Ole Miss Schedule Preview: Florida Gators

What position will the Florida Gators be in when the Ole Miss Rebels come to town in November?

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks with Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) during fall football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 1, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA

The 2024 college football season is still about a month away, but with SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, now is the time to begin previewing the Ole Miss Rebels' schedule.

Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season that saw it capture a Peach Bowl victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in December. The Rebels return a plethora of talent from last year's team (including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskron and others), but they also made a huge haul in the transfer portal to shore up some holes on its roster.

It's this combination of talent and a seemingly-managble SEC schedule that have many believing the Rebels can qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Over the next few days, Ole Miss OnSI will preview each of the Rebels' 2024 regular season opponents. We last looked at the Georgia Bulldogs, and today, we analyze the Florida Gators.

Florida Gators

Head coach Billy Napier needs a solid season in Gainesville, or things could get rocky. Unfortunately for him, however, the SEC office did the Gators no favors in their conference schedule.

Games against Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss highlight one of the most brutal SEC schedules this season, and after a 5-7 record in 2023, Florida faces a difficult road to recovery.

There is some continuity on the Gators' roster however, beginning with quarterback Graham Mertz. He will be entering his sixth season of college ball (including a redshirt year in 2019), and he threw for over 2,900 yards and exactly 20 touchdowns a season ago alongside just three interceptions.

The Gators also return leading rusher Montrell Johnson (817 yards, 5 TDs) from last season, but they did lose a key back to the portal in Trevor Etienne who now suits up with the Georgia Bulldogs. The leading returner in receiving is Eugene Wilson III (538 yards, 6 TDs), but the Gators also added Chimere Dike (Wisconsin) and Elijhah Badger (Arizona State) from the transfer portal to bolster that room.

Free safety Jordan Castell led the team in tackles a season ago with 60, and he also tallied one interception. He returns to a defense that ranked 69th in total defense in 2023, right behind Ole Miss at 68th.

The jury is still out on how Florida will respond to its daunting schedule before Ole Miss visits on Nov. 23, but the Rebels will likely be coming off an emotional win or loss against Georgia the week prior. How the Rebels respond will be key in claiming what should be a win (on paper) against the Gators towards the end of the season.

Kickoff in this game is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on ABC or ESPN.