The Key to the Florida Gators' Future?
I spend a great deal of time on the phone with numerous people connected to Florida, particularly all of our insiders you all have come to know and love. I do not need to mention them again, but here goes.
SRGators, Heisman, Bblake, EH, Halley, KC, and countless others—all share a deep passion for Florida football. I talked to EH yesterday about various things, including recruiting and the program's trajectory. One thing we stumbled upon that I found interesting and wanted to share is this: With all the changes that Florida has made over the last 12 months or so, will it be enough for immediate results in 2024?
Anything that happens in recruiting, Drake Stubbs, Jarquez Carter, those guys who might end up being great players are not helping the UF cause this season, not by a mile, and maybe not even in 2025? So, we are talking about how the current recruits (current cycle) are not impacting this team's failure or success during the upcoming season. So, where is the focus/measuring stick of what UF has done over the last 12 months that will impact the failure/success of the upcoming season? These hits/misses (recruits) are more likely to have an impact, good or bad, in 2026 at the earliest.
So, the question remains: Have the Florida Gators made the necessary preparations over the last 12 months to ensure a successful upcoming season? There are several factors to weigh in when addressing this question.
By the way, this is about something other than any previous mistakes that may have been made. It's about the most recent decisions made by the new portal additions, nutritionists, strength and conditioning, and new staff members, including the back office and coaches.
The most significant factor in your mind is quarterback Graham Mertz, who is familiar with the offense heading into his second season with the Gators. The most crucial factor is that some surprise standout offensive first-year students, such as Jaden Baugh.
What if a guy like Elijah Badger, Chimere Dike, Grayson Howard, Cormani McClain, Aaron Chiles, Myles Graham, Trikweze Bridges, or DJ Douglas turns into an All-America first-team player? We may see some young OLs, such as Bryce Lovett, Caden Jones, and Fletcher Westphal, emerge as top guys up front.
These are all moves that Florida made over the last 12 months that will directly impact the upcoming season's failure or success. My question to all of you is, will it be enough? I am excited for the upcoming season to get going (I always am), and the start of college football is personally my favorite time of the year with Fall in the air, cooler weather, gamedays, BBQs, etc. I love the fact that Florida opens with Miami in The Swamp, so we get a chance to see the full arsenal on display, whatever that ends up being.
