Jim McElwain has his hands full at re-working the Florida offensive line going into the 2015 season, but despite the turnover, the Gators O-Line has the opportunity to improve from last year.

You have to start with seasoned veteran position coach Mike Summers, who was the only coach retained from Will Muschamp’s staff. 2014 was Summers’ first year as the Gators’ position coach, and to put it plainly: he worked wonders with Florida’s 2014 offensive line, which gave up 11 fewer sacks and averaged more rush yards per carry and rush yards per game compared to the previous season.

The Gators have lost center Max Garcia, offensive tackle Chaz Green and offensive guard Trenton Brown as well as offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, who left early for the NFL Draft. But, with the addition of new talent, and the versatility of returning starters Rod Johnson and Trip Thurman, the Gators could have just as talented a group at offensive line. Florida signed six offensive linemen in the 2015 recruiting class, but depth will likely be a .

Returning starters Johnson and Thurman can be mixed and matched at both the tackle and guard positions, and at this point, they are the two proven players who can be counted on. Sophomore David Sharpe has all-world potential, and he’s up to 350 pounds this spring, filling out his monstrous frame. Sharpe is slated to move to left tackle to replace Humphries, protecting Treon Harris’ or Will Grier’s blindside. Although Sharpe played in 2014, he’s still young and wildly unproven. But Sharpe’s ceiling may be higher than that of the departed Humphries.

Touted five-star recruit Martez Ivey could see playing time early at the right tackle position, but he won’t set foot on campus until this summer. Ivey looks more like a tight end blocking downfield than a tackle, and his athleticism will be a welcome sight. Ivey and Rod Johnson will compete for the right tackle spot opposite Sharpe. Whoever wins that job will become a nice bookend tandem with Sharpe.

The coaching staff hopes guys like redshirt sophomore Antonio Riles, redshirt sophomore Cameron Dillard and redshirt freshman Andrew Mike can step up and provide impactful play along the line. Mike put on a tremendous amount of weight during his first year and this offseason, and the redshirt freshman is ready to compete for a starting job. With so little depth this spring, these three stand the best chance to be seen by the coaching staff and earn playing time for 2015. All three are running with the first team this spring.

Another player many are overlooking is incoming center Tyler Jordan. With Florida still unproven at center, Jordan could also see immediate playing time. He’s a smart player who has the physical tools to play now.

Another incoming freshman who could earn playing time is Georgia native Nick Buchanan. He’s a really nice looking prospect with a good frame and even better athleticism.

McElwain knows his offensive line is quite thin, but with a bit of injury luck, this unit could outperform expectations in 2015.