It was a disappointing season for Florida football in 2021, but as they say, hope springs eternal. With the Dan Mullen era now in the rearview mirror, Billy Napier and his staff are poised to rebuild a once-proud program and return glory to the Swamp.
Much like how Rome was not proverbially built in a day, rebuilding a top-tier college football program does not happen overnight, but the steps taken so far by the new regime appear to be laser-focused on putting the team in a position to take advantage of every edge it can get. But even with all of the changes taking place, those who remain from the previous regime can still be expected to uphold the glory of the Orange and Blue in the interim.
Among those holdovers are a handful of players who will hopefully keep the team afloat in what looks to be a very challenging debut schedule for Napier and crew. This group of players have either shown signs of brilliance in the past or were well-heralded prep players before their times in Gainesville.
Take a look below at former Gator and 247Sports contributor Brett DioGuardi‘s breakout candidates for 2022 and our take on his choices.