Identifying key areas to watch during Florida fall camp

There is no shortage of storylines to watch for ahead of Florida‘s fall camp. On Monday, Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre revealed what fans should keep an eye on ahead of head coach Billy Napier‘s third season at the helm of the Gators.

“Let’s start with the offensive line. Graham Mertz was sacked over 30 times last year,” de la Torre said. “You have to be able to keep him upright. You have to be able to keep him healthy. I think that’s where it starts on his offensive line. They get their center back in Jake Slaughter, who’s a guy who really wasn’t going to play last year other than Kingsley Eguakun being injured. And they kind of found a really good player in Jake Slaughter.

“You get Austin Barber back as your starting left tackle. Then, you go to the transfer portal and get Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson. Outside, Florida feels really good. Interior-wise, they’re still moving pieces around, waiting for guys to earn and take those starting spots. What’s that starting five look like and can they keep Graham Mertz healthy?”

Graham Mertz rarely had time to relax in the pocket last season. Florida’s front five allowed 39 sacks, ranking No. 114 in the country. Despite staring down raving defensive linemen, Mertz found success last season, tallying 2,903 passing yards and 20 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions.

Moreover, Mertz completed 72.9% of his pass attempts, the third-highest rate in the nation. If Florida’s offensive line can take a step forward in 2024, Mertz could have a breakout season. Of course, Florida’s O-line is far from its only concern.

How can Florida improve on defense?

“Go to go to the defensive side of the ball: tackling and turnovers,” de la Torre said. “Last year, Florida was second to last in the country in turnovers forced, only beating Temple. Only forced three interceptions all year and I think that’s an area where you have to improve. You have to win the turnover margin.

“Then, tackling — it has to be a point of emphasis. You can’t give teams an opportunity to turn a one-yard gain into an eight-yard gain, a 15-yard gain because of a missed tackle. It’s been a point of emphasis for Florida all offseason and spring camp and I’m sure it will be again in fall camp; just getting the ball carrier down to the ground.”

Between its issues on offense and defense, Florida finished the 2023 campaign with a 5-7 record and a 3-5 mark in conference play. With a couple of improvements, Florida could easily add a few more tallies to its win column in the upcoming season.