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GatorsTerritory brings you another roundtable discussion from our team of writers.

This week, Corey Bender, Zach Abolverdi, Conner Clark, Joseph Hastings and Lauren Reynolds share their thoughts on the Gators' successful COVID numbers, the position UF can least afford to have a starter out with COVID, and the underclassman wide receiver who will haul in the most catches this fall.

Bender: It starts with leadership, and that not only includes Dan Mullen's staff but also the Gators' upperclassmen, especially the seniors. You certainly have to credit the University of Florida Health as well. The university as a whole is equipped with some of the best resources a program can ask for, but it still takes discipline and accountability to consistently take those necessary steps in order to eliminate the spread, especially in college where there are always a flurry of distractions. Kudos to Dan Mullen's program, which hasn't logged a single positive test since the month of July.

Abolverdi: It’s been a coordinated effort by Florida coaches, players and staffers, who have followed the protocols and recommendations from UF Health experts. Having their guidance has been a huge advantage for the Gators, but the team deserves credit as well. Dan Mullen and his staff have done a great job relaying the message to players, who have taken it seriously and been COVID-19 free for almost two months. Seniors such as Ventrell Miller, Jeremiah Moon and Kyle Trask have led the way in making sure their teammates stay safe and don’t put themselves at risk on or away from campus.

Clarke: A large portion of it has to do with Florida’s access to resources from UF Health, one of the top medical institutions in the country. With access to the latest information regarding COVID, UF Health helps the Gators better prepare and implement procedures to prevent players from contracting the virus. I also believe it has a good bit to do with the team’s senior leadership. As a student it’s easy to go out and enjoy your time in college, losing sight of the end goal. But with zero positive tests since early July, the Gators have done an excellent job following protocols and remaining focused.

Hastings: I would attribute UF’s successful COVID-19 numbers to a couple of things. First off, Alachua County has done a great job holding off the virus, for the most part. We only have had 5,409 total cases and a positivity rate of just 3.78 percent, which is incredible. Most people are taking this seriously and practicing proper health recommendations, so the football players’ exposure to the virus should be minimal. The second factor is that everyone is locked in. Student-athletes, coaches and anyone associated with the football program are wearing masks and socially distancing. No one wants to be the cause of the team suffering an outbreak and people getting sick, which has helped the Gators continue to stay in a good position in their fight against the virus

Reynolds: I have to give this one up to the coaching staff and senior leaders. This is their last shot to win a championship at UF, so they understand the importance of the team staying healthy. The issue is bigger than some starters missing out on a couple of weeks of play — livelihoods are on the line. For the seniors and draft-eligible juniors who want to move on to the next level, this season will go a long way in determining their draft stock. As for the coaches, they’ve invested three years into making UF a championship contender and 2020 is their year to make a run.

Bender: I'm going to roll with the cornerbacks. The Gators enter the season with another highly-regarded duo in Marco Wilson and Kaiir Elam, but there is a good amount of inexperience filling out the remainder of the depth chart. Trey Dean is now lining up at safety and has been fairly inconsistent over the past year, while Jaydon Hill and Chester Kimbrough each appeared in over a half-dozen games as freshmen but have yet to log a start. Jahari Rogers has reportedly turned heads over the past several months as well, but it's difficult to gauge a true freshman's potential impact without witnessing any type of game repetitions. I'm certainly not saying the Gators are lacking talent at cornerback; there is just some uncertainty when dissecting the options behind Wilson and Elam.

Abolverdi: In a line-of-scrimmage league, you need numbers and experience in the trenches. The Gators have neither at defensive tackle, which boasts three seniors. Behind them, however, there’s three true freshmen and redshirt freshman Jaelin Humphries, who played in just one game last season. So if one or both starters can’t play due to COVID-19, Florida will be extremely young at the position. Strongside defensive end Zachary Carter is capable of sliding inside and likely would in that scenario, but it’s one the Gators needs to avoid. They have five-star Gervon Dexter, but the other two true freshmen may not be ready for SEC play yet.

Clarke: I would have to say the offensive line. Florida’s depth behind the projected starting five, while talented, is still very young and inexperienced. Based on reports coming out of fall camp, the first-team lineup from left to right looks to be Stone Forsythe, Brett Heggie, Ethan White, Stewart Reese and Richard Gouraige. There’s hardly any game experience behind them aside from Jean Delance, who struggled mightily last year as the starting right tackle. The rest of UF’s rotation will be filled with true and redshirt freshmen, and having to rely on them in 2020 is not a recipe for success.

Hastings: I would definitely go with left tackle here. Florida’s offensive line isn’t elite as it is, and losing a starter at possibly the most important position in this group would be devastating. Right now, the Gators have two solid quarterbacks, a potentially explosive group of pass catchers and a great one-two punch at running back. They need all the help they can get from their offensive line just to give their weapons a chance, which is why I’d go with LT for this question. Projecting your quarterbacks’ blindside is always critical, but easily in a year like this.

Reynolds: The position with the least wiggle room, in my opinion, is running back. After losing Lamical Perine to the NFL draft, the Gators have five options in their backfield without a clear standout. They return Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis, Iverson Clement and Nay'Quan Wright, while adding former five-star recruit Lorenzo Lingard Jr. as a transfer. While talented, no one except Davis has handled a starting role and he last did so in 2017. If he or Pierce are unavailable at any point this season, there could be a dropoff in production.

Bender: We are all familiar with Kyle Trask's go-to targets for the upcoming season, but I believe Trent Whittemore will be the pass catcher who emerges in 2020. He boasts solid route running ability and does a nice job of providing a solid target for the quarterback, but his ability to high-point the ball is well noted as well. The hometown product is reliable and has a reputation for doing the little things that are typically overlooked more often than not. Whittemore made an early commitment to Florida and simply never looked back, so I believe this is a player who fell through the recruiting cracks as well. His reliability and success when operating underneath translates very well to the slot, but he does possess the physical makeup to shift outside as well.

Abolverdi: Mullen and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson have raved about the young wideouts in camp, and I think Ja’Markis Weston could make a splash this season. He has made an “unbelievable improvement” from this time last year, according to Mullen. He said Weston arrived on campus as a big, athletic kid at 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, but needed to develop as a receiver. Since then, however, he has improved his route running and catches the ball “so much better.” With wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales training him and more playing time available, I expect a lot of balls to come Weston’s way.

Clarke: Definitely going with Trent Whittemore on this one. There has been nothing but good things said about how he looks going through fall camp. With the departures of seniors Freddie Swain and Josh Hammond, Florida is looking for someone to fill that void in the slot and I believe Whittemore will be the one to step up. Swain and Hammond were such reliable receivers and always made those tough, first-down grabs when they needed it most. From everything we’ve heard, Whittemore seems to fit that bill. The redshirt freshman is a big, physical receiver who runs good routes over the middle and has great hands to make catches in traffic. I expect him to have a big impact for the Gators this fall.

Hastings: Weston is a name Mullen was high on all the way back when he signed with the program in 2019, and I think he could see the field often this year. Weston is a tall, strong kid with reliable hands and a large catch radius. He may not be a deep threat, but look for him to rack up a lot of five-to-seven-yard catches to help move the chains. Jacob Copeland, Kyle Pitts and Trevon Grimes will obviously be the main targets on offense, but I can see Weston contributing in a small role.

Reynolds: I'm going with Xzavier Henderson, who was ranked the No. 3 receiver in the state of Florida in the 2020 class. He has the right combination of speed and versatility to be a perfect fit for Mullen’s offense. Like older brother and former Gator C.J. Henderson, Xzavier is a track star and had the fastest 400m dash mark in the country (47.17 seconds) as a senior. He’s also familiar with Florida’s system and has the ability to play inside or outside. That position flexibility, along with his wheels, will lead to him contributing as a freshman.

Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.