Gators 2020 Offensive Breakout Player: Jacob Copeland

The Florida Gators have some questions going into 2020, but none are more significant than the one surrounding how the team will handle the loss of productive pieces. Who will be the guy to step up for the Gators offense next season?

Since Dan Mullen has taken over as the head coach for the Florida Gators, spectators have seen a sharp increase in production and innovation offensively.

Being a cornerstone in the Gators' two national championship runs, Mullen brought back the highly powered offensive attack they had lacked since he had left.

Typically, Mullen runs an offensive style he has coined the “smashmouth spread,” which consists of running the football to open up the spread passing game. That much could be seen in 2018, when the Gators ran the ball on over 59% of snaps, yet quarterback Feleipe Franks still posted a productive season of 2457 yards and 24 touchdowns.

But in 2019, Mullen had to make a slight adjustment to his normal play-calling tendencies.

Seeing the inexperience of his offensive line along with losing Franks early in the year due to a dislocated ankle, Mullen decided to switch up the game plan for his redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Trask.

In doing so, he adopted a more west-coast style of offense and chose to air out the ball due to the lack of mobility of his new starting quarterback.

The Gators offense saw an unprecedented amount of passing attempts for a Mullen coached team and relied on the wide receiver group to keep the offense alive down the stretch of the season.

In 2020, many of those pieces the Gators offense relied so much upon—including the likes of Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Tyrie Cleveland, and Josh Hammond—will be leaving the program as they start new chapters in each of their lives.

Due to these losses, the Gators will look to a younger receiving corps to pick up some slack to keep the Gators offense afloat next season.

In doing so, Florida will rely heavily on junior tight end Kyle Pitts, along with senior wide receiver Trevon Grimes, as they are the most experienced players returning to the Gators offense.

The big question surrounding the offense in 2020: Who will have a breakout season for the University of Florida?

Jacob Copeland, a former four-star wide receiver prospect out of Pensacola, FL, committed to the Gators at the beginning of 2018 over Alabama and Tennessee. The rising redshirt sophomore will look to take on a heavy workload in the offense next season and emerge as the next Gator great.

To this point in his collegiate career, injuries and the abundant number of weapons at Mullen's disposal have pushed Copeland down the depth chart. But, as he got back to full health this past season and opportunity has arisen, Copeland started to flash the skill that made him such a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school.

He was able to tally 21 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns over the year. Copeland, similar to other young players on the team, was able to turn in a respectable season even with the lack of snaps and touches he saw.

In 2020, Copeland has the opportunity to break out and show his ability to be a highly talented pass catcher. Despite average size for a wide receiver, standing at 6-0, 192 lbs., Copeland can make up for his physical limitations with his strength and speed.

Earlier in 2019, Pitts described Copeland as an “extraordinary play-maker” and “freak of nature.”

Copeland began to show some of that in 2019 with a dynamic performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he had three catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. After months of waiting, he got the opportunity to be a factor in the Florida offense and thrived.

Here's a better angle, breaking down Copeland's route.

His development under coach Billy Gonzales is on full display today. He'll be a really nice weapon for Florida next year after the WR room loses some seniors. #Gators pic.twitter.com/PKTYi1Ytpx

— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) October 19, 2019

Mixing a 4.44 40-yard dash along with making players miss in the open field, Copeland creates match-up problems for those opposing him.

After another year of waiting his turn behind some of the best receivers the Gators have had in many years, Copeland may end up appreciating the wait more than he would’ve thought during the season.

He has gotten the valuable opportunity to pick the minds of talented receivers and watch the way they operate on the field. The advice he’s gained from them could benefit him greatly in the long run.

If Copeland can continue his progression of becoming a reliable wideout this offseason, expect to see him making big plays in big-time games for the Gators in 2020.