Gator fans are anxiously waiting to see who wins the quarterback job, Jeff Driskel or Jacoby Bissett. They’re nervously wondering if any of the highly recruited wide receivers will come close to living up to expectations. Can anyone run the ball? That’s another question searching for an answer.
Surely this season’s offense has to be better than last year’s, but will the new offense under coordinator Brent Pease be good enough for the Gators to beat Georgia and South Carolina in the SEC East and at least be competitive against SEC West defensive powerhouses Alabama and LSU?
And while the Gator defense was very good last year, it did give up 38 to Alabama and 41 to LSU.
But the biggest question for all Gators, even if they don’t know it, is can second-year head coach Will Muschamp get the job done of winning SEC championships and contending for a national championship.
Year One under Muschamp was full of excuses and most of the blame for a 7-6 record was placed at the doorstep of former coach Urban Meyer. Still, the Gator fans have to be more than a little concerned that the victories came against FAU, UAB, Furman, SEC weaklings Tennessee, Kentucky and Vanderbilt and an Ohio State team in turmoil (Gator Bowl).
While Muschamp was building an impressive resume as a defensive coordinator and getting on everyone’s hot list as a soon-to-be head coach, it was a bit of a surprise when he landed his first head job at a national powerhouse that had won two of last five national championships. Usually the “hot” coordinators get jobs at elite programs that are struggling.
Muschamp still must prove he can command respect and be a leader, handle the pressure, make the right hires for his staff and make winning game-day decisions.
I’m not suggesting Muschamp will fail. I’m simply pointing out that the Gators have a lot of unanswered questions, and nothing about the Gators is as unproven as their young head coach.
Is he another Ron Zook, a great recruiter and motivator but not a great head coach? Or something much better?
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