NCAA College Football Preview: Florida Gators
With the Tim Tebow era officially over in Florida, the Gators football team now has the challenge of moving on after losing arguably the best college football player of all-time. Head coach Urban Meyer should be up to the challenge, however, and his team could very well be one of the teams to beat in the SEC.
The Gators have ended up in the top 3 (including two National Championships) in three out of the past four years. In order to stay among college football’s elite, Florida will have to overachieve to a large degree. They lost five juniors to the NFL and will be playing this year with four new assistant coaches and a new defensive coordinator.
In December of 2009, Meyer announced he would resign as head coach after the Gators’ bowl game. His resignation was due to health and family concerns. However, in the first six half of 2010, it appears that his health problems have been dealt with and it appears that he will indeed be the head coach in 2010.
John Brantley will have the difficult task of filling in the enormous shoes left by Tebow. The redshirt junior has spent the past few years watching Tebow and is eager to prove he can keep the Gators atop the SEC. Meyer has given him a vote of confidence and has said he is more worried about his surrounding personnel.
Florida’s defense took a big hit as well on defense. Replacements will be needed for linebackers Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper, and Dustin Doe; ends Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham; cornerback Joe Haden, and Safety Major Wright.
Florida’s toughest games will come at Alabama, versus Georgia, and at home against LSU. To win these games, the key for the Gators will be whether Brantley and Meyer can provide leadership on the same level as Meyer and Tebow did. While Florida can never be counted out, this is not a year where they will waltz into a top 3 spot at the end of the season.
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