Spring football season is nearly upon us. Before we know it, we’ll be settling into our seats to watch the Florida Gators’ spring game on Thursday, April 13, at 7:30pm.
Before we can begin to even think about the spring game, though, there are several weeks of practice that lie ahead for the Gator football team. So, let’s combine those several weeks of spring football practice, the scrimmages that are sandwiched in there, and then the big, final scrimmage to cap it all off. What should Florida Gators fans be looking to see this spring?
1: A tenacious Florida Gators defensive line
Yes, I’m sure Graham Mertz is high on most such lists, and indeed, his development will be important. But the Florida Gators didn’t lose seven games last year because of QB play. They lost seven games because of the worst defense any Florida Gators team has ever trotted out since World War II. And a big part of that was in the trenches.
Florida never did figure out how to replace the production of Zachary Carter, although Princely Umanmielen did step up and generate 4.5 sacks in the final eight games. But as a whole, Florida’s defensive line was just awful in 2022, never generating much of a pass rush and frequently getting gashed on the ground. That has to change in 2023. And Billy Napier knows it.
To help with this, Napier imported CamRon Jackson from Memphis and Caleb Banks from Louisville. Now, the Gators have some real depth up front, with Umanmielen, Chris McClellan, Justus Boone, and big Desmond Watson all returning. If these guys all take steps forward this spring, the Gators could quickly flip their defensive line from a weakness into a strength.
2: Graham Mertz’s development
In the interest of intellectual honesty, Mertz was not the Florida staff’s first choice of quarterbacks from the transfer portal, nor was he the Florida fan base’s first choice. Doesn’t matter now. Without Jaden Rashada or Jalen Kitna, Mertz is the guy, and a lot of Florida’s success hinges on his development.
Though not built the same as Feleipe Franks or Emory Jones, and though his mechanics are markedly different from both, the results of Graham Mertz’s passes at Wisconsin looked a lot like those of Franks and Jones. He could, at times, thread the needle beautifully and make big things happen, as evidenced by his 19 touchdown passes and six games of throwing for 200+ yards in 2022. And sometimes, those “things” were good for the other team, like the 21 interceptions he threw in the last two seasons.
Now, Mertz gets a restart. What does his decision making look like in a new offensive system? Can the Florida staff work on his mechanics a bit? Can Mertz get familiar with his receivers enough to develop the kind of chemistry that leads to timing routes? Barring an injury or suspension, there’s virtually no conceivable way that Mertz isn’t taking the snaps for Florida in Salt Lake City, so his growth as the leader of the Florida system is vital.
3: Florida’s freshman wide receivers
Even with Ricky Pearsall and Caleb Douglas coming back, Billy Napier knew he had to address his wide receiver room in a major way with Justin Shorter gone and no other dependable pieces there. So he did.
Florida will have three true freshman receivers this fall; Andy Jean, Eugene Wilson III, and Aidan Mizell. Wilson is not enrolling until the summer, so this spring, all eyes will be on the other two: Jean and Mizell. With Pearsall locked in as the sure possession receiver, Jean and Mizell will be given immediate looks as the deep-threat guys.
Both Jean and Mizell can fly. However, the jump to the college game always brings natural challenges. How fast do they learn their routes, and the playbook as a whole? How will they adjust to having guys who are just as fast, such as Ja’Keem Jackson, covering them? How quickly do they develop chemistry with Mertz? The growth of Jean and Mizell could spell trouble for opposing defenses through the air- even if Mertz only throws two or eleven times a game.
4: The Florida Gators kicking battle
Florida kicker Adam Mihalek didn’t have a terrible year in 2022, but he didn’t exactly have a great one, either. On the season, Mihalek made 14 of his 21 field goals. Going 2/3 on field goals at Florida- especially in a year where the defense struggled so mightily- simply isn’t good enough.
Mihalek will get his shot to lock down the job in 2023, but he’s going to have some competition from sophomore Trey Smack. Smack has a rocket for a leg, with the ability to easily clear the crossbar from beyond 60 yards out. The question will be if he’s accurate come game time, with a bunch of guys rushing him and the pressure of an entire game on his shoulders.
That, of course, won’t be decided until the fall. But spring ball could be a good chance for either one of these two kickers to pull away from the other one.
5: No injuries, please
Perhaps nothing can devastate a team more than a major injury in spring practice. Guys are always going to get nicked and bruised, because that’s football. But when a player tears an ACL or an Achilles tendon in spring ball, that’s the end of his chance to contribute on the field that season- and by then it’s usually too late to find someone else in the transfer portal.
The Gators’ offensive line has already lost Kamryn Waites, but still has enough pieces to trot out an above-average SEC offensive line; that changes with just one more injury to a projected starter. Behind Graham Mertz, the options at quarterback are Max Brown and Jack Miller, neither of which are very appealing for a program that expects to take a major step forward in Billy Napier’s second season. And the Gators’ receiver room, while deeper and stronger than it was a year ago, still is not at the point where it could survive the injury bug taking a chomp out of its depth chart.
So yes, above everything else, the most important thing for the Florida Gators this spring is to stay healthy. The effects of Billy Napier’s reconstruction of this roster are expected to really become noticeable in his second season, but the roster he’s put together has to stay intact for this to happen.
