GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida ended a roller-coaster 2016 season on a high note with a 30-3 thumping of Iowa in the Outback Bowl. It was guaranteed to be the final game for seniors such as graduate transfer QB Austin Appleby and senior DT Joey Ivie, and a number of injured defenders on the sideline, as well as the presumed farewell for junior cornerbacks Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson, both considered future first-round draft picks.
Appleby deserves to be thanked for his contributions this season, but it’s no secret that fans are looking forward to seeing what the team’s freshmen quarterbacks bring to the table. The departures on defense have many fans worried about 2017, but with the way some of their backups have played, there’s reason for optimism in 2017.
1. A strong supporting cast is back on offense: Inconsistency on offense has been an issue for Florida since Tim Tebow’s career ended after the 2009 season. The quarterback position is an unknown heading into 2017 as spring competition will be between redshirt junior Luke Del Rio, who had only one impressive game (Kentucky) in six starts, and redshirt freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask.
Whether it is Del Rio, Frank or Trask, or a transfer like Malik Zaire, at quarterback, the signal-caller will have an excellent supporting cast surrounding him. Established play-makers Antonio Callaway and Tyrie Cleveland will be back leading a strong receiving corps. After rushing for 889 yards on 179 carries this season, Jordan Scarlett looks like a potential 1,000-yard rusher next season as Florida’s feature back.
If the Mark Thompson we saw in the Outback Bowl shows up next year to complement Scarlett and Lamical Perine, the Gators could have one of the division’s top ground games. The offensive line might lose David Sharpe to the NFL, but the rest of the starters should be returning
All the offense needs to find is a quarterback, and the Gators will be in business.
2. The defense played well for Randy Shannon: Florida’s defense set a program bowl record in Monday’s Outback Bowl holding Iowa to three points. Even more impressive, the Gators did it while starting a walk-on, Christian Garcia, at middle linebacker and under an interim defensive coordinator. The Hawkeyes could have scored more points, as two trips inside the 15-yard line resulted in no points (goal-line stand and missed field goal), but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Shannon called an excellent game while dealing with a laundry list of injuries.
McElwain has said that he would name a new defensive coordinator following the bowl game. After Monday’s record-setting performance by the defense, it’s hard to see it being anybody other than Shannon. The continuity of promoting Shannon should help the defense in 2017.
3. The next assistant hire should help with recruiting: If McElwain does promote Shannon from co-coordinator to sole coordinator, it means the hire he makes to fill the vacant assistant spot can be someone who will help the Gators improve on the recruiting trail. While recruiting won’t have a big impact on the 2017 season, it could be a huge boost for the morale of the program.
In McElwain’s first full recruiting cycle (2016) he brought in a class ranked No. 12 by the 247Sports Composite. That sounds decent, but it pales in comparison to the class Georgia coach Kirby Smart is expected to sign in his first full cycle, or even the class Will Muschamp signed at Florida in 2012. The Gators’ 2017 class is currently ranked No. 19 and No. 8 in the SEC. That’s not going to cut it when UGA (No. 3), FSU (No. 4), LSU (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 11) and South Carolina (No. 14) are all annual opponents.
The next staff hire is an opportunity to excite and unite the fanbase heading into 2017 and beyond, especially if McElwain brings on a proven recruiter, like current Alabama analyst Mike Locksley.
4. Injuries have led to an early preview of next year’s defense: If there’s one positive from all the injuries, it’s the experience gained by backups and newcomers. Various injuries led to increased playing time for DB Chauncey Gardner Jr. (Outback Bowl MVP), LB David Reese, LB Vosean Joseph, DE Jabari Zuniga and DL Jachai Polite.
As sophomores, they’ll be joined by other returning players like DE Cece Jefferson, DL Keivonnis Davis, LB Kylan Johnson, DB Duke Dawson, S Nick Washington and S Marcell Harris. While losing top tacklers like LB Jarrad Davis, LB Alex Anzalone and S Marcus Maye (Nos. 2-4 in tackles) will be a huge blow, at least their backups have gotten experience.
5. The home schedule is loaded: One of the lesser talked-about records under McElwain is Florida’s 11-1 mark at home the past two seasons. It hasn’t always been against the toughest competition, but the Gators have done well to take back The Swamp since dropping three home games in 2014 (LSU, Missouri and South Carolina). Playing well at home will be especially important in 2017.
Thanks to the way the schedule works, and the agreement with LSU, the home schedule is stacked next fall. The Gators will have their regular odd-numbered year home games (Tennessee, Vanderbilt and FSU) along with their rotating SEC West opponent (Texas A&M), and thanks to the Hurricane Matthew compromise, LSU.
While the schedule also features two marquee neutral-site clashes (Michigan in Dallas and the annual meeting with Georgia in Jacksonville), there’s a huge plus in that the Gators only have three true road games (Kentucky, Missouri and South Carolina).
6. Year 3 was big for McElwain at Colorado State: McElwain only lasted three years at Colorado State (2012-14) because after the third year, former Florida AD Jeremy Foley came calling. In three short seasons, the Rams went from being a 3-9 team (prior to McElwain) to a 10-2 squad with a Las Vegas Bowl bid.
Obviously, McElwain is on a different trajectory at Florida, having won the SEC East in the first two seasons. Considering Florida’s departures on defense, Year 3 in Gainesville may be less about the win-loss record and more about offensive production, one of the primary reasons he was hired in December 2014.
If McElwain can show Gator Nation what a functioning offense looks like in his system with his players, then he doesn’t necessarily have to go 10-2 to call it a successful season.
7. The Gators will be hungry again: After two seasons of proving the SEC media wrong by winning the division, the Gators will still be hungry in 2017. It’s easy to see that Georgia will likely claim Tennessee’s spot as the media’s new favorite, with Jacob Eason, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel all back for Year 2 of Smart’s tenure in Athens.
While the Gators desperately needed a bowl win to avoid finishing on a three-game losing skid again, the momentum from stomping Iowa won’t cancel out the bitterness left behind by losses to Tennessee, Arkansas, FSU and Alabama. If the Bulldogs become the new media darlings, the Gators should just ignore it and go about their business and worry about getting better in 2017. McElwain’s boys play better with a chip on their shoulder anyway.
A hungry, and hopefully healthy, Florida team should be fun to watch in 2017.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
