Josh Pate Explains Why Florida Could be the Next Big Thing in College Football
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The Florida Gators should be near the top of the list of SEC teams that have been relevant in the last three decades.
Since 1996, the Gators have won three national titles and four SEC championships.
However, UF has not been relevant in the national championship conversation since Urban Meyer stepped down as head coach in 2010. In fact, the Gators have yet to make an appearance in the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014.
The Gators believe Jon Sumrall can lead the program back to national relevance, though the new head coach has argued that he needs better support and resources to contend with the better programs in the SEC.
During his show on Saturday, Josh Pate named Florida, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M as three college football programs that have a chance to be a top 10 school in the sport. Pate thinks Florida will crack the top 10 if Sumrall turns out to be the guy.
"If John Summrall is the right hire at Florida, Florida will again be a top 10 brand," Pate said. "Everything's there. We've already seen it happen. We saw it happen under Spurrier. We saw it happen again under Urban Meyer. So there's no doubt about the qualifications.
This is like a car that has won multiple races, so it's proven itself. We just need to make sure the tires are right. We need to do whatever they do when they peel that layer off the windshield, so you can see. I don't know. Florida can do it. Florida's done it. Like Florida just needs to be the best version of themselves, because that's plenty good enough to be a top 10 brand.
The Gators have a lot of things going for them. They have one of the best stadiums and fan bases in college football. Florida can easily recruit elite players in its backyard.
With the emergence of the transfer portal, Florida should be able to land key athletes to make a playoff push, much like Miami has done in recent years.
Gone are the days when Florida had to watch elite players just pick Alabama or Georgia. LSU and Texas still land top players because of their willingness to spend, but Florida should be willing to fund a winning roster if Sumrall shows promise.
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