The Replacements, Pt. 1: Who will fill shoes of departing juniors in 2017?

-- Cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson: Duke Dawson, Chauncey Gardner and/or others. The cornerback position is going to be a huge question mark this offseason. In Tabor and Wilson, Florida loses one of the top cornerback tandems in the country - and a duo that combined for 25 starts and recorded seven interceptions (including two pick-sixes) and 12 pass breakups in 2016. It's not going to be easy to replace those two, but Florida has a number of options who will compete for reps at cornerback. The only thing is none of them have a track record of success at the college level playing on the outside.

Dawson and Gardner, who respectively played at nickelback and safety down the stretch this season, could be two candidates to jump into starting roles at the outside corner spots. Three 2016 signees - JUCO product Joseph Putu, McArthur Burnett and C.J. McWilliams - as well as Chris Williamson, will also compete for reps this fall at those spots. Florida is set to add Rivals250 corners Elijah Blades and Marco Wilson to the mix if everything holds, and the Gators aren't done yet adding defensive backs in the 2017 cycle. At least one true freshman could end up playing a key role here.