How will the Florida Gators look under new head coach Jim McElwain?

That’s one of the biggest questions flowing around SEC country.

The first-year head coach will try and revive a very dormant offense in Gainesville, picking up the pieces of a rather depleted offensive roster from the Will Muschamp regime.

Florida yet again plays one of the toughest schedules in the country. Could the Gators surprise folks in 2015? Will the offense show a pulse? Will the defense take a step back?

There are more questions than answers, but that’s always the way it is with new head coaches.

Looking into the crystal ball, let’s dive into five predictions for the Gators:

1. 1,000-yard receiver: Florida hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since…2002. Former great Taylor Jacobs was the Gator who hit the benchmark last, but that benchmark will return this season. I hear what you’re saying; the passing game has to improve. That’s true, but it doesn’t have to improve that much. Florida finished 12th overall in the SEC in passing offense, and Demarcus Robinson still caught 53 passes for 810 yards and seven touchdowns. He also dropped several passes, too. Robinson is about to do what Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and Riley Cooper never did — have a 1,000-yard season.

2. Biggest playmaker: Demarcus Robinson, Kelvin Taylor and the quarterbacks dominate the preseason talk, but new receiver Brandon Powell will be the go-to player. The former running back-turned-wide receiver won’t lead the team in receiving; he won’t have to. His mere threat in the slot will make Demarcus Robinson even better. He caught just 15 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown before having surgery to repair a foot injury. One thing you need to know about Powell: home-run threat. He’s one of the SEC’s best kept secrets.

3. Lead in INTs: This secondary is really, really good, and it’ll be the backbone of new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins’ defense this season. Vernon Hargreaves and Jalen Tabor form an incredible cornerback duo — maybe the best of the SEC. Combine that duo with Nickelback Brian Poole and safeties Keanu Neal and Marcus Maye, and the Gators will have one of the country’s premier secondaries. Young talented players like Quincy Wilson and Duke Dawson will also have an impact. A very good secondary allows Collins to be ultra aggressive with pass rushers Jon Bullard, Alex McCalister and Bryan Cox Jr. While Will Muschamp’s defense was very good, Collins’ defense should be more aggressive. This will cause more disruption in the backfield and force quarterbacks to make mistakes when facing the heat. The Gators will lead the SEC in INTs for 2015.

4. QBs will split more time than expected: All eyes are on the Gators’ quarterbacks entering fall camp. Obviously, Jim McElwain and Doug Nussmeier want one player to step up and take the job, and that player will likely be Will Grier. But with an inexperienced offensive line, Florida may need a dual-threat quarterback to help offset average (or below) O-line play. (See Tennessee 2014 when Joshua Dobbs took over). Grier’s strength is the passing game; he has a quick release, he’s accurate, and he has a strong enough arm to make all the throws. Harris’ strength is being a playmaker, and he’ll improve as a passer under this coaching staff. Grier is the better fit for the pro-style offense, but McElwain may have to tweak his offense to fit Harris’ strengths to help offset the line of scrimmage. All of this leads to both quarterbacks playing significant time in 2015. That may not be such a bad thing.

5. Eight-game winners: A very solid first year for Jim McElwain would be eight wins. That’s how many I think Florida ends up winning in 2015. The wins will come against New Mexico State, East Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida Atlantic and Florida State. The losses will all come against ranked opponents: Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and Georgia. Obviously all of those games are toss-ups, and only one of them comes in a true road game: LSU. Although tough, the schedule sets up fairly well for the Gators in 2015.