3 biggest offseason questions facing Dan Mullen’s Florida Gators entering 2021 season

Florida football offseason question No. 2: Will Demarkcus Bowman live up to the hype?

Now that Pitts and, to a lesser extent, Trevon Grimes are gone, the Florida offense will be looking for playmakers to emerge. And while there are quality options on the roster, there is also a decisive lack of star power. That’s where Clemson transfer Demarkcus Bowman could play a huge role.

Bowman, a former 5-star recruit who just couldn’t get touches with the Tigers, has elite potential. His high school film showed a player with home-run hitting speed and burst. Get him the ball and he can take it to the house in any situation.

Of course, we’ve not seen that from Bowman at the college level, much less in the SEC. So as he heads to Gainesville, all eyes will be on the former 5-star to see if he can live up to that billing and be the explosive playmaker the offense is seemingly without.

Florida football offseason question No. 1: Back to defense being the calling card?

Prior to the offensive explosion with Trask, the past few years of Florida football were colored by the defense leading the way with the hope that the offense could score enough to win games. With a change at quarterback, with a distinct lack of proven playmakers on offense, and with an experienced defensive group, it would stand to reason that we could see that formula again in the 2021 season.

The curious part of the equation, though, is whether or not the Gators are up to the task. There is star power on that side of the ball with Brenton Cox Jr., Kaiir Elam and a number of others. However, this is still a defense that was shredded at times last season. Thus, if the team is going to rely more heavily on the defense, it’s worth asking if that unit is ready to shoulder the load.

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