Tuesday afternoon, it’s Florida turn to partake in the circus in Hoover, Alabama, that is SEC Media Days.
Gators head coach Jim McElwain, along with defensive backs Duke Dawson, Marcell Harris, and offensive tackle Martez Ivey will make the trip to the Wynfrey Hotel to answer questions from a barrage of reporters. Florida’s outlook for the 2017 season will be a popular topic, considering the Gators are the victors of the SEC East division the past two seasons.
Now, we take a look at five Florida-related storylines that’ll be worth following Tuesday and throughout the remainder of the week.
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* Five takeaways from SEC Media Days
* 10 highlights from day one of SEC Media Days in Hoover on Monday
* Inside the Gators' 20/17 for 2017 series
* Austin Appleby Parting Thoughts: I / II / III / IV / V
* GET TWO MONTHS OF INSIDETHEGATORS.COM FOR FREE
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1. What will Jim McElwain have to say about his quarterbacks?
Anybody who’s expecting McElwain to reveal anything absolutely groundbreaking about the status of a quarterback competition during an offseason is going to be disappointed Tuesday - or that person has just been simply hiding under a rock since 2015.
Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see what words McElwain chooses about his quarterbacks during his press conference Tuesday, considering it’ll be his first interview with the press since Notre Dame graduate transfer quarterback Malik Zaire officially enrolled on campus in June.
At the end of spring ball, McElwain noted that redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks was the leader in the clubhouse. Now, the Zaire factor changes the dynamic of not just the quarterback room, but the competition heading into fall camp. Zaire is the only quarterback on the current roster, besides Luke Del Rio, to have appeared in a collegiate contest up to this point. He has 17 appearances (and three starts) under his belt from his time with the Fighting Irish.
We’re all expecting an open competition to continue into fall training camp, with Franks and Zaire likely the two leading candidates. Still, having McElwain update the group by shedding some light on the battle Tuesday – even if it’s just a sliver – is better than nothing.
2. Will we get a new update on Antonio Callaway?
In May, the standout wide receiver was cited for marijuana possession during a traffic stop. It’s not his first marijuana-related incident at Florida – and for that matter, not his first controversial moment as a Gator.
Will Callaway face any sort of discipline that’ll result in games missed? The last time discussing the matter, McElwain said he was disappointed in Callaway and added that the offense “actually triggers a lot more of the education, a lot more of the testing.” He didn’t specify at the time whether Callaway would miss any playing time.
Obviously, not having Callaway for the Michigan game in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 2 would be a big blow for Florida, so the level of discipline he faces is a storyline Gators fans will continue to follow.
3. How good will each side of the ball be in 2017?
This upcoming season will obviously be a telling one for the Gators and the overall direction of the program under McElwain's watch. While Florida has gotten by with a struggling offense and reached Atlanta the past two seasons thanks to an elite defense, now the Gators enter year three of the McElwain era having lost eight defensive starters from a year ago.
The defense will be still talented but much younger across the board? Will there be a drop off - and if so, how significant of one?
As for the offense, well, there's no point of even posting statistics from the past few years at this point. We're all aware Florida needs to make progress on that side of the ball, especially considering through two seasons the Gators haven't solved the quarterback position, the offensive line has still looked shaky, and the pass-catchers have been inconsistent.
2017 could be the campaign where at least most of that changes. The offensive line, with another year of experience under its belt, has reached plenty of praise from McElwain this offseason. The receiver position is stocked with talent and should only improve, and obviously it's wait-and-see mode at quarterback. The running back room has developed into a strength for the Gators moving forward.
Three players who should serve as leaders this upcoming season - Ivey, Dawson and Harris - will preview their respective units and give us a good glimpse at what's ahead.
4. What will McElwain and his players have to say about Florida's 2017 signees?
Twenty-two of the 23 signees are currently enrolled, with wide receiver James Robinson the only hold-up as he awaits clearance. McElwain should address that situation Tuesday, so it'll be interesting to see how optimistic he is about Robinson potentially joining the fold by fall training camp.
As for the signees who have enrolled, insight on a good number of them from McElwain and the trio of players in attendance would certainly be appreciated by the fan base. The group is sure to field questions from reporters about members of the 2017 class. For Dawson and Harris in particular, the insight they could share about Florida's six freshman defensive backs and how they've looked over the past few weeks would be worthwhile.
5. Where will Florida finish in the SEC East? And how many Gators will land on the preseason All-SEC teams announced at the end of the week?
These predictions will be left up to those in attendance at media days. As far as the SEC East projection, Florida and Georgia are expected to finish in the top two in the East, but the Bulldogs have seen some love this offseason after returning a number of contributors from last year's roster.
UGA could end up being projected as the East champion, but keep this in mind: Florida has won the East the past two seasons after being predicted to finish fifth and second in the division in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
As far as the preseason lists of first, second and third teams, there are a number of Gators who could be candidates to make those squads. Callaway, Ivey, Jordan Scarlett and Jawaan Taylor are among some of the names to watch on offense, while CeCe Jefferson, Duke Dawson, Marcell Harris, Chauncey Gardner and others we haven’t mentioned could end up making the cut on defense.
On the special teams end, punter Johnny Townsend and kicker Eddy Pineiro should certainly see their names listed.
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