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Here are five Florida Gators football players who are in the spotlight, and on the spot, to perform this week against No. 4 Miami.
Dallas Wilson
It is finally time for the heavily anticipated Florida Gators’ debut of five-star true freshman receiver Dallas Wilson. Gator fans have been buzzing to see Wilson play since he had 10 catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game. Not to mention, no one expected the offense of Florida to be this bad, so that spark is something the Gators desperately need.
DJ Lagway
I don’t think anyone really knows what Lagway is going to look like on Saturday vs Texas. He has been sloppy and inconsistent with how he has played so far. Obviously, Florida fans still have hope for Lagway even with his struggles early. His high ranking mixed with his above-average finish to last season had people in Gainesville thinking he was the next generational quarterback at Florida. The fact is, Texas has a good defense, top 20 against the pass and top three in stopping the run. If Lagway gets into trouble against Texas, then he needs to be on a short leash, and Tramell Jones Jr. should get the nod.
Austin Barber
The offensive line has been subpar so far this year for the Gators, that’s not good coming into a matchup against Texas. The run game has been consistent for Florida all season so far, but Texas has one of the best run defenses in the country. The game plan for Texas will be to try and make DJ Lagway pass the ball, so the offensive line needs to give him a clean pocket. Austin Barber is going to need to be a leader and help get this o-line through the end of this game. If Lagway has no time to throw the ball, it will look like a repeat of the last three weeks for Florida.
Devin Moore
Florida took a big hit in the loss to Miami last week, losing cornerback Dijon Johnson for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. Texas has only handed the ball to its starting back 36 times this season. The Longhorns are going to want to pass the ball, which means the secondary will be tested. Devin Moore is someone who is going to need to step up and make some plays in Johnson’s absence. Florida still has a deep secondary overall, but people are going to need to pick up the slack.
Billy Napier
For the third week in a row, the final person in the Five on the Spot is Billy Napier. Napier is going to need a strong game plan going into Saturday. Steve Sarkisian is a talented and smart coach and will put his players in positions to be successful. Napier will need to do the same. Also, even though it’s quite obvious, I think it’s safe to say that whether it’s after one loss or two losses, Napier is coaching for his job right now, and he needs to start winning some football games.
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