Who has the better roster — the Gators or the Canes?
Yes, the games need to be played, but until then, fans on Twitter are dissecting the matchup from every possible angle, including evaluating each position group. Here are my thoughts on the offensive position groups.
QUARTERBACK
The Gators have Murda Mertz returning after a statistically successful season in his first year. Mertz is a game manager who doesn’t make many mistakes. He’s a risk-averse, dink-and-dunk QB. His backup, Lagway, is a highly touted freshman and talented signal caller. While he has a high ceiling, he’s unproven at this level.
Cam Ward is a big-play QB. The only knock on his game is his fumbling. With a better supporting cast, expect him to overcome this issue.
Edge: CANES. Despite Cam being a first-year QB playing away in a rivalry game in a hostile environment, he and his backup, Poffenberger, who brings high-level production and game-changing ability, give the Canes the better QB room.
RUNNING BACK
The Gators return Montrell Johnson along with a couple of transfer portal additions and some cat named Webb?
The Canes will feature new portal addition Damien Martinez. It appears the Canes will be without Mark Fletcher for game 1. Expect Lofton to get the lion’s share of backup duty.
Edge: EVEN. Montrell and Martinez are a push. I give the Canes a slight edge with the room as a whole, but this is a conservative evaluation.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Gators bring back Eugene Wilson, who is undoubtedly a stud — no diddy! Beyond him, there’s literally nothing to speak of.
The Canes feature arguably the top trio in the country, and definitely in the ACC, with George, Restrepo, and Sammy Brown. The room also has a number of other dogs who will play into the rotation — Ray Ray, Horton, JoJo, among others.
Edge: CANES by a landslide.
TIGHT END
The Gators return Arlis Boardingham, who is coming off sports hernia surgery. He had two starts last year with minimal production. Behind him, there’s nothing noteworthy.
The Canes return Arroyo, whose career has been plagued by injury. He is now fully healthy. Let’s see if he can stay that way. He’s a prototypical TE. His primary backup is Riley Williams. McCormick, the elder statesman of the room, is used primarily for blocking.
Edge: EVEN.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Gators’ top OL, LT Barber, is nursing an injury. Center Slaughter is their best returning player on the line. The other positions are up in the air. They’re trying to find the right mix of transfer portal additions to complement players like the very mid-level Damion George. There are a lot of moving parts and question marks.
This is one of the Canes’ strongest position groups. The only question mark is LG, but they have plenty of players competing for that position. There’s depth and returning production all over the line.
Edge: CANES by a landslide.
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