Zach's Mail Stack: Expectations for Brenton Cox, Trey Dean & CFB in 2020
In the latest edition of Zach’s Mail Stack, we look at the prospect of a 2020 college football season, expectations for Brenton Cox Jr. and Trey Dean this fall and more.
Do you think that there will be a full college football season? Or do you foresee it being abbreviated or canceled? — @GCoatoam
Obviously that’s still to be determined as schools monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and recent surges in cases nationwide.
If enough college football programs are able to make it through the six-week preseason practice plan without canceling or suspending fall camp, then I think an abbreviated season is going to happen.
It will likely look different for some states and leagues, and many out-of-conference matchups between Power 5 programs and FCS opponents may get canceled. But I expect the SEC and other major conferences to do all they can to play their league schedule and crown a champion.
Since players started returning to college campuses in June, we’ve seen positive cases at several programs and some have even suspended workouts. There’s no doubt that teams will have to live with COVID-19 this fall and face the possibility of players missing games with the virus, which has claimed more than 132,000 American lives.
But I believe that as long as there are no student-athletes severely impacted by COVID-19 once classes resume and students return, programs will push forward with a football season.
UF will announce the schedule for fall classes Friday. In my opinion, it would be smart for the school to follow Southern Cal’s lead and recommend that all undergraduates take their courses online.
A smaller student body would help prevent the virus from spreading and limit the potential exposure to players. However, by keeping campus open in a hybrid format for students in certain majors as well as athletes, schools could still justify having fall sports.
If they do indeed happen, I think games will have limited capacity, fans in masks and a press box with social distancing protocols. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a signed waiver required for stadium entry and every media availability take place on Zoom.
How good is Brenton Cox Jr.? Can we expect a Johnathan Greenard type of impact from him? — @superman7595
Greenard came to Gainesville as a transfer and led the team in sacks in his one season with UF.
Cox could have a similar impact in 2020, but the Gators will get multiple years from the Under Armour All-American.
Unlike Greenard, a former three-star prospect, Cox boasted a five-star rating out of high school and has an even higher ceiling as a pass rusher. There’s a reason he wore No. 1 at Georgia and cracked the rotation as a true freshman, making 20 tackles and starting the Sugar Bowl against Texas.
Cox sat out last year due to NCAA transfer rules and is now expected to take over for Greenard at the Buck position, where he will have to compete against Jeremiah Moon, Khris Bogle and others for the starting job.
Whoever gets the nod at that spot could be Florida’s sack leader, which has been the case with Greenard and Jachai Polite the past two seasons. In our latest Gators Territory roundtable, three of our five writers predicted Cox to record the most sacks in 2020.
He is one of six former five-star recruits on UF’s roster. Out of those half dozen players, Cox will be one of the most impactful this fall.
“I know he’s a talented player. It’s good to have him,” Gators coach Dan Mullen said of Cox prior to spring ball. “He’s worked hard, had a great attitude, been really positive in everything he’s done and I want to see him continue to do that moving forward.”
What are you expecting out of Trey Dean this fall? — @BillSikes
After starting at cornerback as a freshman and nickel last season, there’s a possibility of Trey Dean III moving to safety this fall.
That was supposed to be determined during spring ball, when Dean could have transitioned to a new position with 15 practices. I doubt we see Dean again at the Star spot, where he struggled in 2019.
Dean was eventually replaced by Marco Wilson and moved back to cornerback, but Kaiir Elam got the nod over him for the final three games of the season. With Wilson and Elam expected to be Florida’s starting corners this year, the staff has to figure out the right spot for Dean in the secondary.
“Obviously, he’s a much better player when he’s at spots he’s comfortable in,” Mullen said of Dean prior to spring ball. “We’re going to do a lot of that this spring where we find who’s comfortable where and how are the different ways and combinations to always keep our best guys on the field.”
Despite missing spring, I still expect Dean to make the switch in fall camp and compete for the starting job opposite Shawn Davis. Florida’s safety rotation remains a work in progress and I think Dean could bring some stability to the position.
Moreover, he’s got a much better chance at playing time if he’s sharing snaps with Donovan Stiner instead of Elam. Dean may cross-train at both spots, but there’s no way he continues to rep at nickel.
Who is the fastest player on the team? — @reelgator06
Last season that distinction belonged to Gators cornerback C.J. Henderson, who clocked a 4.39 second 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.
With Henderson now gone, there’s a number of players who could be in the running (pun intended) for the fastest on the team. Let’s consider the returners first.
Wide receivers Jacob Copeland, Kadarius Toney and Dionte Marks are the potential candidates on offense, while cornerback Chester Kimbrough could give them a run for their money.
As for the newcomers, Miami running back transfer Lorenzo Lingard Jr. is a speedster and was a member of the UM track and field team. Freshmen cornerbacks Avery Helm and Jahari Rogers are both blazers, and wide receiver Xzavier Henderson also has some wheels like his older brother.
If the coaches got all those players together and had them run the 40-yard dash, I think the winner would be Copeland, Lingard or Helm.
Wondering what numbers are ideal for each position on the roster? For instance, apparently the staff wants 5 RBs. — @fairviewgator
Mullen has previously stated that he wants to sign a starting lineup’s worth of positional players in every recruiting class, excluding specialists.
That means a quarterback, running back, tight end, three receivers, and five linemen on offense (11), along with a pair of defensive tackles, three ends (including a Buck prospect), two linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties (22 total).
Those numbers can vary by one or two recruits based on the team needs in a specific cycle, and some of those spots now go to transfer portal players instead of prep prospects (see Lingard).
As the Gators build their 85-man roster, Mullen and his staff should have at least 41 scholarship players on offense and defense. I think the ideal roster distribution breaks down like this:
Four quarterbacks, five running backs, 11 receivers, five tight ends and 16 offensive linemen, along with seven defensive tackles, 10 defensive ends (five Buck players), eight linebackers, eight corners and eight safeties.
That equals 82 players, leaving a few extra scholarships for specialists and walk-ons. Heading into the 2021 season, Florida has ideal roster numbers at every position except quarterback.