Along with publishing its national unit rankings, Lindy’s Sports has published its positional rankings for the SEC.
At the quarterback position, the Gators ranked No. 8 among the 16 teams in the league.
Ole Miss, Florida and Missouri are eager to throw it around with returning starters Jaxson Dart, Graham Mertz and Brady Cook, who all had statistically noteworthy performances last fall.
At running back, the Gators are ranked in the top quarter of teams in the league, coming in at No. 4. The departure of Trevor Etienne was noted as a reason as to why the Georgia Bulldogs secured the top spot in Lindy’s rankings.
Florida was set to return the duo of Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr., but Etienne signed with Georgia, providing the Bulldogs with a premium option in the backfield.
At wide receiver, the Gators were ranked No. 10 by Lindy’s Sports, just below Auburn and ahead of Texas A&M, although the magazine – which went on sale on May 28 – doesn’t appear to account for Florida’s addition of Elijhah Badger.
After starring as a freshman in Gainesville, Florida’s Eugene Wilson III should get a heavy dose of targets in the passing game with first-rounder Ricky Pearsall in the NFL and unproven pass-catchers elsewhere in the two-deep.
Despite adding a pair of tackles in Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson and Devon Manuel, along with highly touted freshman interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela, Florida’s offensive line was ranked No. 14 in the SEC by Lindy’s Sports.
Presumably due to the departure of their leader in sacks last season, Princely Umanmielen, Florida’s defensive line also was listed as the No. 14-ranked unit in the SEC by the publication. Ole Miss, which added Umanmielen bringing former five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen into the fold. Tennessee was ranked No. 2 in the SEC, behind Georgia at No. 1 and Georgia at No. 3.
The publication ranks Florida’s linebacker group, which included second-year linebacker Grayson “Pup” Howard in January, No. 11 in the conference.
The Gators’ secondary was ranked No. 11 in the SEC and recruited veteran defensive backs Asa Turner, DJ Douglas, and Trikweze Bridges.
The special teams squad for Florida was ranked No. 13, just below LSU, and above of Missouri, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State, which were ranked Nos. 14, No. 15, and No. 16, respectively.
Joe Houston was a noteworthy addition to the Gators’ special teams coaching staff in the spring, joining Chris Couch as the unit’s coordinator. The NCAA recently passed a legislation reform that permits “any institutional staff member” to give players “technical and tactical instruction” during practice sessions and regular season games, thus the Gators are hopeful that this move will pay off.
Before moving to New England, Houston was the coordinator of Iowa State’s special teams, where he oversaw the development of many all-league players and led the Cyclones to one of their best seasons ever in 2018.
