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Friday, March 29, 2024

Gators land 11th spot in preseason coaches poll

Florida the fourth-highest SEC team in first national vote

Florida quarterback Emory Jones and the Gators begin the 2021 season in 11th place in USA Today's preseason coaches poll.
Florida quarterback Emory Jones and the Gators begin the 2021 season in 11th place in USA Today's preseason coaches poll.

USA Today released its preseason coaches poll Tuesday ahead of the 2021 NCAA football season, and the Florida Gators found themselves in 11th to begin the year.

Head coach Dan Mullen and his team ended 2020 in 13th after closing the year with three consecutive losses, including a defeat at the hands of eventual national champion Alabama in the SEC Championship and a blowout 35-point loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. The Gators reached as high as third in the coaches poll on Sept. 20, 2020, after a season-opening 51-35 victory over Ole Miss.

This is the lowest the Gators have been ranked in the preseason since Mullen’s first year at the program’s helm in 2018. The USA Today’s coaches poll slotted the Gators eighth ahead of both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The team set to take the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2021 won’t look like the team who reached said highs a season ago. Heisman finalist quarterback Kyle Trask, All-American tight end Kyle Pitts, second-team All-SEC wide receiver Kadarius Toney and wide receiver Trevon Grimes all departed for various NFL destinations this offseason, as well as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Brian Johnson

The coaches around the country clearly respected the departed talent in the UF program — a season after they won the SEC East, Florida found itself only the fourth-highest team from the Southeastern Conference in the preseason poll. Alabama begins its national title defense atop the rankings, Florida’s rival Georgia begins the season in fifth and Texas A&M starts from sixth. The Gators play the Crimson Tide Sept. 18 before they challenge the Bulldogs on Oct. 30 in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. 

Florida’s football season grows ever closer, with the 2021 slate scheduled to begin against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 4.

Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley.

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Ryan Haley

Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.

DM Ryan on Twitter or shoot him an email.


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