Greg McElroy calls Florida 'most disrespected' team in SEC in 2024: 'That to me is what's mind-blowing'

Prognostication season is quickly coming to an end, with SEC Media Days signaling the unofficial start of the 2024 campaign. But there’s still time for analysts to get off a last take or two, and the SEC Network’s Greg McElroy had a hot one on Wednesday.

He’s picking Florida as the league’s most disrespected team entering 2024… a team likely to surprise based on that simple fact.

“This team is not as far away as people want to point to,” Greg McElroy said. “Now I acknowledge very much the schedule is a monster. No doubt about it. But I’ve got to be honest, I think if you had Georgia playing that schedule, how would you feel about it? Probably not that bad, they can handle that. So I think the perception of Florida right now is being altered by how hard the schedule is.

“This is still Florida. That to me is what’s mind-blowing. We’re treating the Florida Gators, who by the way, as far as talent acquisition over the last five years, in the top 10 to 12, depending on what publication you want to use. Your blue-chip ratio, if you will, still pretty good. And they went young the last couple years in an effort to build up to where they’re at.”

That’s one of the real question marks for Florida entering 2024. Just how good is Billy Napier at developing players?

He’s now into the portion of his tenure where the majority of the players who will be suiting up on Saturdays are his recruits. They need to pan out.

Greg McElroy outlined some particularly difficult spots.

“I do think replacing Ricky Pearsall will be challenging,” he said. “But I think Eugene Wilson is uniquely set up to step right into that role. They’re still going to run the football. They’ve made some nice additions through the portal on defense. They have some young players that they’re really excited about on that side of the ball as well.”

So what can Florida get done in 2024? Well, let’s start with the general expectations.

“I think Florida is the team that’s being most disrespected in the entire league coming into 2024,” Greg McElroy said. “I’m not saying they’re going to win the league. I think Vegas has it at, what, 4.5 or 5 (wins)? I like the chances of them getting closer to seven than I do to four. I think they’re going to be better than people realize.

“We’re just treating Florida as if it’s just your run-of-the-mill school. This is one of the most talent-rich states in the country. I think a lot of people are for sure. I still think this team is much closer to where they need to be, granted, not championship-contender status yet. You’d love to be there in Year 3, that’s just not a realistic possibility with what Billy inherited.”

But the bottom line is McElroy is expecting more out of Florida than most. He’s not the only one. Fellow SEC Network analyst Chris Doering recently built a similarly positive case for the Gators.

Greg McElroy signed off with a bit of a prediction.

“I think they’re going to be just fine this year,” he said. “They’re going to cause a lot of problems. I wouldn’t be surprised, either, if they knock off a team with legitimate playoff expectations.”