College Football

10 players who need to step up for the Gators this season

There are some seasons that look more and more clear as they start to approach. The rosters get set, the buzz gets loud one way or the other and all of the rankings come out in the late summer.

It’s that way in the SEC for most teams. We pretty much know that Alabama and Georgia are going to be at the top while Vanderbilt takes its perennial place at the bottom.

The other 11 teams? Not a clue.

And that includes the University of Florida with a new coach and a new way of doing things. It’s important to note that Billy Napier is building for the long haul while also knowing he will be immediately evaluated by his first Florida team.

Here is where we remind you that Nick Saban won six regular-season games (over/unders in Vegas don’t count bowl games) and Kirby Smart won seven in their first years.

And we also remind you that first-year coaches after Charley Pell (we’d like to forget 0-10-1) have done pretty well at UF. All but Will Muschamp won at least eight games in their first seasons.

However, most of the early betting sites have Florida’s over/under at seven. To be honest, that’s closer to the floor than the ceiling even with the difficult schedule Florida has in front of it.

I’d say the floor is 6-6 and the ceiling is 10-2. The truth is that Florida is one of the “x-factors” in a league that is full of them with all of the transfers in and out of SEC schools.

But let’s concentrate on the Gators and how they get to the ceiling. To do so, these 10 players are going to have to play at a different level. Not all of them, mind you, but most of these 10.

VENTRELL MILLER

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

When Miller went out in the opening game of last year and was lost for the season, he took Florida’s defense with him. Florida didn’t have a backup that could be physical against the run and it showed.

Miller looked good in the spring game, but you could tell he was a little out of shape. That’s what the summer is for.

Miller needs to play at a certain level…

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