As Jon Sumrall revitalizes the Florida Gators, a vulnerable offensive line remains the primary obstacle. Florida must solidify its front five to protect a new era of quarterbacks.
The Florida Gators have a ton of belief that they can turn things around under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall.
Sumrall has brought a bolt of energy to a program that needed a shock after Billy Napier was fired.
How soon Sumrall can turn things around remains to be seen. He made mountains out of a molehill at Tulane, but as Napier learned at Florida, the SEC is a different animal than the Group of 6.
The main question marks for the Gators are on the offense. No one knows if Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo or Tramell Jones Jr. will be any good this year. And there's some worry about who will protect the winner of the quarterback battle upfront.
Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports thinks the Gators should get decent quarterback play out of Philo or Jones, though he noted the offensive line was the "biggest concern" for Sumrall coming out of spring practice.
"Regardless of whether Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo (and Faulkner pupil at GT) or Tramell Jones Jr. takes the majority of the snaps, the offense seems to be in good hands with either signal-caller," Lassan wrote.
"An offensive line looking to replace three starters – including standouts in center Jake Slaughter and tackle Austin Barber – was the biggest concern exiting spring practice."
Sumrall noted in the spring that the defensive line was winning the battle in the tranches as the offensive line was trying to find its best combination.
"I think the depth of our D line is showing at times," Sumrall said.
"I think the first, you know, if you call it grouping a half of the O line, is kind of where we're trying to figure out who's in the right seats and who's where and what's the right mixture of players to put our best foot forward."
Sumrall didn't have the answers coming out of spring practice. The team will need to find a solution before Week 1. It's no coincidence Sumrall is hitting the trenches hard in recruiting this summer, as that'll be the key to getting Florida back in the chase for a championship.
