There was no Orange and Blue Game, no open practices, no spring ball.

Due to circumstances that no one could have predicted, the Florida football team missed an important part of the offseason that gets new athletes acclimated with the program and helps answer important questions about depth across the field.

Here are three main areas of concern for the Gators as a result of no practices.

First and foremost is the concern surrounding the offensive line, specifically the interior where center Nick Buchanan will no longer be. Brett Heggie, who played at guard in 2019, is slated to take over for Buchanan, which leaves gaps at the guard position. Spring ball would have been Heggie’s time to move to center and practice making the calls. The line also lost the opportunity to start building cohesiveness with Heggie, something the unit lacked last year.

The starting guards will be another question mark for Florida’s offense. Although multiple options are available, it’s all about finding that perfect fit and creating a line that will have the most chemistry in a game situation. Richard Gouragie has the ability to line up at guard or tackle, but will end up where he’s needed most. Ethan White is expected to start right guard, while TJ Moore could push for playing time at either spot. Offensive line coach John Hevesy could have determined those roles during the spring, but now he must wait until fall camp.

Another area of concern for Florida will be replacing the heart and soul of the defense, David Reese II. He was snubbed on an invitation to the 2020 NFL Combine despite racking up 94 tackles as a senior, but the Carolina Panthers picked him up as an undrafted free agent. Losing your middle linebacker is always a blow, but it's even harder to find someone who can match Reese’s leadership.

The most likely player to fill his shoes will be Ventrell Miller, who started 11 games at linebacker last season. He finished second in total tackles last season behind Reese with 55, but had him beat in the sack category with three. Miller needed spring ball to get used to handling Reese’s responsibilities on defense.

Another option is James Houston IV. While his production isn’t quite as good as Miller’s, he still put up numbers as a reserve. He totaled 38 tackles last season and three and a half sacks. Mohamoud Diabate is the candidate with the least amount of experience, but impressed as a true freshman with 18 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

While all three are viable options, it will come down to who has the most potential to be a team leader and take over for Reese in more categories than just production. Spring ball would have given the coaches a chance to gauge how they perform under pressure. Without that, a decision may have to be made based more heavily on performance.

Coming off of a season with one of the best receiving corps the University had ever seen, finding depth behind the veteran wideouts is a must. The Gators will return Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney and Jacob Copeland, who all saw pretty significant snaps last year. Grimes had the most catches with 33 for 491 yards and has the potential to be one of the top performers on offense next season. Toney will be looking to prove something, as he sat out a large portion of 2019 with an injury but still made an impact when healthy. As a redshirt freshman, Copeland proved he could make plays in the passing time and should have more balls throw his way this fall.

But that’s only three guys on a unit that lost four senior starters. The Gators had eight wideouts last year with more than 250 receiving yards and 15 different receivers who caught at least one pass. Florida’s WR corps won’t be as experienced or deep in 2020, which will feature two transfers, three redshirt freshmen and a trio of true freshmen. Spring practices would have given quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Emory Jones reps to establish a connection with those new players. That time is now lost.