GAINESVILLE, Fla.– Florida had a fantastic season in Dan Mullen’s first year as head coach. A lot of the credit goes to him, but his players stepped up and made the plays to win those games.
Now he is tasked with replacing a lot of his biggest production players. The Gators didn’t lose a lot in terms of numbers, but key players such as Jachai Polite, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Vosean Joseph, Jawaan Taylor and Jordan Scarlett all elected to forgo a final season in Gainesville for the NFL.
Defensively, Polite was the best edge guy Florida has had in years, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss. Joseph was the leading tackler, and Gardner-Johnson anchored the secondary and finished with the most interceptions on the team.
Offensively, the Gators are in better shape, but Taylor was arguably the best lineman on a line that only allowed 18 sacks, and Scarlett was a workhorse toward the middle and end of the season as part of a two-headed beast of a backfield.
The Gators lost a bit more than just these players, especially on the offensive line, but replacing the production from these five is a major task this offseason for the Gators.
So, who steps up to fill their voids?
On offense Florida seems to be in a good spot replacing Scarlett. Gator Nation rejoiced when Perine announced he was returning for his senior season. He led the team in rushing this past season.
The Gators also saw the emergence of freshman Dameon Pierce as well who finished with 434 yards on just 69 carries (6.1 avg.).
And don’t forget about Malik Davis. The now Jesuit high school alum has been injury-riddled in his short career in Gainesville, but when he has been on the field he produces.
The key for the ground game will be replacing the offensive line. Taylor played a pivotal role on the right edge, opening up holes for the backs and protecting Feleipe Franks.
Obviously the line’s success doesn’t hinge on one guy, but Taylor’s consistency on the right side was a rare sight for the Gators in recent years. Replacing him will be key for Florida’s offense. Richard Gouraige may be the guy, but only time will tell.
On defense, the Gators have a higher hill to climb.
Polite was in everybody’s backfield and had one hell of a season. He is expected to be around a to-15 pick in the draft. You can’t simply replace his production.
What you can do though is move some guys around and set up a god rotation. Jeremiah Moon and Zach Carter are the two guys who can fill in with Polite and CeCe Jefferson both out on the right side. Don’t forget about Antonneous Clayton either.
Whoever Florida finds for a defensive line coach will be tasked with replacing Polites production. If he can maneuver some things around and find the right rotation, the Gators could be just as productive as a unit along the defensive edge.
At nickel Gardner-Johnson flourished though and finished with the most interceptions and third in tackles.
Gardner-Johnson was not the best defensive back the Gators had this past season, but he was the most important. He anchored the secondary and was a great communicator to the young guys at safety in particular.
Replacing him may be the toughest task for the Gators this offseason because we simply don’t know who can step into his nickel role and at least have a ballpark type of production similar to his.
A few guys that could move into that role would be C.J. McWilliams, Amari Burney, Trey Dean or Chris Steele.
Burney could play linebacker and his ability to tackle would be useful closer to the line, McWilliams was the backup to Gardner-Johnson the entire season although he was burned in coverage more than once.
With Marco Wilson returning from injury Dean could move over in an effort to have great coverage across the board and if Steele hits the ground running he may jump into this spot as well.
The key here though is the communication factor. That’s what separated Gardner-Johnson. Whoever can fit in well with this current secondary group and communicate well will be able to separate themselves to replace Gardner-Johnson’s production.
Finally, Vosean Joseph saw a big jump in production this season after an up and down 2017 year. This past season though he stepped up big with David Reese sidelined for the first few weeks with an injury.
He wasn’t consistency great but when he was on, he was really on. He finished with a career-high 14 tackles against LSU to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss in Florida’s biggest home game of the season.
He had some lapses, but as the team’s leading tackler he still leaves a void that needs to be filled. Any number of guys could step up in his absence.
Ventrell Miller and James Houston are the top candidates, but Amari Burney, Rayshad Jackson and Kylan Johnson could all make a case for themselves.
What will separate somebody from the rest of the pack this offseason is how controlled they play while staying aggressive and flying around. If there was one big knock on Joseph it was that he overran plays and was a bit out of control.
In order to replace his production the Gators have to find a guy that has great instincts, can tackle, stay under control and cover in space against running backs.
Replacing production from guys headed to the NFL is a task for every college coaching staff as they enter the offseason.
It’s no different for the Gators and although they have some talented guys with some experience, filling the voids left by these underclassmen is a very important and daunting task, but if Mullen and company can figure it out they can have a very good season in 2019.
