GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It's no secret that Florida's passing game was abysmal by the end of the 2015 season. When the head coach is joking in the spring about actually having quarterbacks that can complete a pass now, you know things were pretty grim.
And while there were certainly other issues -- Florida's offensive line was and remains a bit of a question mark -- the improvement at the quarterback position alone is reason for a lot of optimism inside the locker room.
"We have different quarterbacks now this year, so we’ll definitely be able to open up the playbook more with more deep shots and things like that," running back Jordan Cronkrite said. "Be able to read defenses and not being one-dimensional and stick to certain plays that we feel comfortable with. We’re able to open up the playbook more now this year."
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That was a topic touched on by multiple running backs on Thursday. They're more than ready to carry the load if needed, but all indications in far camp are that this will be a much more balanced Florida team.
With Treon Harris gone and Luke Del Rio (presumably) in, the passing attack figures to be back this fall.
"It helps a lot because it put a lot of pressure on the run game last year knowing we didn’t have the best quarterback and the best throwing game," running back Jordan Scarlett said. "Defenses will stack the box and put a lot of pressure on the run game. Now that we have a quarterback they have to respect the pass. It will open up a lot more things."
Florida's defense should remain elite, with several future NFL players still suiting up across the board. How much help they get could well determine whether the Gators can build on last year's SEC East title and take things one step further.
The quarterbacks don't necessarily have to be game-changers, but they need to be far better than Harris was by season's end. The offense knows it.
"It’s a lot more pressure coming to us because last year the offense didn’t pull through in situations where we needed them toward the end of the season," Scarlett said. "So, I think that, yeah, we have lot of pressure on us coming back to us, especially coach (Jim McElwain). People are trying to see what he’s going to do in his second year and how he brought the offense together on his time."
