The five most important Gators football players in 2019
As we quickly approach the kickoff to Dan Mullen's second season as the Florida Gators' head coach, pieces are starting to come together on the field in order for this team to find success.
Reports of serious advancement in quarterback Feleipe Franks' game are rampant. The offensive skill positions are arguably as talented as any in the country. A new-look offensive line is gelling. Playmakers are stepping into leadership roles on the defense. The outside cornerback tandem is arguably the best in college football.
So long as Florida stays healthy, and the roster development is as drastic as it sounds, the Gators have a shot to truly compete in 2019. But that won't be possible without significant contributions from five players - the five most important on Florida's roster this year.
No, this list isn't in any particular order, and no, it's not necessarily players one would expect in this list. But naming the five best players on Florida's roster isn't what this article's purpose serves.
The top-tier guys are obviously important as vital talents, but great performances from the below players can give Florida a legitimate boost and round out the talent across the roster to become a dominant team.
BUCK pass rusher Jonathan Greenard
Replacing 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss is a tough feat to ask of a single position on defense - and the bar gets raised when you consider that production came from one player.
But graduate transfer BUCK pass rusher Jonathan Greenard has been tasked with just that - to fill the void that Jachai Polite left when he declared early for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Greenard has experience in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's scheme, having played under Grantham at Louisville in 2015-16. Since their paths split - before ultimately reuniting at UF - Greenard has recorded seven sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss of his own, during the 2017 season at Louisville. He missed all of 2018 with a broken wrist, and eventually entered the transfer portal.
Here we are.
Considering his experience and previous production, expectations are high for Greenard to make an immediate impact. Should he do just that, the Gators should be pretty deadly off the edge with redshirt senior defensive end Jabari Zuniga filling out the tandem.
Running back Dameon Pierce
Seeing Pierce on this list might catch readers off guard, but hear out the logic.
Jordan Scarlett was a key contributor for Florida last season, despite Lamical Perine stealing the show with a true breakout season in 2018. His rushing style was far different from Perine's, playing with a bruiser mentality and in power situations - making him the perfect complement to Perine's clear vision and impressive lateral agility.
Pierce - a player who looks noticeably leaned out, tone, and quicker heading into 2019 - plays with the same style, and is only getting better.
Scarlett leaves behind 131 carries - and an impressive average of 5.9 yards per rush - for Florida to attempt to replace. Pierce can transition to that role seamlessly and is due for an uptick in utilization following his impressive freshman campaign - recording 424 yards on 69 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
Expect Perine and Pierce to be Florida's 1-2 punch in 2019, much like the Perine-Scarlett tandem in 2018. A versatile rushing attack is vital to Mullen's smashmouth-spread offensive attack, and a Perine-Pierce combo on early downs with Malik Davis in a 3rd down and receiving role can accomplish that.
Cornerback Marco Wilson
Opposite of Wilson is one of the nation's top-rated cornerbacks and already a projected first-round NFL Draft pick in 2020: C.J. Henderson. Henderson's ability to mirror footwork, shut down zones, and make an impact on all levels of the field are crucial aspects to the success of Florida's secondary.
A healthy Wilson will make it that much better.
As a true freshman in 2017, Wilson recorded a whopping 10 pass breakups, and displayed poise as a true press-man defender. Being the fourth true freshman cornerback to start Day 1 in Gators history was an honor well earned by Wilson, which led to extraordinary expectations set for his sophomore season across from Henderson.
Those expectations were unfortunately never met, as Wilson tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2018 season. Now, Wilson has recovered and is practicing in full - the expectations are back. Slightly tempered as there will be some rust to shake off, but assuming he can get back to form once the team's schedule gets tougher, Wilson's role will become vital, and the potential for Florida's cornerback duo will be through the roof.
Pairing two lock-down cornerbacks with two nasty pass rushers off of the edge - as previously mentioned - can mask the question marks throughout the Gators defense, including at safety and the interior pass rush. In a game that's becoming all about the passing game, Florida has the pieces in place to do a great job defending it.
Can all of the pieces come together?
Left guard Brett Heggie
The obvious, most immediate question mark across Florida's roster is the offensive line unit as a whole, with four new starters and a combined 10 career starts among the four.
While center Nick Buchanan is the clear-cut leader of the group, following his 12 starts in 2018 and chemistry with Franks, left guard Brett Heggie is the most important player of the group.
Both due to his experience leading the new school, and due to his injury history - the two factors go together.
His seven starts make up the majority of the four new starters' combined 10, which isn't necessarily saying much, but Heggie likely would have continued to start from his sophomore season on if it weren't for a season-ending knee injury in 2017, turf toe heading into 2018, an ankle injury near the end of the year... you get the point, the injury bug has bit Brett Heggie like a nagging gnat.
However, Heggie has been totally healthy through fall camp and dating back to spring camp - which has paid dividends. He's currently locked in as the starting left guard for Florida. Remaining healthy will be the biggest test for Heggie, and it's crucial for Florida's OL unit.
Should Heggie suffer an injury and miss time, Florida will be forced to rely on totally inexperienced players to fill in at guard, as well as any other position on the line.
Heggie is a polished run blocker - perhaps the most polished of the unit - and Florida ran the ball on 59.21% of plays last year. He's the last guy the team could afford to lose on the offensive line.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks
This one was obvious.
Franks' progression heading into 2019 - his second year under Mullen and the first time he's truly been viewed as "the guy" at quarterback - will make or break the team's success.
We saw positive progression through the final four games if the 2018 season, where Franks completed a much improved 64.95% of his passes for 862 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions to end the year on a four-game win streak. He added 177 yards and four scores with his legs in that span as well.
It's crucial that Franks carries this level of play into 2019 - especially with the questionable offensive line protecting him. His understanding of the scheme as the undisputed leader and signal-caller will certainly help, but we're about to see how much dedication Franks has put into fine-tuning his game.
A great season from Feleipe Franks can put this Florida team in College Football Playoff contention. He's the most important player on the 2019 Florida Gators football roster.
