JD PicKell: Evaluating Florida football’s path to success in 2022
Florida is by no means the betting favorite in the SEC or even their own division, but On3’s J.D. PicKell thinks there is a path to Florida being a good team in 2022. Talking about which team in the state of Florida might be the best in 2022 on The Hard Count, PicKell laid out a case for the Gators.
PicKell’s formula for success for Florida hinges on two things: quarterback Anthony Richardson having a big year and the Gators’ defense improving against the run from last year. If the defense can hold up, PicKell thinks the offense could roll.
“Because they’ve got enough on defense, especially if they can plug up that middle a little better, they’ve got enough on defense to where, OK, this offense can roll. Depth of the running back spot, Montrell Johnson, a transfer from Louisiana they’re excited about — they’re probably three or four deep in that room. They can roll if they get what they need from Anthony Richardson,” PicKell said.
PicKell couldn’t be more clear that Richardson is the key to Florida’s success in Year 1 under new head coach Billy Napier. The new coach is trying to pull off a quick turnaround, and success for the redshirt sophomore quarterback can supercharge things for the Gators.
“He needs to be everything that he is advertised to be for Florida,” PicKell said. “Because there’s a lot of excitement around his physical tools and the reports out of fall camp and spring have been glowing. He is 100 percent their guy. Adds so much on the ground. Has a really strong arm. Reports are he’s been dialed. But Florida’s entire season hinges on what he can do for them. They’re going to ask a lot of him. It’s no secret. Billy Napier’s made it clear the offense will go as Anthony Richardson goes. And in Year 1, he needs to ball out for them to be successful and for them to be the answer to this question.”
PicKell also has questions about who will be the guy at wide receiver for Florida, but thinks an answer could exist in Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall.
“Do you have a wide receiver one that’s going to step up and be a threat for ya? They’ve got a lot of guys that they feel good about in-house, but a lot of guys that are unproven,” PicKell said. “Now Ricky Pearsall has earned the No. 1 jersey. He was a transfer from Arizona State, now finding himself at Florida, and he is a guy that have raved about in the short time he’s been in Gainesville. So again, if AR can be the guy, if AR can get him the football, if AR can be the playmaker they’re expecting him to be, Florida’s got a chance to be really, really good.”
It’ll be the offense that carries Florida to high heights this season, but the thing that could hold them back just as easily is the defense. PicKell likes the personnel, but urged the Gators to emphasize stopping the run.
“I’m confident in the personnel they have on defense, but there needs to be a sense of urgency with stopping the run,” PicKell said. “Because they’re great rushing the passer. But you got Gervon Dexter in the middle. Outside of that, I don’t know who’s going to stop the run for ya. They didn’t do a great job of it last year, over 150 yards a game, I believe it was. They weren’t great stopping the run. In the SEC — in the game of football in general but especially in the SEC — you have to play the trenches well. You have to be a force in the trenches. Because guess what? Georgia’s in your conference. Alabama’s in your conference. Arkansas’s in your conference. People throughout the SEC are going to lean on you. If you’re Florida or someone else, you’re going to get leaned on up front if you can’t take care of business in the middle. So the depth there concerns me a little bit, but otherwise the personnel is really solid. Brenton Cox, Ventrell Miller, there’s a lot of guys that I’m excited about. Devin Moore on the outside is a guy that we have on our preseason true freshmen all-American team. So the personnel is there. But how much do you get on that side?”