College Football

Jordan Scarlett And Two Other Florida Gators To Key In On During Outback Bowl

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:44 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Nicholas Gonzalez/FanSided via Hail Florida Hail

The Florida Gators are expected to lose a lot of talent next season via the NFL Draft, but they’re also are thin on the depth chart because of injuries. During the Outback Bowl, which players should you key in on to see where that position is headed next season?Chauncey Gardner – DB – Freshman Gardner is a true freshman but has the swagger and mentality of a four-year starting senior. Even with a loaded secondary, Gardner has seen a lot of playing time early at numerous positions. From nickel to safety, Gardner can do it all. I’m not gonna sit here and say he had an All-Star freshman campaign, though.He had a solid season with a lot of ups and downs, but I think that was for two reasons. The first reason is that he was a little too anxious this season. He gambled a lot more than he should have and got beat a lot more because of it.The second reason is he hasn’t settled in at one position yet. The faster he can lock down one position, the better and more focused he will become. More from Hail Florida Hail1/2 - Jordan Scarlett And Two Other Florida Gators To Key In On During Outback Bowl12/30 - Florida Gators Basketball: KeVaughn Allen Is Realizing His Star Potential12/29 - Florida Gators Football: Keys To Defeating Iowa Hawkeyes In Outback Bowl12/29 - Florida Gators Football Recruiting: Levi Jones Update12/28 - Florida Gators Football Recruiting: Daquon Green UpdateI’m excited to see Gardner lead the secondary next season. This game against Iowa will show what he really needs to work on heading into next year, as well as what position he will be playing. I expect to see most reps at the nickel or cornerback with Marcell Harris now healthy.I also expect Gardner to come up big time in a big game because he’s that type of player.David Reese – LB – Freshman David Reese is a dog, plain and simple. As a true freshman, the former three-star had an outstanding campaign with the exception of the game against Alabama. He has a nose for the ball, especially at the middle linebacker spot, and can roam the whole field.The only concern with Reese is his current physical composition. It seems like he’s a little too heavy for his size at 6’1″, but that plays to his advantage as a sure tackler. It’ll be interesting to see how he’ll get stronger and possibly leaner with a whole offseason as a Gator coming up.Alex Anzalone will still be out for this game, therefore Reese is going to play a lot. Look to see how he takes charge of the linebacking corps and how he just has a pure instinct for the ball.I’m excited to see the young linebacking corps led by Reese in 2017, and we could see glimpses of that during the Outback Bowl. Jordan Scarlett – RB – Sophomore The runnings backs have been by committee for most of this season, but with Jordan Cronkrite now transferring and Mark Thompson thoroughly underperforming, the position is now Scarlett’s. Lamical Perine is very good, but still needs to work on some things as far as conditioning goes. Malik Davis, the only running back commit the Gators have in 2017, doesn’t appear to be a day one starter.I could be wrong, but right now, he isn’t.Scarlett will be closing out his sophomore season with this bowl game and will look for momentum heading to his first draft-eligible season. It will be interesting to see how well he plays with an offensive line that has seemingly improved every week.Scarlett leads the SEC in missed tackles and came close to 1,000 yards with one of the worst offensive lines in the Power 5.The Gators also have a solid offensive line recruiting class coming in. If Scarlett can work for his yards now, things will come easier for him when they boys up front get a little better in 2017.I’m excited about the bowl game and I hope you guys are too. These aren’t the only places you should keep an eye out for, but I’d focus on these kids the most.Must Read: Keys to defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback BowlSome honorable mentions are Duke Dawson, CeCe Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland and T.J. McCoy. I hope you guys are ready for Monday! More from Hail Florida HailFlorida Gators Basketball: KeVaughn Allen Is Realizing His Star Potential3d agoFlorida Gators Football: Keys To Defeating Iowa Hawkeyes In Outback Bowl3d agoFlorida Gators Football Recruiting: Levi Jones Update4d agoFlorida Gators Football Recruiting: Daquon Green Update4d agoFlorida Gators Football Recruiting: Tony Gray Update4d agoThis article originally appeared on

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