Much has been made of the remodeling Gators football underwent this offseason, and rightly so. The offense was a raging success under the stewardship of draft-eligible players who went pro and the defense was so tragically overmatched that a touch-up is necessary to field a passable team this year.
That being the case, the identity of this Orange and Blue squad is still fluid. A single matchup against a much weaker non-conference opponent is hardly educational about how they’re going to fare in the choppier waters of the SEC.
One of the oddities of football, though, is that because of the intrinsically co-dependent nature of play, the best players aren’t always the most important in defining the identity of a team. To that end, let’s take a look at the players on the 2021 Florida roster who have the potential to radically shift the way this team functions for better. Despite the fact that not all of these guys are among the most famous or talented the program has to offer, their performances will dictate a lot about this season.