Six Gators on 2011 preseason All-SEC football team

The Southeastern Conference announced its 2011 preseason All-SEC football team on Thursday morning, and six Florida Gators were selected by the league’s coaches.

No Gators were selected to the first team and only one player was honored as a selection on one of the three offensive teams.

Florida was one of three SEC teams in 2011 that didn’t field a first-team player, along with Auburn and Mississippi State.

Running back Jeff Demps was chosen as a second-team running back, making him the lone Florida player selected to an offensive team on an offense that enters the 2011 season with big question marks at a few positions.

Place kicker Caleb Sturgis, who missed the majority of the 2010 season with an injury, was the only other player selected to the second-team, as the remaining four Gators all received third-team honors.

Linebackers Jonathan Bostic and Jelani Jenkins were both named to the third-team defense, while Andre Debose was named the third-team return specialist and Trey Burton was named the third-team all-purpose player.

After boasting 10 players on the preseason coaches All-SEC team in 2008 and 2010 and recording a league-high 16 in 2009, Florida enters the 2011 season with its least amount of players on the preseason squad since 2007.

With six selections in 2007, the Gators finished with a 9-4 (5-3) record and lost to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl.

The lack of players on the 2011 preseason All-SEC football team is indicative on Florida’s struggles on the field last season, when the Gators went 8-5 (4-4).

The offense struggled all year to replace a couple of NFL Draft picks, while the defense lacked identity for most of the season despite playing well.

While the Gators don’t have many stars entering the 2011 season, the potential is there for a handful of players to make strides and earn recognition on the season-ending All-SEC team.

Sophomores Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Dominique Easley and Matt Elam will all get a chance to start or play extensive minutes in 2011, and each has flashed star potential in their limited snaps so far.

Offensively, the Gators have a few players who could step up and shine. But, if nothing else, a new offensive system could bring a jolt of life to one of the worst offenses in Florida history.

In any case, the announcement of the 2011 preseason All-SEC football team should make Florida fans realize that the Gators are a team with a lot of potential but few proven stars.

The 2011 season will likely hinge on how many of Florida’s promising young players step up in the spotlight and perform like All-SEC players.