Three Gators I Want to See More of on Offense

A bye week creates opportunities for a reset and reevaluation. Here are three offensive players for the Florida Gators I want to see more of in the last two-thirds of the season.

Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh (13) rushes with the ball while Florida Gators offensive lineman Bryce Lovett (53) blocks Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Albert Regis (17) during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

With the Florida Gators on a bye for the fifth week of the college football season, head coach Billy Napier is using the off week as an opportunity to look in the mirror.

"We've had a chance to evaluate the first four weeks," he said during his portion of Wednesday's SEC Coaches' Teleconference. "Really good practice yesterday. I think it's important that we take a good look in the mirror and build plans for improvement this week for not only individual players, position groups, units, the entire team."

Part of that self-reflection is potentially reevaluating snap counts and who sees the field more going forward. With that in mind, here are three Florida offensive players I want to see on the field more for the final two-thirds of the regular season.

Florida is back on the field on Oct. 5 for a home matchup against UCF, which begins at 7:45 p.m. EST with television coverage on UCF.

WR Aidan Mizell

The redshirt freshman saw an uptick of snaps against Mississippi State following an injury to Eugene Wilson III, and he certainly took advantage of it.

On paper, he recorded five catches for 36 yards, but that yardage should've surpassed triple digits after his 65-yard touchdown catch was negated on a questionable blindside block. In it, he showcased his tremendous speed and agility, which was long

This is one of the greatest plays ever to not count. Mizell is a DOG 🐊 pic.twitter.com/IRTuhbt3Qp

— Florida Gators 🐊🔥 (@gatorsszn) September 21, 2024

This previous offseason, Mizell was a consistent recipient of praise for that speed and agility as well as his improvement in the weight room, where he saw a 16-pound weight gain to 186 pounds from last season to now. Saturday's breakout performance was a glimpse of what he's capable of after a strong offseason.

"I told Aiden pregame, I thought it was going to be a great day for him," Napier said on Saturday. "Hey look, he still made that play. We still got a chance to see him. He did a lot of good things run-after-catch today, his speed shows up. He's another young player that's gaining confidence. And with Tre Wilson out, he was kind of the third guy that we pushed to the forefront there, and he made the most of his opportunities."

Through four games, Mizell ranks as the Gators third-highest rated receiver, according to Pro Football Focus, with a 69.6 offensive grade and 70.7 grade in the passing game.

It's unclear how long Wilson III will be out after a minor knee procedure last week, and the Gators won't be required to release an availability report this week and next week, but no matter how long he's out, Mizell should see the field more.

RB Jadan Baugh

Baugh has long received praise from coaches, players, fans, media members, etc. ever since arriving on campus as an early enrollee, and it's warranted.

Through four games, Baugh is second on the team in rushing with 98 yards despite having the fifth-most attempts with 10. His 9.1 yards-per-carry leads the team. Against Mississippi State, he averaged a game-high 13.3 yards-per-carry with 53 yards on four carries.

He also had a game-high 32-yard rush, which set up a touchdown.

However, all of his touches came in the fourth quarter. Considering some inconsistent play from starter Montrell Johnson Jr., who is still trying to get into a rhythym following a preseason knee injury, according to Napier, it could be beneficial for the Gators to see Baugh on the field earlier.

Not to mention, he's proving his worth as the team's primary kickoff returner with a 30-yard average on returns.

On Wednesday, Napier mentioned Baugh being a player he wanted to be "building around for the future," after his strong performance. That starts with giving him more carries in the early portion of games.

OL Bryce Lovett

Florida offensive line struggles early in the season are well-documented, but the group seemingly turned a corner against Mississippi State with no quarterback sacks or hurries allowed. Although Lovett only received nine snaps, he was a part of that successful group effort.

In fact, this season has already been a strong one for the redshirt freshman. Lovett has the second-highest pass-blocking grade (88.3) among all Florida offensive linemen and second-highest run-blocking grade (65.1) among all Florida guards, according to PFF.

Granted, Mississippi State's defense front wasn't very competitive, and the Gators will face much-stronger competition in the coming weeks, but Lovett's recent play could be the answer if Florida continues to have offensive line issues.