Take Five: Ross’ Mid-season Recap

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Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators

It is Week 8 of the CFB season, and the Florida Gators have had one of their strongest starts to a season since 2020, under Head Coach Dan Mullen. And it seems that this season, Jon Sumrall has been able to revive some of the competitive spirit and winning mentality the Gators have lacked in recent years. Florida is now 5-2 (3-2 SEC), with their losses coming against No. 25 Missouri and unranked South Carolina. Even with a lot of things going well for Florida this season, they’ve been pretty inconsistent. The Gators have been all over the AP Poll: ranked outside the Top 25 for the first two weeks, then 21st after beating Auburn on the road, then 8th after their win against No. 4, and then back outside the Top 25 two weeks later. Currently, UF ranks 20th following their win against No. 7 in Austin. I feel like I’m getting whiplash every week, but hopefully this week’s bye gives Florida a much-needed reprieve. Let’s take a look at what has gone well and what hasn’t, and which players need some fine-tuning.

Five Players Who Have Performed Well

Jadan Baugh, Running Back, Junior

• In the first four weeks of the season, Baugh hit 600 rushing yards, ranking 2nd best in the nation. But the running back Gator Nation knew and loved disappeared against Missouri and South Carolina. To say he underperformed in those two games is an understatement: he had a combined 72 rushing yards. The junior got things back on track against Texas with 91 yards on the ground and a score. Despite his challenges in weeks five and six, I would be remiss not to mention Baugh, as he is one of the best players on the offense. Right now, he has 763 total rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s still on track to have back-to-back 1,000+ rushing yard seasons.

Dallas Wilson, Wide Receiver, Sophomore

• Wilson has stepped up into his role as a leader on and off the field pretty nicely this season. Currently, he leads the team with 403 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 29 catches. He’s stood out on this offense and has played fairly consistently while Vernell Brown III has been out the past three games. As we know, Florida isn’t a pass-heavy team, but Wilson is pretty successful when he gets the ball in his hands. Against Texas in the second quarter, he had a 17-yard reception from Tramell Jones Jr.; the play was one of only five explosive plays for the Gators on Saturday. Even still, it changed the trajectory of the game.

Alec Clark, Punter, Senior

• I feel like punters don’t often receive their flowers, but boy does Alec Clark deserve his. Clark has been a sneaky but massive factor in Florida staying in games. He’s made an appearance in all seven games this season, with 22 punts for 1,043 yards. He averages 47.4 yards per game, but against Texas he lobbed a 75-yard punt, which set a new career record for the Gator. Clark was also named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List and Shriners Children’s East-West Bowl 1000 List this season. Every game, as a joke, I’ve been saying that Clark is Florida’s best player, but to be honest with you, I’m not sure how much of a joke it really is.

London Montgomery, Running Back/Kick Returner, Senior

• Montgomery is a good running back, but he’s an exceptional kick returner. It’s funny that two special teams players have made this list, but hey, their impact this season can’t be ignored. The senior has returned 12 kicks for 300 yards (25 avg.), which ranks 10th in the country and first in the SEC. He was also named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after Florida’s win against Ole Miss, where he returned three kicks for 128 yards. One of his three was a 74-yarder, which was the longest by a Gator player since 2013, when Solomon Patton had a 100-yard return.

Jayden Woods, JACK, Sophomore

• Coming into the season, we all knew Jayden Woods was going to make a huge impact on this team, and he has definitely lived up to that expectation. He leads the team with 4.5 sacks, 28 tackles (16 solo), and seven tackles for loss for 24 yards. He even forced a fumble against Ole Miss and had three quarterback hurries. His performances haven’t gone unnoticed, as he was recognized on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List and the Shriners Children’s East-West Bowl 1000 List. For only being a sophomore, he’s been a standout player on this team, especially on a defense that struggled in the first few weeks of the season.

Five Players Who Need Fine-Tuning

Cormani McClain, Cornerback, Senior

• I came into this season with high expectations for Cormani McClain given the progress he made last season, but instead I’ve been more than disappointed with his performances. In the first six weeks of the season, he was almost afraid to tackle and only recorded 19 total tackles and a single tackle for a loss of one yard. Going into Texas, he ranked 939th amongst 1020 FBS cornerbacks, yet he has played in every single game. On the bright side, he made some improvements against Texas, with a Defensive Skill Position PFF ranking of 72.2, but that’s not saying much against Texas’ offense. Even still, he is the top player on my list that needs fine-tuning.

Kanye Clark, STAR, Senior

• Another guy who has appeared in every game this season but maybe shouldn’t have. Throughout the season, he has struggled with one-on-one coverage, and eight weeks in, he hasn’t shown much improvement. Against the Longhorns, Clark was targeted four separate times, allowing a reception on all four attempts. He also committed an error on Alec Clark‘s punt that landed perfectly on the one-yard line, resulting in a touchback. It hasn’t been all bad from Clark, but I would like to see some more fine-tuning from him.

Bryce Thornton, Safety, Senior

• Thornton has started in six games this season, recording 21 tackles and three pass breakups. He’s struggled with one-on-one coverage, though (it seems like almost all of the secondary has), and hasn’t added much help to a struggling secondary. Against Texas, he had an overall PFF of 66.8, which was eighth-best on the defense, dropping what would have been an interception from Arch Manning. It wasn’t an overly costly play, but it wasn’t good football either. Thornton also struggled against South Carolina, with another eighth-best defensive PFF grade of 64.1.

Eric Singleton Jr., Wide Receiver, Senior

• I know that Singleton has been nursing an injury since Florida’s season opener against FAU, but when he has seen the field, he hasn’t stood out as a threat on this offense. In games where the Gators really needed him to step up and have some solid production, he didn’t. And yes, you could make the argument that he wasn’t fully healed, but I’ve seen an injured Bailey Stockton out there against Ole Miss and Texas, and he did just fine, so that’s currently my (harsh) standard. Against Missouri, Singleton caught a single pass for nine yards, and he had another single reception game for three yards against the South Carolina game. He redeemed himself a little on Saturday with a season-high of six receptions for 32 yards. Not the type of numbers and depth we expected from a unit that was supposed to be one of the best in the nation.

TJ Shanahan Jr., Offensive Lineman, Senior

• Among his handful of infractions, Shanahan Jr. has a holding and false start penalty against him this season. It could be worse, but both were during critical moments: taking away a 42-yard rush from Baugh and on 4th & 1 during the opening drive against Texas. Shanahan has started in every game this season for Florida, for a total of 467 snaps at right guard. According to PFF, he has a pass-block grade of 81.0, but a run-block grade of 61.2, and an overall grade of 65.1. I don’t think he should get as many snaps as he does, but I’m also not confident in Roderick Kearney behind him. So, I hope he gets whatever fine-tuning he needs for the back half of the schedule.

Five Things I Like This Season

Special Teams is Elite

• A lot of things about this team have been inconsistent, but one thing that has stayed true is that special teams is elite. Florida averages 23.5 yards off kick returns and 26 yards off punt returns. Alec Clark also averages 47.4 yards per game, with a total of 22 punts for 1,043 yards. Patrick Durkin ranks 15th in the nation with 11 field goals out of 12 attempts. He’s also recorded a career-high FG of 53 yards. Durkin has a total of 2,767 yards off the kick and 36 touchbacks. Like I said, some pretty elite stuff from special teams.

Strength of Run-Game

• UF is 25th in the country for total rushing yards, with 1,360. Not too shabby for a team that only had 320 total (NET) rushing yards over the last three games. Now, I recognize that it may not be a great statistic to have when I’m trying to claim how strong Florida’s run game is, but even so, their offense on the ground is strong. Without a strong run game in the first four games of the season, UF would not have made its way into the AP Top 10. I would love to see this area of the Gators’ offense produce more in the back half of the season, but now that teams have a little too much tape on Florida’s rushers, they probably won’t rely on that part of their offense as much.

Team Resiliency

• Florida hit its rough patches this season, but the Gators found a way to bounce back after their two losses, beating Texas in Week 7. It’s not accurate to say that UF is getting better each week, but certain units and players are making progress each game, which demonstrates resilience and mental toughness. Except for Vernell Brown III, every player seems hungry to play and win. I mean, Bailey Stockton got a concussion while playing Ole Miss and still played through it; he did the same thing against Texas as well, playing through a lower body injury. As a whole, though, the Gators haven’t let their losses of players or games spiral and bring the entire team down with them.

Success for the Run Defense

• The Gators’ defense as a whole hasn’t been the strongest, but their run defense has been the bright spot. Florida has only allowed 845 rushing yards over seven games; they’ve also taken away 162 yards on the ground when adding in losses. With a secondary that hasn’t played well all season, taking away opponents’ run games has been essential.

Both Quarterbacks are Performing Well

• Having two good quarterbacks is a good problem to have. And both Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. have proved they’re the perfect guys for the job. Philo has 1,341 passing yards on the season, 104 rushing yards, and 9 touchdowns across six games. In one start and a couple of relief efforts, Jones Jr. has 407 passing yards, 66 rushing yards, and 4 touchdowns. Both are decent with their legs—Philo a little more decisive but Jones is faster—and both bring unique assets to the offense. Seeing Jones Jr. step up against Texas due to Philo’s injury reminded me of how successful DJ Lagway was back in 2024, taking Graham Mertz‘s spot. Luckily, he doesn’t have a bad enough injury to be out for the rest of the season, but in both cases, it’s a good reminder of how important it is for that back-up guy to be able to get the job done too.

Five Problems I’ve Seen This Season

Secondary Is the Weakest Link

• Week after week, it’s the same story: Florida’s secondary is incredibly weak. The Gators’ secondary consistently failed to prevent explosive plays, leaving their opponents wide open. Against Missouri, Florida’s pass coverage completely broke down, allowing Austin Simmons to complete 23-of-30 passes (77%) for 340 yards and throw two touchdowns. It was a similar story against South Carolina, with Florida missing 23 tackles for a PFF season-low grade of 33.5. The unit made some improvements against Texas, but there are still a lot of coverage issues that need to be dealt with. There’s also not a lot of depth here, so for now, the options on the field are the best Florida’s going to get here.

Offensive Line Weaknesses

• Throughout the season, Florida’s offense has been getting beat in pass protection. In Columbia, Missouri’s defenders recorded 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks for 26 yards, and 5 quarterback hurries. At home against South Carolina, the Gamecocks also got 3 sacks for 24 yards. The o-line as a whole has allowed 9 sacks for 68 yards. For a team that’s on the Joe Moore midseason honor roll, the numbers don’t really match up…

Penalty Issue

• The Gators had a major penalty issue in the first few weeks of the season. While things have gotten better, it’s still a huge issue that deserves attention. Against Campbell, Ole Miss, and Missouri, the Gators had eight penalties, then 16 against Auburn. The number went down to 11 over the past two games, but it’s still way too high. Over the entire season, Florida’s gotten 55 flags for a loss of 522. Yeah, you read that right. Their opponents, though, had 41 penalties for 395. Florida’s just not playing super disciplined football.

Lack of Explosive Plays

• Ever since Florida’s run game stalled against Missouri, the number of explosive plays by the Gators has decreased drastically. Against the Missouri Tigers, TJ Abrams had a 42-yard reception, and against South Carolina, Bailey Stockton managed a 59-yard reception that resulted in a touchdown, and Jadan Baugh had a 26-yard run. But that was it. The Gators have focused on sticking with shorter passes, but that certainly wasn’t successful for them in weeks 5 or 6.

Pass Rush Struggles

• The Gators’ pass rush struggles were less apparent against Texas, as they allowed only 99 yards through the air and sacked Arch Manning five times, but that’s not saying much given the Longhorns’ offensive line and quarterback issues. Against Auburn, Florida showed out with 7 sacks, but in the next two games they only totaled 5. There’s been a lot of inconsistent pressure at the line of scrimmage, and it has helped expose the Gators’ issues in the secondary. It isn’t the weakest point in Florida’s game, but some changes are definitely needed, either by Brad White or by the players themselves.

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