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Florida Gators Will Take a Step Back Without Kyle Trask

By Iain MacMillan

Dan Mullen is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Florida Gators.
Dan Mullen is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Florida Gators. / Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
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The 2020 College Football regular season went about as good for the Florida Gators as they could have hoped. They defeated Georgia and claimed the SEC East title with an 8-2 conference record. Florida then fell to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, and then lost to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

Regardless of how it ended, Florida should consider their season a success considering it was their first time winning the SEC East since 2016. However, Dan Mullen and the Gators have a tall hill to climb in 2021 if they want to replicate their success from a year ago.

WynnBET has released win totals for the top schools in the country, and they have Florida’s set at 9.5. The under 9.5 is favored at -230, and that’s probably the way you want to go if you decide to wager on it. The offense that carried the Gators in 2020 will be nonexistent this upcoming season.

Florida’s Heisman Finalist quarterback, Kyle Trask, was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 64th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Emory Jones will likely replace Trask at quarterback, but even with the 21-year old sporting dual-threat capabilities, it will be hard to fill the gap left by Trask.

Florida averaged the most passing yards per game in the country in 2020, averaging 378.6. Those numbers won’t be replicated in 2021, as the Gators will pivot to a more run-based offense with Jones behind center.

The Gators also lost key pass catchers this offseason, including Kyle Pitts, who was drafted 4th overall by the Atlanta Falcons, Kadarius Toney, who was drafted 20th overall by the New York Giants, and Trevon Grimes who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Florida will have issues on the defensive side of the football as well, as they ranked 97th in passing defense last season. All-SEC cornerback Kaiir Elam will be expected to lead the group of defensive backs to a much-improved 2021 season.

With question marks on both sides of the ball, and a recruiting class that ranked outside of the top 10 in the country, don’t expect Florida to repeat as winners of the SEC East.

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