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Florida Gators: SEC East
Dan Mullen has proven himself a capable head coach to win football games in the SEC, but he's also made a few mistakes outside the field that have hurt his legacy. While the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma was ugly, the fact that several offensive stars opted to sit out the bowl game made it forgivable.
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Here's a look at the Florida Gators' strengths and weaknesses heading into the 2021-2022 season.
2021-2022 SEC East Conference preview: Florida Gators
Florida's strengths: Although Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney are gone, the Gators are not short of pass-catcher options as Xzavier Henderson and Jacob Copeland look set to take over, with Trent Whittemore looking to build on his freshman season.
The passing offense won't be as strong as last season, but with Emory Jones taking over at quarterback, scoring won't be a problem for the Gators in 2021.
Florida's weaknesses: The Gators hope the coaching changes in the defense will fix a secondary that allowed 28 passing touchdowns last season. There's talent in the group, but it was a big headache last season.
Florida Gators key player: Offense
QB Emory Jones: One of the first recruiting wins for Dan Mullen, Jones is a strong-armed, mobile quarterback who'll have a tough task filling the shoes of Kyle Trask. He's got a small sample size throwing the ball with only 86 throws since 2018, but there's a lot of expectation regarding how he'll evolve the offense with a rushing element that Trask didn't have.
Florida Gators key player: Defense
DL Brenton Cox: A physical front seven will be the tone of the Gators' defense this year and Cox is a great candidate for a breakout season. He amassed 4.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss last year, and he's strong enough to become one of the stars of the SEC East. Watch out for senior Zachary Carter playing next to him.
2021-2022 Florida Gators schedule
Week 1: Saturday, September 4 vs. FAU Owls
Week 2: Saturday, September 11 at South Florida Bulls
Week 3: Saturday, September 18 vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Week 4: Saturday, September 25 vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Week 5: Saturday, October 2 at Kentucky Wildcats
Week 6: Saturday, October 9 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Week 7: Saturday, October 16 at LSU Tigers
Week 8: Bye week
Week 9: Saturday, October 30 vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Week 10: Saturday, November 6 at South Carolina Gamecocks
Week 11: Saturday, November 13 vs. Samford Bulldogs
Week 12: Saturday, November 20 at Missouri Tigers
Week 13: Saturday, November 27 vs. Florida State Seminoles
2021-2022 Florida Gators prediction (8-4 overall, 4-4 SEC)
While the Gators will still have a positive season and a good offense, they're just not at the same level as 2020. They'll make sure they don't lose to weaker SEC teams, but they won't be a match to Alabama and Georgia. Losses to Kentucky and LSU outside of The Swamp will also hurt Florida's overall SEC record.
