Since the Jim McElwain era began in Gainesville, the Gators have defeated South Carolina and won the SEC East with an elite defense and below-average offense. In 2017, the defense is expected to take a dip, but the offense is expected to improve.
Florida has been stacked on defense for years. They have lost many players to the NFL and the 2017 draft took even more. Linebacker Jarrad Davis went in the first round to Detroit while DBs Quincy Wilson (Indianapolis) and Teez Tabor (Detroit) went in the second round and LB Alex Anzalone went to New Orleans in the third.