COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators reacts during their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Breaking Unbelievable News Now: Florida Gators Football’s former head coach and two players have announced their return to the team.
Unbelievable News Breaking Right Now: Two players and the previous head coach of Florida Gators Football have declared their desire to rejoin the squad.
With great anticipation and expectations, the University of Florida football team is getting ready for the 2023 campaign. Following a 6-7 overall record at the end of their 2022 campaign under first-year head coach Billy Napier, the Gators experienced their second straight losing campaign. They had previously finished with the same record in 2021. Florida last experienced consecutive losing seasons in 1978 and 1979.
High hopes were raised for the Gators going into the 2022 season after a dominant 29-26 victory against No. 7 Utah in the season opener and the appointment of a new head coach. Despite this, the squad had seven losses at the end of the season, including Las Vegas Bowl losses against Oregon State, Tennessee, LSU, and Vanderbilt.
But the Gators had some outstanding moments during the season, especially with regard to their younger set of players and their offense, which was previously headed by Trevor Etienne, Montrell Johnson, and Anthony Richardson, the current NFL quarterback. SUMMARY OF THE CRIME Richardson declared for the NFL Draft in April after completing 176 of 327 passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in his first full season as a starter. The Colts selected him with the fourth overall pick. Richardson was selected with the third-highest overall choice in Florida history, tying Kyle Pitts, but it also forced the Gators to start looking for a new quarterback.
Graham Mertz of Wisconsin was thus acquired by Florida through the transfer portal. CASINO CONTENT Graham has really pleased me, Napier stated at SEC Media Days. “Player Graham has 32 starts. He has played in more than 2,000 snaps for a Wisconsin program that is well regarded.
Max Brown is a young kid who has truly impressed us, according to Napier. “His summer has gone well. He has made an impression on both his teammates and the coaches. That competition has us thrilled. We will enter training camp and decide as a team when we feel it is appropriate. Two of Florida’s best offensive players are expected to return in 2023, after the team’s rushing offense dominated the previous campaign. During the previous season, junior Montrell Johnson and sophomore Trevor Etienne combined for 1,560 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Johnson was second on the squad in scoring with 11 touchdowns and led in rushing yards (841). After moving from Louisiana, where Napier was his freshman season’s coach, he made a huge impact on Florida’s offense in just one season.
Following Napier’s arrival, Johnson was only one of several Louisiana-born athletes to enroll at Florida. One more offensive starter returning is senior wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. He had the most receiving yards (661 yards) and touchdowns (5) last season. In addition to Richardson, the Gators also lost wide receiver Xzavier Henderson to the draft, All-American guard O’Cyrus Torrence, and wide receiver Justin Shorter.
Preseason All-SEC selection Umanmielen led the team in sacks (4.5 for 45 yards lost), tackles for loss, and quarterback hurries last season. Wilson recorded 39 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup per game, while James had 47 stops. The Gators have also added a number of new players, such as Teradja Mitchell, a transfer from Ohio State, and Mannie Nunnery, a safety who transferred from the University of Houston.
In his first season with the Gators, Austin Armstrong, the new defensive coordinator, is another coaching newcomer. Ten days before spring training began, Napier hired Armstrong to replace Patrick Toney, who had resigned to join the NFL as the defensive backs coach for the Arizona Cardinals after being hired in February. The 29-year-old Armstrong worked as Southern Miss’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for two years. He also assisted Napier as Louisiana’s defensive line coach from 2017 to 2018 and was the team’s linebackers coach in 2020. The original publication date of this story was August 22, 2023, 11:04 AM. BARROW MEADOW Bring Us Along: Get up-to-date information and your favorite local articles delivered straight to your fingertips.
