After eight long, tortuous months, football is back at last.
And while it’s less certain if the same can be said about Florida football, the excitement to get underway and find out is palpable — both from the inside and outside of the locker room.
An offseason filled with nothing more than speculation mixed with glimpses of one-on-one drills and scrimmages is mercifully over, and it’s finally time to truly begin the Jim McElwain era.
We all know the storylines, or, rather, the questions.
Will McElwain be able to solve the offensive issues that have plagued the Gators since 2010?
Who will ultimately start at quarterback?
If the offensive line struggles, will it even matter?
Can the defense continue to be one of the best in the country without former coach Will Muschamp?
One game is far from a big enough sample size to answer any of these definitively, but it’s the first small piece to a larger puzzle.
Even McElwain, who has witnessed nearly every workout, drill and practice firsthand, doesn’t have the answers yet.
That’s why quarterbacks Treon Harris and Will Grier will both play in the opener against New Mexico State.
He has an idea of what both guys bring to the table, but he needs to see it take place in a game just like the rest of us.
"I don’t think that idea is going to be uncovered until we get in a game situation," McElwain said about which situations his quarterbacks thrive in. "As much as you try to simulate it, there’s no experience for doing it."
The same can be said for the rest of the team, too, and that’s what excites the first-year UF coach the most about finally kicking off the season.
"(I’m) more so kind of looking forward to seeing what our identity is going to be," McElwain said. "This will be the first chance to give us a chance out there and see what we are, what we’re all about."
For an upperclassman like offensive lineman Trip Thurman, helping the team create a new identity is a welcoming challenge.
Being part of some of the worst seasons Florida football has had in over a quarter of a century isn’t the type of legacy a redshirt senior wants to leave behind. So to say Thurman is ready to turn over a new leaf — for both himself and the program — might be an understatement.
"Absolutely," Thurman said about whether he feels this year is a new beginning for Florida. "I think the whole team does. Obviously with the new coach and just the way he’s implemented things all through the offseason and spring ball.
"We definitely have a new era and we’re ready to go."
There is certainly pressure that comes along with the excitement, too, and McElwain admits that even with all his coaching experience — including national championship games — there are always nerves about all the unknowns when the season begins.
But, he insists, that just comes with the territory.
"Well, shoot — I mean, I get nervous going to practice," McElwain said.
"The day you don’t get butterflies is probably the day to get out of this. It’s fun, and I don’t look at it as nervous as much as the thrill of another year."
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @graham_hack24
Florida football players huddle at practice at the Sanders Practice Field Aug. 31, 2015.
