Published by: AK98
Last weekend marked the beginning of the 2023 college football season. While only 2 of the Top 25 teams played & were easily victorious (#13 Notre Dame beat Navy 42-3 & #6 USC beat SJSU 56-28), an Irish fan such as myself was treated to a delight of offensive efficiency, and the rest of the country was given their fix of football. Not only that, but last weekend capped off the start of football in the fertile lands of the Sunshine State. Even if FIU (Florida International University) was the only team to play (and lose), big things are expected once again from the State of Florida.
With so many teams, it’s easy to overlook some potential talent coming out of the state of Florida. A resurgence of competing for championships on the national level should help Florida teams keep their homegrown talent; talent which puts Florida at the top of the high school recruiting scene.
Hopes are high in 2023, in & below the panhandle. These are the Top 5 potential contenders coming out of Florida….
#1 Florida State (FSU)
The last time FSU was in the preseason Top 10, was the last time Jenn Sterger was a thing (unless you count the time she got weiner pics sent to her by then-NY Jets QB Brett Favre).
Okay. That might be a bit of an exaggeration. Jimbo Fisher did take FSU to the promised land, helping lead them to a BCS Championship a decade ago, but the only consistency in that program since the departure of Bowden/Fisher has been the strawhat girls in the stands cheering on their under-achieving team. And while gaggle of hot girls attending the football games may have helped FSU’s enrollment numbers, it did not help the team on the field. But the tide seems to have turned.
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(A new batch of spicy underclasswomen have taken up the mantle of being the infamous
“FSU Cowgirls” started by students Jenn Sterger & Catherine Perry)
It is the fourth season under head coach Mike Norvell, and he has all the pieces needed to make a run at an ACC Championship & a spot in the College Football Playoff. With a Heisman hopeful in veteran QB Jordan Travis, a Defensive POY candidate/lottery pick in DE Jared Verse, and 15 returning starters, FSU has their best chance to return to the normally assumed blue blood prominence.
Their first test comes against another Natty contender in #5 LSU in a nationally televised “Game of the Week” at a neutral site game in Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL). It also happens to be one of those unnatural Sunday Showcase games (before the NFL takes over all of America’s attention), for a Thursday to Monday slate of college football.
#2 Central Florida (UCF)
Some of you will no doubt cry foul with the team in my #2 slot, but hear me out…
Who has the most undefeated regular seasons in the past 10 years of all FBS Florida teams?
UCF (2).
Which Florida team has been to the most BCS Bowl Games?
UCF (2).
Which Florida team has a head coach who’s won a National Championship?
UCF (Gus Malzahn).
Which Florida team is joining a Power 5 conference in an effort to elevate their game?
UCF (Big12).
Now, I do believe there will be an adjustment period into the Big12 for the Knights, but joining a conference more known for their offense than defense should help. And with new members ASU, UA, Colorado, & Utah (Pac12) joining next year, and powerhouses Texas & Oklahoma leaving for the SEC, the conference will be completely up for grabs.
#3 Florida (UF)
In terms of talent, Florida is still premiere. I’ve had to listen to Uncle Rico complain about ASU transfer Ricky Pearsall leaving for brighter pastures in Gainesville. Pearsall certainly has the talent to be a major contributor for the Gators this season, but his transfer portal pick up is not tops for me.
That title goes to Wisconsin QB transfer Graham Mertz who will easily be the most interesting storyline to cover this season for the Gators. Mertz is a former Elite 11 finalist & #1 Pocket Passer/#21 overall recruit from the 2019 class. The last time Wisconsin had such a hyped-signal caller come to Madison was when Russell Wilson left NC State for the Badgers.
After years of under-achieving in a run-heavy offense, Mertz left last offseason for brighter pastures in hopes of resurrecting his career (and NFL draft stock). With two years of eligibility left, Mertz is hoping that second-year head coach Billy Napier (ASU OC/UL HC) will be just the man for the job. As Rico puts it, “If Napier could make ASU QBs not look like roasted dog shit, he can make anybody.”
Do I think UF (or anybody in the SEC East) is ready to challenge Georgia as the Top Dawg (pun intended)? Absolutely not.
But, will they be one of the more competitive Florida football teams? Absolutely.
#4 Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
I honestly had the most difficulty placing this team, because I believe FAU is about to take the American Athletic Conference (AAC) by storm.
When Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU, Tom Herman was on my shortlist of head coaches I thought would be a perfect fit. Herman is an absolute offensive genius.
Rice, Iowa St, Ohio St, Houston, Texas…
Herman has a proven track record at all of his stops for being not only an innovator, but elevating the play of the offense (specifically at the QB position). There are certain coaches (Hugh Freeze, Lane Kiffen, Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley) when you say their name, you know the offensive product will be high octane. Herman is on that list.
Another major bonus is the reuniting of Texas transfer QB Casey Thompson with his old head coach (a kid Herman recruited himself during his stay in the Lone Star State). Thompson will bring immediate experience & leadership to a position where such traits are a must, and having previous knowledge of Herman’s offensive system/play-calling will only sharpen the learning curve for the team as a whole.
The time Herman would’ve had to spend catching a new recruit/leftover signal caller up to speed on his system immediately diminishes with the implementation of Thompson at QB. Thompson transferring to FAU allowed the new HC to spend time working with the other parts of his machine. Not only that, but I predict Thompson will become an extension of Herman, becoming a coach on the field.
While FAU’s move to the AAC leaves them with a lack of experience against conference opponents, those opponents will share the same unknowns. And those unknowns would translate into offensive success, and ultimately, checkmarks in the “WIN” column.
#5 Miami (UM)
Once upon a time, the Miami Hurricanes were the most feared team in the land. They were the “Team of the Decade” in the 1980’s, fell on hard times in the 90’s, returned to their former glory in the early 2000’s, and have returned to controversy & negative headlines since then. Long gone are the Ed Reeds, the Ray Lewis’, and the Jim Kellys. Long gone are the recruiting classes who eventually broke the 1st Round of the NFL Draft.
But names still mean something in Miami, and last year, the university once again pulled a name from Hurricane lore. Enter Mario Cristobal.
Cristobal was an offensive tackle for the Hurricanes on their ‘89 & ‘91 National Championship teams. By 1998, he was called upon to help another former Hurricane in head coach Butch Davis resurrect “The U” brand. After bouncing around between the ranks, Cristobal established himself as one of (if not THE) top recruiter in the country, helping Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide continuously top the recruiting boards.
Not only that, but Cristobal is recognized as a sort of wizard for concocting a potion which creates some of the best offensive lines in the country. A “Pac12 Coach of the Year” reward in 2021 later, the Miami native came home to do what hasn’t been done in nearly two decades:
Put a championship contender on the field.
The defense should be a strength & the O-line should be improved, but the biggest puzzle piece to the “contender puzzle” comes at the QB position:
Can JR(RS) Tyler Van Dyke play at the level that had him hyped up to the point of a “Heisman Hopeful” moniker before the 2022 season? Will last year’s injury prevent him from reaching new heights, or will Van Dyke be able to put “The U” brand back on the breakfast table?
Personally, I think Van Dyke was over-hyped to begin with, but he has the kinda name that would look perfect on a “The U: Part 3” 30for30, and if Cristobal can tie off “The State of Miami” recruiting-wise, Florida outta be put on notice.
