SEC football power rankings after spring portal closes: Did Aggies get better?

Post-SEC Spring Power Rankings: #13 - Florida Gators

The Gators face a gauntlet this year, and it’s coming at possibly the worst time possible. I’ve written previously about just how dire their slate is for this upcoming year—a 1-win season is not completely out of the question—and UF is staring down the barrel here with a, frankly speaking, hobbled and cornered coaching staff manning the helm.

Billy Napier had a disasterclass of mismanagement near the end of last year, looking like he lost the team after putting his eggs in the wrong basket with his staff. As a result, he ended up losing several key members of his staff (a couple of which have ended up in College Station) while retaining those who were the source of the issue (namely, the DC).

Their hopes now ride on QB Graham Mertz—and, if not him, then one-time Aggie target DJ Lagway. A middling portal class headlined by Bama CB transfer Jameer Grimsley doesn’t make up for what they lost in guys like Princely Umanmielen, Jaydon Hill, Scooby Williams, and others.

The Gators open with Miami and Samford before hosting Texas A&M football. A 2-1 start at the very least is their best hope at making their way to bowl eligibility—their final five games go vs UGA, at Texas, vs LSU, vs Ole Miss, and at FSU. That’s a likely 0-5 slate (depending on how LSU and Texas end up looking), so UF needs to stack early wins if they have a prayer of getting to bowl eligibility.