Florida Gators football: Offensive Position Power Rankings
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators finished spring football camp three weeks ago and the spring transfer portal window has closed. While the portal is closed, the Gators are still actively recruiting. However, the roster is mostly complete for the 2024 football season.
Today, Gators Online will take a look at the offense and rank the positions from best to worst.
Florida Gators’ positional power rankings
1. Quarterback
Last week I wrote about the quarterback room, which I truly think is the best unit on the offense. Graham Mertz proved himself last year but is getting little love outside of Gainesville. Last week, ESPN Analyst Cole Cubelic made reference to just that.
“If you were to put the blinders on and did the old Coke-Pepsi test, the taste test with the blindfold on. If I gave you 73% (completion percentage), 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and three interceptions and said do you think that team is going to be ok with that guy under center this year? You’d say, hell yeah they are,” Cubelic said. “If South Carolina had that guy coming back, totally different conversation. If Payton Thorne had those numbers right now, what are we saying about Auburn this upcoming season? I bet we’re having a different conversation about what those teams might be or could be.”
Behind Mertz is the highest-rated quarterback the Florida Gators have signed in the recruiting ranking era, D.J. Lagway. The uniqueness of the room with a 23-year-old Mertz and the 18-year-old Lagway is worth mentioning. While Lagway is the future the 2023 team is all Mertz’s. The veteran has embraced that mentor role, probably in part because he isn’t looking over his shoulder worrying about his job. Mertz will lead the Gators this season and Florida will be better in the future for his mentorship of Lagway.
2. Running Back
Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh (13) runs up field in the first half during the Orange and Blue game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024 [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]2024
The Gators lost Trevor Etienne but that was worse for the public perception of the program than it will be for the production on the field. Montrell Johnson returns for his senior season and Treyaun Webb for his sophomore year. Both are capable. The Gators also added Jadan Baugh and KD Daniels. The room is strong with or without Etienne. Baugh went off in the spring game, carrying the ball 12 times for 77 yards and Daniels is capable as well.
The Gators’ running back room will be more than fine without Etienne this season.
3. Receiver
While the Gators continue to look for more help here in the transfer portal, the Gators do have some established talent here in senior Chimere Dike and Eugene Wilson. They also have some young players like Kahleil Jackson, Aidan Mizell, Andy Jean and Marcus Burke, as well as true freshmen TJ Abrams and Tank Hawkins.
[RELATED: Why Elijhah Badger makes sense for Florida]
The Gators have a lot of potential in this room but, outside of Wilson and Dike, that’s what Florida is banking on here, potential.
4. Tight End
The Gators bring a lot back but the room wasn’t very productive in 2023. Arlis Boardingham is an exciting young player heading into his third season. He hauled in 26 passes last season, fourth most on the team just behind running back Montrell Johnson. Hayden Hansen has caught 12 passes in his career but has developed as a blocker. Keon Zipperer also returns after a lengthy rehab following knee surgery. Tony Livingston and Gavin Hill round out the room. The Gators also added Air Force tight end Caleb Rillos, who will join the team this summer as a preferred walk-on.
5. Offensive Line
Starters: LT Austin Barber, LG Knijeah Harris, C Jake Slaughter, RG Damieon George, RT Brandon Crenshaw-DicksonBackups: LT Devon Manuel, LG Christian Williams, C Roderick Kearney, RG Bryce Lovett, RT Kamryn Waites
This is the position where my opinion and the coaching staff’s opinions differ the most. They get paid a lot of money and they know more about football than I do. They like their offensive line a lot. I’d point out that they liked their offensive line at this time last year before the 2023 season as well and we saw how that group played. Injuries certainly took a toll last year. Austin Barber played through injuries most of the season and Kingsley Eguakun was never healthy, but that did give Jake Slaughter the chance to show us the player he is and earn a starting job.
This season the Gators will return barber and a three-year starter in Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson. Slaughter returns to start at center. The expectation is that Knijeah Harris will win the starting left guard job and, as of now, Damieon George is penciled in as the starting right guard. George struggled mightily at tackle last season. Moving inside is Florida’s answer to help him but he’ll need to dedicate himself to the weight room this offseason.
The Gators do, on paper, have a deeper offensive line. Roderick Kearny continues to progress and impress. Bryce Lovett has shown the ability to play anywhere on the offensive line. I think he could challenge for the starting job. If Kamryn Waites stays healthy he’ll be the third offensive tackle. New transfer Jazon Zandamela only started playing football four years ago but was a great addition to the team. Based on how new he is to the game and how late he’s joining the program I’m a little more reserved in my expectations for him in 2024 but I think he can be a future starter for the Gators.
The post Florida Gators football: Offensive Position Power Rankings appeared first on On3.
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