Football is widely regarded as the ultimate team sport. One player can’t completely change a team’s fortunes the way a star can in basketball, and one player can’t shut down the other team by himself the way a dominant pitcher can in the diamond sports. It takes all 11 guys on the field and the right play-call from the coaches to have success on a given play.
That being said, based on the composition of a team’s roster and the scheme it runs, some players are more important to their team’s success in a certain year than others.
Here are the five Gators who will have the largest impact on the Gators’ 2021 season.
BUCK Brenton Cox
The Gators didn’t have a dominant pass-rusher in 2020 like they did in the previous two seasons, and they plummeted to ninth in the SEC in total defense. Those two facts probably aren’t just a coincidence.
Todd Grantham’s scheme relies on creating havoc for opposing quarterbacks and pressuring them into throwing into the teeth of zone coverage in the secondary. When the front doesn’t affect the quarterback, those zones can be easy to shred.
Cox is UF’s most gifted pass-rusher, but he only managed four sacks last season. If he can consistently win more one-on-one matchups, that will instantly improve all three levels of the defense. Defensive backs look much better when they don’t have to cover for long.
Cox also needs to show major improvement at setting the edge in the running game. He needs to be more disciplined and contain the edge instead of giving in to the temptation of making the big tackle-for-loss all the time.
If Cox can get into the 7-10-sack range and be stouter against the run, UF’s defense will be one of the most improved units in the country.
Safety Trey Dean
There are so many unknowns at the safety position. There are eight first- or second-year players at the position. They have a new position coach in Wesley McGriff. When you factor in that this position has been the weakest on the defense for several years now, there are way more questions than answers.
And then there’s Dean. He’s the only safety with more than one year of college experience, and he’ll be playing the same position in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career.
Despite being buried on the depth chart last season, Dean appeared to be UF’s best safety. He’s a physical run-stopper, and he possesses solid coverage skills from his time as a cornerback.
If he takes that next step and becomes a breakout star, the Gators’ secondary will be much improved and the collection of young players will be able to be brought along more slowly.
Quarterback Emory Jones
Obviously, the quality of quarterback play a team receives will always be the biggest predictor of that team’s success. However, with the departure of the top-3 receivers from the 2020 team and uncertainty up front, Jones’ play will be even more crucial to the Gators’ success than usual in 2021.
The redshirt junior has all the physical tools you can ask for in a quarterback. He has an extremely strong arm, he’s fast, he’s physical and he has enough strength to absorb the hits he’s going to take over the course of the season. He’s best known for his terrific athleticism, which will allow Dan Mullen to return to his quarterback-run roots this fall and Jones to escape the pressure that could come at him in droves from the right side.
However, as the 2010-18 seasons at UF showed, it takes a lot more than just a rocket arm and quick feet to be a good quarterback at this level.
The biggest concern with Jones is accuracy. He’s only a 64-percent career passer, and that was in a reserve role that was set up for him to have some easy throws. He was erratic at times in the spring, which reportedly led to some issues with interceptions in the scrimmages. He needs to be more consistent at hitting the intermediate routes this fall.
He also could stand to improve with his decision-making. While the term “decision-making” is usually associated with the passing game, Jones also needs to make excellent decisions in the read-option game. This offensive line likely won’t be good enough to overcome Jones making incorrect reads.
For the Gators to get back to the SEC Championship Game or beyond, Jones needs to become one of their two or three best players. He’s not right now.
Cornerback Jason Marshall
It might sound weird to say that a true freshman is one of the most important players on the team, but that’s the position Marshall finds himself in.
The Gators have one proven lockdown corner in Kaiir Elam. Now they need to find a second one. Otherwise, teams will just throw away from Elam and make him irrelevant for large stretches again.
Marshall certainly has the looks of a future star. The former five-star recruit is long, physical and is known for having good ball skills and instincts. He should be in the starting lineup before the end of the season, probably sooner rather than later.
If he blossoms as a freshman All-American type of player, he and Elam should become one of the top cornerback tandems in the country, and they’ll take a lot of pressure off of the retooled safety room.
Offensive Lineman Stewart Reese
The offensive line looked like the worst unit on the team in the limited portions of spring practice available on Instagram Live. At the same time, the offense figures to be more run-oriented this season with the receiving corps undergoing a transition and a much more mobile quarterback running the show. That will be a horrible combination if that carries over to the fall.
That’s where Reese comes in. He’s started 45 games throughout his career at Mississippi State and Florida. He’s played both right tackle and right guard, and he is the favorite to start at center this season. He should know Mullen and offensive line coach John Hevesy’s system like the back of his hand.
Reese didn’t have as large of an impact on last year’s team as Gators fans had hoped for. He played well in the first five games until he suffered a shoulder injury against Georgia. He didn’t play well after that injury.
However, Reese was known as one of the SEC’s premier run-blockers at Mississippi State. If he returns to that form, Florida’s running game should be much improved. He also is a well-spoken and knowledgeable player who should help bring along a couple of first-year starters around him in Ethan White and Josh Braun.