Football season is almost upon us, but as of late, fans of Florida Football have more reason to dread it than to look forward to it. We've had a very rough last couple of years, which resulted in a definite decrease in enthusiasm for the program; 2014 marked the fourth consecutive year that attendance at the Swamp has been below 90,000 with last year's average of 85,834 people per game. Once a powerhouse football program, the falling attendance is nothing compared to the fall in our rankings--a recent list released by USA Today ranked all 128 college football teams for 2015 and placed UF at 69th.
Like most, I'm cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season. But I think that a lot of reporters and rankings are putting an unfairly low amount of faith in the team that will be storming the field on September 5. Let's start with the obvious--Jim McElwain.
He's the fresh start we need. I'm a firm believer in the impact that morale and momentum can have on a team's performance--the win streak of FSU and recent string of losses at Michigan (who will also be seeing a new coach this year coincidentally enough) should be at least partially attributed to the psychological effect big streaks have on the psyche of a team. McElwain is the Gators' way of being able to shake off the bad vibes from the past couple of seasons. It's a fresh new start.
Another great thing about McElwain is his offensive sensibility. His career pre-Colorado State include three Offensive Coordinator positions (one being at Alabama from 2008 to 2011), along with positions as Wide Receiver Coach and Quarterback Coach. With that in mind, I think it's safe to say that a solid amount of time this off-season was spent focusing on the Gators' offense, something that was desperately needed to overcome the recent slump. Having already recruited the number one offensive line in the country with Martez Ivey, the future of the offense is already looking a little brighter. With a solid defensive foundation already in place, a good offense-centric coaching style will be just what is needed to round out the team and elevate them to a team that can be competitive and hold their own in the SEC.
That brings us to Will Grier, a quarterback we should be expecting to see a lot more of this year. Even if he hasn't been officially announced as starting quarterback as of the date of the writing of this article, it's a safe bet that he will give the Gators something they haven't had in a while--a good passing game. McElwain's offensive strategies favor high percentage throws with some play action vertical passes, which Grier, a proven pocket passer, matches well.
Of course, you can't forget Treon Harris. While Grier absolutely has the edge on Harris in terms of the pass game, Harris is a strong runner that may be important if the offensive line remains 2013/2014-level weak. Maybe the fact that McElwain refuses to put a deadline on a starting quarterback announcement hints at his intent to run a dual-threat, and that's perfectly fine by me. One of Muschamp-era UF's biggest weaknesses was predictability, hopefully playing two quarterbacks' strengths evenly on the field will keep some vitality and freshness in the game.
Obviously, it's not going to be an easy season, no matter how many number one recruits and new coaches you bring into the mix. The SEC is a unique conference, one that takes a special kind of team to compete in. If Muschamp proved us anything, it's that having experience and having a great mind for the game is not all it takes to be a good head coach; despite his experience at Alabama, McElwain probably won't have an easy time transitioning from a Mountain school to an SEC one. It's also probably worth noting that the Gators' offensive line, despite the promise of Ivey, was in terrible, terrible shape when McElwain signed on. It'll take time to improve. But most of all, at the end of the day, he's new to UF. It's uncommon for a brand new coach to make drastic changes right away.
But then again, Gus Malzahn did it just two years ago, taking a 3-9 Auburn to the National Championship. What's to stop Florida from accomplishing the same? It won't be easy, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. And that's what leads me to the final ingredient that will be crucial to the Gators' success: us. As fans, we're hungrier than ever. We've been let down too many times in the past two years to just be complacent with an average season. This year, the Swamp should be louder than ever and team spirit should be at its peak.
The heart and soul of a team are its fans--it's up to us to help our team to the top.
