Greg McElroy on Florida: 'Don't sleep on the Gators'

As spring football ramps up around the country, key questions are being asked of just about every team. Teams that were close to a playoff push a year ago are trying to figured out that last little boost, while teams that failed to make a bowl last season are trying to rebuild their rosters.

For Florida, playoffs feel a long way off. The Gators are coming off their third straight losing season, the second under head coach Billy Napier.

Even some ESPN analysts are having trouble figuring out where the conversation should go when it comes to Florida.

“Every single thing you read about the Florida Gators is about one of two things,” ESPN’s Greg McElroy explained. “One, how hot is the seat for Billy Napier, and two, how impossible their schedule is this year. If you want to dive into where they’re at offensively, hey, here’s some key position battles, here’s what I’m paying close attention to, here we are defensively, here are the guys that I think are going to need to step up, it’s almost hard to read those things.

“Everyone’s basically putting Florida in the ground, they’re burying them and they’re saying they have no chance here in 2024.”

Florida will return a pretty veteran team in 2024, one anchored by quarterback Graham Mertz. That’s not to say young talent won’t play a significant role for the Gators, but there are already some quality pieces in place.

Finding a way to coax more than five wins out of those pieces is the real challenge.

For McElroy, though, the narrative is way out in front of the Gators. Things have been painted in some serious extremes, mostly negative for Florida.

“Guys, it is still the Florida Gators,” he said. “Look, I’m not picking them to go to the playoff. I’m not picking them to go to the playoff. I’m not sitting here and saying, ‘Hey, keep an eye on Florida, now this is a team that’s going to be sneaky, watch when they win nine games, I’m going to say I told you so.’ No, I’m not saying any of those things.”

McElroy offered an interesting comparison for Florida.

“But what I think Florida is doing right now, they feel an awful lot like West Virginia last year,” he said. “And you’re going to say, ‘Well that’s not a good comparison.’ Well everyone said West Virginia was done. They’re going to finish last in the Big 12. They’re going to have their coach, he’s going to be out, he’s done. Why are we even wasting time talking about Neal Brown in ’24, like West Virginia is dead. Florida feels very similar.”

If Florida is going to find a way to subvert the negative expectations and surprise a little, it’ll take some deft maneuvering through one of the nation’s most difficult schedules.

But it’s possible to generate some momentum.

“Florida gets going a little bit, maybe they pull off an upset there in the early part of the season against Miami. Maybe they beat UCF. Maybe they beat some teams in the SEC,” McElroy said. “Because I look at their schedule and there are some winnable games. I also look, too, they have Graham Mertz. And Graham Mertz had a rock-solid season last year. I also look at some of the pieces they’ve brought in. Now they might be young in a few spots, but they have some possible difference-makers.”

The bottom line is that McElroy thinks the narrative around Florida has become a little overly negative. It may well play out that way, but there’s also the potential for surprises to the upside.

That’s what the veteran ESPN analyst sees.

“I’m just saying I’m not picking Florida to go to the SEC title game. I’m not picking Florida to go to the College Football Playoff. I’m not even picking Florida to be in the Top 25,” McElroy said. “All I’m saying, though, is that the roster is in much better shape when you dive into it than you might expect based on some of the outside noise. Just saying, don’t sleep on the Gators. Don’t sleep on the Gators, they still have talent.”