitts was a mis-match on every play regardless of where he lined up. Kadarius Toney created big plays out of nothing with his speed and run after the catch ability. Trevon Grimes had the size and speed to stretch the defense from the outside. Kyle Trask was a perfect fit to distribute the ball accurately and on time to those weapons. This year their will be a different type of quarterback, as Emory Jones brings more athleticism to the position. New receiving threats will need to emerge as well to create mismatches for the defense. Fortunately, Dan Mullen has proven over his career as an offensive coordinator and head coach that he can play to the strengths of his personnel and create favorable match-ups for the offense. Mullen’s ability to cater his game plan to the talent on his roster will be huge for Florida this season as they transition to a new wave of playmakers.

Several Key Transfers

Florida did a great job of using the transfer portal to fill immediate needs quickly. The Gators needed experience at the defensive tackle spot and more dynamic play at running back and were able to address both needs through the portal. At defensive tackle, Florida has a rising star in Gervon Dexter but needed to add experienced players to ease Dexter’s burden and got former Penn State starter, Antonio Valentino, and Auburn defensive tackle, Daquan Newkirk. At running back the Gators brought in former five star recruit Lorenzo Lingard righ before last season and then went on to add 2020 five star recruit DeMarkcus Bowman from Clemson this year. By adding four talented players at key positions of need, Florida filled those spots heading into the 2021 season.

Causes For Concern

Emory Jones Passing Ability

Emory Jones is a very different quarterback than Kyle Trask. Jones is a dynamic athlete and has a stronger arm, while Trask relied on his accuracy and timing within the offense. Jones will add a running threat from the quarterback position, averaging 5.6 yards per carry during his career. The question is if he will have the accuracy and precision in the passing game to keep the offense moving through the air. In three seasons at Florida, Jones has only attempted 86 passes. That’s a minimal sample size but over that sample he has only averaged 7.1 yards per attempt, by contrast Kyle Trask averaged 8.8 yards per attempt in 2020. Florida’s offense will look different in 2021, but at some point Jones is going to be forced to win a game as a passer, he will have to prove he is up to that challenge for the Gators to build on their strong 2020 season.

Big Play Receivers to Replace

Florida lost their top three receivers from last years team. In addition to the lost production, each of these three players presented unique mismatches for defenses to contend with. Kyle Pitts was the best tight end in the country and was difficult to cover even with multiple defenders. Kadarius Toney took advantage of any open space the defense gave him and made big plays regularly. Trevon Grimes had the height and speed that made him difficult to cover one on one on the perimeter. Not only was the trio productive, they complimented each other very well. Florida will need to find a new group of receivers who can be both productive and fit well as a unit in 2021. It helps to have Jacob Copeland back as a starting point, but the Gators will need to find new ways to create mismatches in the passing game this season.

2021 Schedule

Top 25 Players

2021 Projection

Florida’s schedule presents several challenges for the Gators in 2021. In week three the Gators will host defending national champion Alabama in an early season test. Two weeks later, Florida travels to Kentucky to play a Wildcats team that could be dangerous, particularly at home. Two weeks after that Florida will visit LSU, hoping to avenge last year’s loss against the Tigers. The bye week follows that trip before the annual match-up with rival Georgia. The Bulldogs will be looking for revenge after Florida’s big win in 2020. To finish the regular season Florida will host in-state rival Florida State. Florida has tough crossover games this year and a rivalry game to finish the year. The team is replacing a lot of talent on the offensive side and will need to establish it’s identity quickly to flourish. Expect Florida to win nine games in 2021, but if the offense finds it’s rhythm early that number could move up.