A huge question mark for Florida entering the 2020 season was how would they replace Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Freddie Swain and Joshua Hammond, the splendid quartet of senior wide receivers who were one of the most productive wide receiver classes in school history.

As seniors, the group propelled Florida to a top 20 finish in passing offense and a top 15 finish in S&P+ offensive efficiency for the first time since 2009, despite a ground game that lingered around 100th nationally for the bulk of the 2019 season thanks to a young, leaky offensive line. Collectively, the quartet accounted for 139 receptions, 1,871 yards and 16 touchdowns, and all 4 found their way to NFL rosters (with 3 making opening day rosters and Hammond on a practice squad).

Florida knew what it had in Kyle Pitts and, once he decided not to opt out, Trevon Grimes. They thought they probably had something pretty special brewing with Jacob Copeland as well. But Florida knew it was replacing 5 of the top 8 pieces of its passing game production puzzle from a season ago and no matter how much the coaching staff and fan base feigned confidence or insisted the pieces were there, there was no proof.

Saturday, we saw the early returns and goodness was the evidence overwhelmingly positive.

Let’s start with Pitts, because, well, you have to start with Pitts.

The Gators knew the preseason All-SEC and All-American selection was more than a reliable security blanket to Trask in the event that things elsewhere went haywire.

“He’s the best football player on almost every field,” a Florida staffer told me last month. “Oftentimes, he does something and you ask: How can anyone that big be that fast? How can anyone that fast be that strong? He’s just cut from a different cloth.”

Pitts is special, something on display again and again Saturday.

The numbers speak for themselves. 8 receptions, 170 yards, 4 (yes, 4) touchdowns. Downfield throws, line of scrimmage throws, back-shoulder throws. It doesn’t matter. You pitch it, Kyle is going to catch it.

Pitts is the first guy you notice on film when you watch Florida and the first guy Kyle Trask looks for when the offense needs to make a play. It’s the type of combo special seasons are made from.

“Kyle Trask had video game stats. So, a lot of credit to him,” Kiffin said following the game, as transcribed by SDS. “But (Pitts) was unbelievable. Two of the touchdowns he was double covered on. Obviously, Kyle knows where the other Kyle is, and he forces the ball to him, and they got two touchdowns. A lot of credit to them.”

Florida will face much better defenses in the weeks to come, however, and defenses will continue to chip, hold, prod, pry and tackle Kyle Pitts. Anything to slow the man amongst boys down.

That’s where the rest of Saturday’s game comes in, and why the early returns are so encouraging.

Trevon Grimes was Trevon Grimes. He lost a 50/50 throw early on a nice play by an Ole Miss defensive back. But he hauled in his other 3 targets, including a beautiful back-shoulder throw from Trask for a touchdown (below).

Jacob Copeland showed skill running multiple routes and, despite a drop on Florida’s opening drive, caught 3 of his 5 targets as well, collecting 39 yards.

In another promising development, senior playmaker Kadarius Toney showed huge improvement as a route runner, absolutely blistering Ole Miss on a lovely dig move and crossing route for a crucial first down, running a terrific in route for another vital first down and running with a tenacity and purpose, something Mullen had asked him to do for much of the past 2 seasons.

If Toney is going to emerge as a consistent threat on the boundary, defenses are going to have that much more trouble throwing extra bodies at Pitts. What’s more, Trask is a terrific 2nd- and 3rd-read quarterback. He is calm in the pocket and follows his progressions. Trask’s ability to spread the wealth (11 Gators caught a pass on Saturday) is the perfect complement to DanMullen’s ability to scheme and get the most out of a player’s individual skill set.

That’s probably why Florida used Justin Shorter in a Tyrie Cleveland type vertical decoy or bubble role, kept things simple for highly-touted freshman Xzavier Henderson, made sure to get speedster Trent Whittemore out in space, and used a shifty, healthy Malik Davis in passing situations out of the backfield. By keeping players in their comfort zones and trusting Trask to make the right reads, Florida managed to get much of the supporting cast behind Pitts and Grimes involved.

There’s a long way to go this season. But Florida’s next challenge, South Carolina, just surrendered 8.5 yards per throw to Jarrett Guarantano and a Tennessee team replacing even more of its passing game production than Florida. Nothing will come easy in a 10-game conference schedule, but Florida should look at South Carolina on film and respectfully consider it another opportunity to build confidence in other pieces of the passing game while continuing to enjoy the luxury of turning things over to the Kyles in pressure situations.

For much of the last decade, Florida was hoping and wishing for a consistent quarterback and a few playmakers to emerge to help him. Saturday, the Gators posted a school record in an SEC opener 642 yards against a DJ Durkin defense. Pump the brakes if you must, but Florida’s wide receiver room, a curiosity and site of cautious optimism in the preseason, may just be a strength this season.

With the Kyles already on a path to greatness in 2020, that’s an encouraging thing for the Gators and a frightening thing for most of the opponents on Florida’s schedule.