Roundtable: Who's Been the Florida Gators Biggest Surprise This Season?
At the midway point of the Florida Gators' unconventional 2020 season, there's already been a handful of surprises.
But, which ones have been the biggest? Which players, or units, have broken out in roles that have truly helped this Florida squad win ball games? The Sports Illustrated-AllGators staff members each made an argument, roundtable style, with just one player being repeated across seven entries.
Zach Goodall: The Offensive Line
Alright, my first choice was Stone Forsythe but I let another staff member keep his dibs. My second choice was Kadarius Toney, but another two staff members wanted him too.
So, because I'm nice, I went a different direction and awarded a unit as Florida's biggest surprise: The offensive line. That way, I can credit Forsythe for his tremendous improvement as a pass protector since late last season protecting quarterback Kyle Trask's blindside, and better all-around play. Center Brett Heggie has arguably played as well as Forsythe, improving too after moving from guard to center this year.
With Heggie manning the middle, there have been few-to-no noticeable communication issues across the line, and the unit as a whole has taken steps forward in the run and pass game. Florida has given up just five sacks, one per game, compared to 25 in 13 games (1.9 per game) in 2019, helping turn UF's passing offense from very good to elite.
The Gators are running the ball for 4.2 yards per carry, the same mark as last year, but have passed the ball even more than they did a year ago and appear to have found a complementary balance between the two ways to attack defenses. Running backs have also posed a bigger threat as pass-catchers, but more on that later.
Richard Gouraige and Stewart Reese have been comfortable at guard, with freshman Josh Braun playing well on ample, significant snaps against Georgia - a school he was previously committed to. Sophomore Ethan White also waits in the wings after undergoing knee surgery in fall camp, when he was previously projected as a starter.
The only issue has been Jean Delance at right tackle, who continues to allow quarterback pressure at a higher rate than any other starter - but teams have struggled to finish and get Trask to the ground. Delance has also had a few nice moments as a run blocker, so it's hard to say he's gotten any worse than last year. He's honestly been better.
Demetrius Harvey: QB Kyle Trask
Entering the season the Florida Gators' quarterback situation was essentially solved, but there was a caveat - could Kyle Trask be seriously pushed by Emory Jones, or was he the quarterback for the immediate future? Those questions have since been answered, and Trask has become one of the darlings of the SEC as a result, the biggest surprise jump from year one of starting to year two.
Last year, Trask came into the starting lineup as a fourth-year backup quarterback who, to that point, hadn't shown anything in the way of starting-caliber play. For much of the year, he was viewed as the team's game manager, a player who wouldn't necessarily lose you games, but he wasn't going to single-handedly win you games, either. This year has been a complete transition and progression of the starting quarterback's play.
With a 68.7% completion percentage, 1,815 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions through five games, Trask has the potential to become the Heisman Trophy winner come December. As the season moves forward, it will be interesting to see if Trask can continue to climb in his play or eventually settle down to a new normal, but at this point he's been the biggest pleasant surprise of the 2020 campaign.
Jacquie Franciulli: WR Kadarius Toney
My pick may be surprising but if you think about it, Kadarius Toney would be your pick too. Think of Toney of the last few years and you will understand why he is my choice.
Toney was and is an electric playmaker, however, he was also inconsistent. He sometimes would run 60 yards to get you 5 or he would run 20 to lose you 3. He was unpredictable.
This season Toney has evolved into a more complete receiver and has been more reliable for the Gators. When he runs after the catch, he runs with purpose and manages to win you yards and not cost you. He follows his route - quarterbacks are not adjusting to block for him because he ran away from his blockers.
This is the Toney Florida needed this year with the offense they have.
Michael Knauff: CB Jaydon Hill
The 2019 defensive recruiting class was highlighted by high four-star DB Kaiir Elam, and rightfully so. Elam emerged as the Gators field corner as a true freshman and took over the role of boundary corner this season. But, there’s another member of the 2019 class who has stepped up massively in 2020: Jaydon Hill.
Hill was highly touted as a corner out of high school, but he tore his ACL late in his high school career and lost a lot of interest from big-time schools and recruiting sites. However, Hill has proven to be much more valuable than his borderline 3/4 star status.
With Marco Wilson struggling and being forced to miss the Missouri game after the team's COVID-19 outbreak, Hill stepped in as the field corner. And he delivered, playing airtight coverage the whole game and being stingy while the ball was in the air. According to Pro Football Focus, Hill has allowed only five catches on 10 targets thus far, not allowing a score. He's also broken up four passes on the year.
Hill once again started at corner versus Georgia, and performed very well. Expect Hill to continue to lock down the field corner role and help the much-improved Gator defense significantly.
Donavon Keiser: WR Kadarius Toney
Like Jacquie, Toney is my pick for Florida's biggest surprise this season. Prior to this season, Toney was viewed as a gadget player, one who could make plays but was not very consistent within an actual offense. This thought was completely turned on its head just weeks into the 2020 season, as Toney has accumulated 339 yards on 29 receptions and has posted six touchdowns thus far.
The senior's route running has been put on display time and time again, as his quick feet and twitch allows him to create separation on defenders that are matched up against him. Despite losing the game, Toney broke out against the Texas A&M Aggies, contributing 92 yards on seven catches and adding two touchdowns to the scoreboard.
After the COVID-19 break, Toney came back with a vengeance, posting three touchdowns and 83 all-purpose yards on just seven total touches in a matchup versus the Missouri Tigers. Although he was keyed on against the Georgia Bulldogs, Toney still caught seven passes for 42 yards.
Toney is the most elusive player in all of College Football, and that will only make it more difficult to contain him in this high powered Florida offense moving forward, especially when him and Kyle Pitts are on the field together.
Brandon Carroll: LT Stone Forsythe
Steadily improving in run blocking and picking up where they left off as a unit in pass protection from 2019, the trench monsters on the offensive line have been a reliable group for the Florida Gators in 2020. Spearheading the unit on their noticeable improvement is left tackle, Stone Forsythe.
Possessing a towering figure—standing at 6-foot-9, 313-pounds—Forsythe has been an individual that has the makings of a dominant tackle in the SEC and beyond but needed to showcase his skills more consistently. Equipped with solid length and power on top of his massive stature, the bulldozing tackle has been the Gators' best offensive lineman through five games.
The reason? Significantly improved footwork.
Having—for lack of a better word—stone feet at times in the past, the redshirt junior has turned a corner in his progression and shown significant improvements in that department. Slimming down just over 15 pounds since last season—going from 329 to 313—Forsythe has developed a quicker first step off the snap. As a result, an enhanced ability to contain speedier edge rushers and work back towards the line of scrimmage on inside moves in pass protection has been evident.
Forsythe‘s increased efficiency is noteworthy, but not because he was an unexpected talent stepping up for a prolific offense. However, it’s because he has met and surpassed the expectations for his collegiate career for someone with his physical attributes.
Fortunately for Florida, stone no longer symbolizes Forsythe’s heavy footwork. Instead, it now refers to the immovable object on the end of the line he has grown to be.
Graham Marsh: RB Malik Davis
One-hundred yards receiving. That did it for me.
Malik Davis has been UF's best running back in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield. Against Georgia, he had a 100-yard receiving game off of five catches. That'll more than work.
The touchdown catches from Trevon Grimes, Kyle Pitts, Kemore Gamble and Justin Shorter, along with the touchdown run by Dameon Pierce put the points on the scoreboard for the Gators. But behind nearly every single one of those was a drive where Davis had at least one big catch to push Florida down the field.
Part of what has made Trask so efficient this season has been Davis' presence as a safety valve. When nothing is open and Trask is running out of time, he has been consistently dumping the ball off to Davis for a solid 5-6 yards.
That sustains drives. That wins games.
This comes a year after Davis had a disappointing season, creating next to nothing following back-to-back season-ending injuries. After a bad fumble to begin last season against Miami, Davis never really got going and was a non-factor.
Now? He is one of the biggest factors on the entire team.
