Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson asked to name breakout candidate for next year’s Gator offense
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For the second consecutive offseason, Florida’s offensive staff will be tasked with replacing some solid production in Gainesville.
That task will be much more difficult this upcoming offseason with the loss of Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask but there were many doubting the ability of Dan Mullen’s coaching staff to replace all the receivers the team lost to the NFL last offseason — the Gators were the only program in the nation that had four rookie receivers make 53-man rosters to start the 2020 NFL season.
While replacing Trask will be an unenviable task, the Gators have an experienced player in Emory Jones that’s been waiting several seasons for his opportunity to lead the program.
During his appearance during the Cotton Bowl press conference, Florida offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson was asked which Gator was poised to be a breakout candidate next season.
The first name mentioned by Johnson was Jones, followed by freshman signal-caller Anthony Richardson.
“It’s difficult to single out any guy out. One guy that hasn’t played much is obviously Emory,” Johnson said. “I can’t say enough about what he has meant to me the last three years. I’ve had a chance to work with him every single day in practice and seeing how much better he gets every year. I’m really excited for him, really excited for Anthony, those two guys specifically.
“I think they have an opportunity to learn a lot by watching Kyle this year, in how he prepares, how he performs. The habits that he has throughout the week to get himself ready to play.”
The competition should be heated this offseason in Gainesville but it sounds like Jones will be prepared to run with his opportunity should he win the job heading into the 2021 season.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
