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Published Oct 7, 2020
GT Roundtable: Success with transfer waivers, Bowman, gearing up for Mond
GatorsTerritory
Staff

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How much credit does the staff deserve for taking transfers who received waivers? 

Bender: Kudos to Dan Mullen's staff. Not only did the Gators receive waivers for five student athletes, but several of them were also five-star prospects in high school. UF addressed positions of need and hauled in players who had a strong case for being cleared by the NCAA. Florida itself did a great job as well, as the university wasted little time submitting waivers in order to give its student athletes the best possible outcome. It's truly difficult finding another college that is having the amount of success in the transfer portal like the University of Florida, with Jordan Pouncey being the latest Gator to receive the nod from the NCAA.

Abolverdi: Florida hit a transfer trifecta this week with the news of receiver Jordan Pouncey, who was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. He’s the third UF portal player to get a waiver approved for this season, joining running back Lorenzo Lingard and wideout Justin Shorter. Gators coach Dan Mullen has now received waivers for five of the six transfers he’s landed, along with WRs Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes. It’s never ideal to add a player from the portal who has to sit out a year, such as Brenton Cox, but Mullen and staff have avoided that by doing their homework and taking transfers with legitimate cases.

Clarke: As far as landing transfers — and impact players, at that — the staff deserves a huge amount of praise. They’ve been able to address needs via the transfer portal, and those additions have been a huge part of the team’s success. With five players getting cleared in three years, UF has done a good job of submitting waivers in a timely manner and providing supporting documentation as to why they should be immediately eligible. But as we’ve seen in the past, it takes more than proper paperwork and a strong case. The NCAA’s inconsistent rulings on approvals and denials have shown it takes a bit of luck, which seems to be on the Gators' side this year.

Reynolds: Some, but not all. They do deserve credit for adding portal players who are likely to receive waivers and play right away. With all but one of their transfers getting the green light, that says a lot about Florida’s evaluation of these cases and the likelihood of them going through. However, with a trio of transfers being cleared for this season, perhaps one or two of those UF players benefited the NCAA possibly being more lenient with waivers due to COVID-19.

Does Demarkcus Bowman have a realistic shot at starting next year?  

Bender: Bowman has been in the headlines for much of the past week, and deservedly so, but it doesn't mean the former five-star prospect is a shoo-in for next year's starting job. He definitely has a realistic shot and will be heavily in the mix, but you can't overlook Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis. There is no doubt Lorenzo Lingard has a huge chip on his shoulder as well. The group boasts plenty of experience and is out to make a statement in 2020. Bowman, however, is an elite talent who provides a major boost to Greg Knox's running backs room. Mullen will be fielding plenty of questions about the Lakeland product over the next year, and understandably so, but you can expect running back to be one of the major positional battles next year.

Abolverdi: Florida’s backfield will be loaded in 2021 with the addition of Bowman, who’s the second five-star RB transfer to join the program in the past nine months. The Gators could have as many as six players at the position next season, and everyone will be returning except Bowman. If Dameon Pierce and/or Malik Davis turn pro, I expect Bowman to compete with Nay’Quan Wright and Lorenzo Lingard for the starting job and all three to get carries. Pierce or Davis will be RB1 if they come back, but I think Bowman will be featured prominently in the rotation because of his top-end speed.

Clarke: That depends on what the older running backs do. Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis (R-Jr.) are both juniors and could jump to the NFL if they have a good season. If that were to happen, I think Bowman might be able to work his way into the starting job as long as he learns the playbook. However, if one or both backs return, I don’t think Bowman starts. He’ll definitely be in the rotation regardless because Dan Mullen and Greg Knox have shown a willingness to rotate backs throughout the game and keep everyone fresh. And being the highest-ranked RB Florida has landed since Ciatrick Fason, I think it will be hard to keep Bowman off the field next year.

Reynolds: At this point, I think it's too early to say. A lot of that decision will rest on the performances of Malik Davis and Dameon Pierce this season. Are they able to prepare themselves enough for the next level, or will one or both of them need to play their senior years? I do believe that Florida’s coaches make lineup decisions based on who’s truly the best man for the job, and they don’t take stars or seniority into consideration when choosing who to start and who to sit. If Bowman learns Florida's offense and can be an effective runner, he’ll be part of the RB rotation. How often will depend on Davis and Pierce.

Where does Kellen Mond rank among the quarterbacks Florida will face this season?

Bender: I believe UF's defense has already squared off with the top gunslinger on their schedule in Matt Corral. Prior to the season, I would have ranked Kellen Mond much higher on the list and possibly at the top, but inserting him behind Corral and Alabama's Mac Jones is more accurate at this time. It also doesn't help that Jhamon Ausbon, Mond's high school teammate and top target from a season ago, opted out of the season. However, A&M's offensive line ranks first in the SEC in sacks allowed, while Mond is equipped with the dual-threat capabilities to extend plays with his legs, so Todd Grantham's defense has a difficult task at hand. Mond might not be the best quarterback in the SEC, but he's certainly capable of racking up numbers in a hurry.

Abolverdi: Back in the offseason, I would have tabbed Mond as the best signal caller on Florida’s schedule this season. He threw for 2,897 yards in 2019, second to only Kyle Trask among returning quarterbacks in the SEC. But that was before we saw Matt Corral in Lane Kiffin’s offense or Mac Jones with a full offseason as Alabama’s starter. If the Gators make it to Atlanta, it will be against Jones. I would rank both him and Corral ahead of Mond. He’s missing his No. 1 receiver Jhamon Ausbon, who decided to opt-out and prepare for the NFL draft.

Clarke: Based on what I’ve seen through the first two games of 2020, I would say Kellen Mond is probably the fourth or fifth best QB on the schedule. Matt Corral, in my opinion, tops the list of quarterbacks the Gators will see this season and it’s not particularly close. Then I would go with Stetson Bennett, who has emerged as Georgia’s new starter, followed by Jarrett Guarantano from Tennessee. After those three, it’s a tossup for me between Mond and former Gator Feleipe Franks.

Reynolds: To be completely honest, I don't think Mond is really anything to bat an eye at. He’s thrown for 507 yards this season, which is sixth in the SEC. His 58 percent completion rate, while not bad, ranks No. 12 in that category. One cause for concern with Mond is that he’s one of only two SEC quarterbacks — the other being Alabama's Mac Jones — who has only been sacked once this season. That has a lot to do with A&M’s offensive line, which ranks first in the SEC in sacks allowed, but it also speaks to Mond’s ability to escape pressure. In my opinion, Florida has already been faced with its most difficult quarterback this season in Ole Miss' Matt Corral, who ranks first in completion percentage and second in passing yards.