Florida has one of college football’s 12 most lethal rosters in 2023
The Florida Gators finished tied for 12th in 247Sports’ recent list of the most lethal rosters heading into the 2023 season.
247Sports’ Brad Crawford used the site’s team composite ranking to rank the teams. He took the average position of the team’s finish over the past five years and Florida finished with a 12.4 average, the same as Michigan.
Florida finished 14th in the country during the most recent cycle. Losing five-star quarterback Jaden Rashada hurt a class that had a chance to break the top 10. Florida’s first class under Billy Napier in 2022 ranked No. 18 overall, and Dan Mullen brought in the No. 12 class in 2021 and the No. 9 class in 2019 and 2020.
“When Florida is winning national titles, the Gators are one of the nation’s elite recruiting teams,” Crawford wrote. “And while this program has a top-12 roster based on talent heading into coach Billy Napier’s second season, there are certainly depth concerns that the coaching staff must contend with following a disappointing 6-7 finish under the new regime.”
The problem with using this metric to rank teams is that transfers come and go, and the bulk of the Mullen classes has moved on from the program in one way or another. The class of 2020 features some team leaders, such as receiver Xzavier Henderson and linebacker Derek Wingo, but much of the class has transferred out or declared for the upcoming draft.
Florida also added a ton of transfer over the past two offseasons. Quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Jack Miller, running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Cameron Carroll, receiver Ricky Pearsall, offensive linemen Damieon George, Kiyaunta Goodwin and Micah Mazzccua, defensive linemen Caleb Banks and CamRon Jackson, linebacker Teradja Mitchell and cornerback Jalen Kimber could all play significant roles for the team next season.
Florida could end up playing like a top-12 in the country by the season’s end, especially if the transfers help make up for the talent lost over the past few years, but it’s unwise to think of the Gators as a top-12 program in terms of actual talent heading into the season.
There’s been too much turnover in the program over the past couple of years for this metric to work for the Gators. A team like Michigan has a much better chance of living up to the expectations created by this list.
More Football!
In-state OT target closing in on spring visit date with Florida
Could Florida QB Anthony Richardson be a top-5 pick?
Corey Raymond coaching entire Florida defensive back corps in 2023
Florida football's 2023 schedule among toughest in country
Florida reaching out more to Gator greats, Emmitt Smith opens up
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
