GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the first time in what seems like forever, the Florida Gators have questions on defense heading into next season. Four starters (DE Bryan Cox Jr., DT Joey Ivie, LB Jarrad Davis and S Marcus Maye) are gone to graduation and another four (DT Caleb Brantley, LB Alex Anzalone, CB Teez Tabor and CB Quincy Wilson) are leaving early to enter the NFL Draft.

It’s no surprise that the majority of the depth chart questions are on that side of the ball. But the big question mark on offense will likely dominate the offseason conversation.

Here are Florida’s five biggest roster decisions heading into the offseason:

Quarterback

The decision to name the starting quarterback in 2017 could define Jim McElwain’s tenure at Florida. No pressure, Coach.

In two seasons at UF, McElwain has started four quarterbacks, two signed by the previous staff (Will Grier and Treon Harris) and two who transferred to Florida (Luke Del Rio and Austin Appleby). Of those four, only Del Rio will be back for 2017. In Year 3, recruits want to see that McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier are able to develop quarterbacks.

Heading into the spring, the Gators look to have three options: Del Rio, Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask. Del Rio is the most experienced by default as the only one of the three who has taken a college snap. In six games last year, he went 114-of-201 for 1,358 yards with 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. One impressive outing against Kentucky (19-of-32, 320 yards, 4 TDs, INT) far from guarantees him the job.

McElwain chose to redshirt both of his 2016 signees, figuring a potential fifth year to be more valuable than game experience. Franks, a former four-star prospect, is the tallest quarterback on the team at 6-foot-6 and has impressive arm strength. Trask might be the most mechanically polished of the three, but was only a backup on his high school team and is something of an unknown.

If McElwain opts to go with one of the redshirt freshmen, he won’t be getting a cupcake for his collegiate debut. The Gators open 2017 against Michigan in Dallas. Opening the season against a ranked opponent outside The Swamp could play a factor in McElwain’s decision.

Starting cornerbacks

Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson are both NFL bound, leaving the Gators with two big holes at cornerback. Without much proven depth behind them, the Gators options are somewhat limited. Duke Dawson and Chauncey Gardner are the most talented defensive backs to take their spots, but the coaches will have to see how each responds to playing on the outside.

Dawson’s experience comes primarily from playing at nickel. Gardner has done a little bit of everything in the secondary, seeing some action at nickel, but more at safety due to injuries. The good news is that Gardner profiled as a cornerback coming out of high school. In fact, the 247Sports Composite ranked Gardner the No. 4 cornerback of the 2016 class.

If the coaches find that Dawson works better at nickel than corner, they could potentially try junior backup Chris Williamson or a freshman on the outside. The Gators have two four-star cornerbacks committed in Elijah Blades and Marco Wilson (brother of Quincy).

DB/LB package

Previous defensive coordinator Geoff Collins favored the nickel defense because Florida had depth in the secondary and was thin at linebacker. Having Brian Poole and Duke Dawson on the field at nickelback instead of a third linebacker worked well for the Gators when Antonio Morrison, Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone were able to work sideline to sideline and cover all the necessary ground.

Defensive coordinator Randy Shannon inherits depleted linebacker and secondary units. It will be interesting to watch if he wants to move to a three linebacker set, as the Gators are unlikely to be leaning on their secondary like years past. We know David Reese and Vosean Joseph will lead the linebacker unit, but with only five returning lettermen, will Shannon have enough depth?

Cece Jefferson: DT or DE?

A new coach’s first recruiting class is never easy. Many players feel more comfortable committing to a coaching staff they’ve known for multiple years than one that has just been put together. McElwain’s first recruiting class wasn’t great by Florida standards, but he was very fortunate that five-star defensive end Cece Jefferson from Baker County grew up wanting to be a Gator, enough so that he was willing to take a chance on the new coach.

As a freshman, Jefferson flashed at defensive end coming off the bench. He played in all 14 games and made 29 total tackles, including 8.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks.

In the spring of his sophomore year, the coaches wanted to see what Jefferson (6-foot-1, 275 pounds) could do on the inside at defensive tackle. He worked at the position in spring and through fall camp, but the experiment didn’t go as planned. It resulted in more time on the bench for Jefferson while Bryan Cox Jr. and Jordan Sherit played defensive end, and Caleb Brantley and Joey Ivie manned the inside. Later in the year, Jefferson moved back to defensive end, his more comfortable position.

Of the four starting linemen mentioned above, only Sherit returns. Shannon and defensive line coach Chris Rumph must decide early this year if they want to convert Jefferson to defensive tackle or keep him at defensive end. The Gators are thin at tackle, and he might be the best option, but he’s always been more productive at end.

Defensive line: Sherit, Jefferson, who else?

It’s important for Shannon and Rumph to settle on Jefferson’s spot on the defensive line because they have three starters to replace (Brantley, Cox and Ivie).

Aside from Jefferson, Florida’s options at defensive tackle are Taven Bryan, Khairi Clark, Luke Ancrum and Jachai Polite. Bryan and Clark both played in 13 games and checked in at Nos. 20 and 21 on the team in tackles (17, 16). Those aren’t exciting numbers, but it’s experience to build on.

At defensive end, Jabari Zuniga will be a player to watch. He took advantage of weaker competition, notching four sacks against UMass and North Texas. Once the Gators got into SEC play, he had one more sack against Vanderbilt (Week 5), with no more in the final nine games. The redshirt sophomore clearly has a feel for rushing the passer, but work to do in figuring out how to play against the offensive lines of the SEC.

Another player to keep an eye on is DE Antonneous Clayton, Florida’s highest-rated signee of the 2016 class. He saw limited action as a freshman (five games), but there’s certainly an opportunity for him to make an impact this season.

Zuniga and Clayton will be competing with juniors Keivonnis Davis, who appeared in 13 games last year, and Justus Reed.