Before you jump

[ofmgator]

Before you jump off the cliff you need to go position by position and look at all of the existing players then add the new recruits in order to complete the roster for 2013. Some guys keep saying we need more Olinemen but when you look aqt the complet team youse WM's methodology.

[miamigator]

Who would jump off the cliff? Only the most pessimistic, and idiotic fan would. The gators finished wit 11 wins, are in the top 5 in recruiting, and have a good young coach.

[Gatorgiz]

Defense is going to be hurting at safety and linebacker next year

[DuPontGator]

Originally Posted by Gatorgiz

Defense is going to be hurting at safety and linebacker next year

No

[revthejedi]

Originally Posted by Gatorgiz

Defense is going to be hurting at safety and linebacker next year

Hurt is a bit of an overstatement.

[StrangeGator]

Originally Posted by Gatorgiz

Defense is going to be hurting at safety and linebacker next year

Lots of options there. Morrison is the most promising young LB we've had since Spikes. He will move inside. Plenty of options at the other spots. Ronald Powell could play Sam. He was great there as a true freshman. Ball, Taylor and Kitchens are all coming along. Jeremi Powell could step up this spring. One of Hearns and McMillan could step up.

[slayerxing]

Safety and LB won't be as strong. No arguing any other way. Elam was a beast and Bostic really played well as a senior. Jenkins won't be missed as much becuase he didn't get to play much in 2012. (although he is a fantastic player).

Morrison, Taylor, Powell, and Ball are probably your starters, and Kitchens will be your only reliable depth. Players like Kedric Johnson, Gideon Ajagbe, and Jeremi Powell will have to step up and provide depth, but they haven't done much to this point in their careers (although in Powell's defense I believe he redshirted).

Bottom line, at least one of the new LB's really needs to step up and be able to be SEC caliber right away for UF not to have a BIG drop off in this unit.

Safety is a huge concern. Evans was very solid (he made a lot of TD saving tackles this year) and Elam was just a total beast. Saunders would have had a good chance to start back there but he's gone.

That leaves a whole bunch of players that have not played very much on defense. Showers, Gorman, Maye, Poole, and Ledbetter will all have a shot to take the position. Even Riggs might get a look. There is a lot of talent back there but no experience, and as Muschamp said last year, that is never a good thing in this defense.

The defense will have a significant drop off in 2013.

[thedyc09]

Originally Posted by slayerxing

Safety and LB won't be as strong.

The defense will have a significant drop off in 2013.

What's the best way to help out an inexperienced secondary? A great pass rush. With Easley likely moving back inside to his natural 3-tech spot, Bullard another year older and stronger, everyone another year into the system - I think we have the making of a genuine pass rush next year. Fowler was 3rd on the team in TFL - imagine what he'll do next year. Fowler, Easley, and Powell on the field at the same time will be a nightmare for opposing OLs, so long as the middle of the defense remains stout (I have faith).

Even if the pass rush isn't much better next year, we have simply acquired too much talent at DB over the last 3 years to be in real trouble on the back end.

[slayerxing]

UF is still going to be good on D. Just not as good.

[Tebowism0823]

Our defense will be just fine. I don't see a fall off at all.

[gatordee]

I doubt a WM defense at UF will ever be worse than 10th

[Tebowism0823]

Originally Posted by gatordee

I doubt a WM defense at UF will ever be worse than 10th

Exactly. With the talent he gets, and the way they coach, it'd be very surprising.

[GATORDONE]

Sorry but Bostic wasn't that good IMO

[GataBaitx3]

Originally Posted by Gatorgiz

Defense is going to be hurting at safety and linebacker next year

Morrison, Taylor and Kitchens all have experience from this past year. It won't be that bad.

[gator1986]

Originally Posted by GATORDONE

Sorry but Bostic wasn't that good IMO

Bostic was one of the more well balanced LB's this year. He can cover, he's big enough to stop the run, he can get sideline to sideline... And unlike te'O he's not afraid to hit running backs as big or bigger than him.... I loved the guts of Bostic/Elam/Evans... IMO

[StrangeGator]

Originally Posted by thedyc09

What's the best way to help out an inexperienced secondary? A great pass rush. With Easley likely moving back inside to his natural 3-tech spot, Bullard another year older and stronger, everyone another year into the system - I think we have the making of a genuine pass rush next year. Fowler was 3rd on the team in TFL - imagine what he'll do next year. Fowler, Easley, and Powell on the field at the same time will be a nightmare for opposing OLs, so long as the middle of the defense remains stout (I have faith).

Even if the pass rush isn't much better next year, we have simply acquired too much talent at DB over the last 3 years to be in real trouble on the back end.

Couldn't have said it better. There's so much talent at DE I wouldn't be surprised if some of the smaller, more athletic guys like Cox and McCallister don't get a look at LB. That's probably the quickest way to get them on the field.I also expect to see a faster learning/development curve with the incoming players. This is an awfully good group of coaches, including our S&C guru.

[rserina]

I suspect everyone thought we would be hurting at safety with Josh Evans this past year, too. We already have the best cornerback depth in the nation and add probably the best prep corner in the nation in Hargreaves, so it is entirely conceivable that one or more corners gets a shot at safety. We also have our top two backups from this season in Gorman and Showers, plus Poole who redshirted after moving there, Maye who was injured, Ledbetter, and the best safety class in the nation. There may be a learning curve, but we will hardly be "hurting" there. Hurting is when WLP and a freshman Joe Haden are literally the only two corners on your roster, not when you have great depth and talent, but only moderate experience at the position.

At linebacker, we return three guys with starting experience in Ball, Kitchens, and Morrison, a guy in Taylor who has played a bunch of ball, and add a couple of solid freshmen at a position where they can contribute. It won't be as good as last year, but it is hardly an untalented or inexperienced group.

The drama queens love this time of year.

[rserina]

Originally Posted by slayerxing

The defense will have a significant drop off in 2013.

Well, we were the best defense in the nation last year, so if by significant you mean we aren't the best, then I can agree. But some of you make it sound as if we are playing NFL offenses with a group of true freshmen. We only return four full-time starters, but four other kids have starting experience and a number were in the two-deep. We also return Powell to end. If Watkins moves to safety, then we will have experienced starters at six positions. We have great depth nearly everywhere defensively and a high quality of end, corner, and three-technique. As I recall, we won a national title in 2008 with a much improved defense that only started five guys from the previous season's lineup (Cunningham, Spikes, Jones, Wright, Haden) and that group was just fine because it was talented, competitive, and deep, if not terribly experienced. This isn't 2007 or 2004, where we had massive depth and experience problems.

[MadduxFanII]

The concern with the 2013 defense shouldn't really be about its absolute quality. I agree with previous posters: between Muschamp's skill and the talent we always have, our defense will, in an absolute sense, be quite solid. If not top one like this year, or even top five, probably top 10, maybe top 15, and top 20 at worst. You can move mountains with a top 20 defense.

The problem is that we needed every ounce of that top-rated defense to win 11 games this year. A merely "good" defense loses us at least an additional two games this season with the offense we put out there. So if the defense is going to fall from "extraordinary" to "pretty darn good," the offense needs to take a similar step forward if we're to avoid a fall.

[rserina]

Originally Posted by MadduxFanII

The problem is that we needed every ounce of that top-rated defense to win 11 games this year. A merely "good" defense loses us at least an additional two games this season with the offense we put out there. So if the defense is going to fall from "extraordinary" to "pretty darn good," the offense needs to take a similar step forward if we're to avoid a fall.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but if Florida fans expect an annual 11-game season given the quality of our on-field and recruiting competition, they are invariably going to be disappointed. We lost four guys early to the draft and only return ten regular starters. It stands to reason that we won't be a 11-win team next year. I would say 9-3 is about right for a team with those kinds of losses. Given our schedule, an unexpected win might get us to ten.

Regardless, 2014 is the target year and it always has been. Depending upon attrition, we should have anywhere from 16-19 starters returning for that season, Fulwood, Roberson, and Taylor will all be sophomores, those freshmen defenders from last year will be vets, and we will have talent and depth across the board. With a senior Driskel (unless he absolutely blows up next season, which I don't expect given the talent around him), it will be our deepest, most balanced and experienced group since 2009 and one of the best lineups in memory.