2018 Florida Gators football team

The 2018 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. Florida played as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Dan Mullen.

2018 Florida Gators football
Peach Bowl champion
Peach Bowl, W 41–15 vs. Michigan
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 7 (tie)
2018 record10–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorBilly Gonzales (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorJohn Hevesy (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorTodd Grantham (1st season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
(Capacity: 88,548)
2018 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No.Georgia x  7 1     11 3  
No. 12 Kentucky  5 3     10 3  
No.Florida  5 3     10 3  
South Carolina  4 4     7 6  
Missouri  4 4     8 5  
Vanderbilt  3 5     6 7  
Tennessee  2 6     5 7  
West Division
No. 2 Alabama x$^  8 0     14 1  
No. 16 Texas A&M  5 3     9 4  
No. 6 LSU  5 3     10 3  
Auburn  3 5     8 5  
Ole Miss  1 7     5 7  
Arkansas  0 8     2 10  
Mississippi State*  0 4     0 5  
Championship: Alabama 35, Georgia 28
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • * Mississippi State vacated four conference and eight total wins due to NCAA violations.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

Florida, coming off a 4–7 season in 2017, began the year unranked. In the second game of the season, not only did the team lose to Kentucky for the first time since 1986, but they also lost to them at home for the first time since 1979, snapping a 31-game winning streak in the series.[2] Florida won its next five games, including on the road against No. 23 Mississippi State and at home against No. 5 LSU, rising to ninth in the AP Poll. They then lost two games to No. 7 Georgia and Missouri and ended the conference regular season tied for second in the SEC East Division at 5–3. After closing the regular season by defeating rival Florida State, they were invited to the Peach Bowl, where they defeated No. 8 Michigan by a score of 41–15. The team finished with an overall record of 10–3, and in the season's final AP Poll, the team was ranked in a tie for seventh, the highest finish for the school since 2009.

The team was led on offense by redshirt sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks, who finished with 2,457 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and 7 rushing touchdowns. His 31 total touchdowns was tied for third in the Southeastern Conference.[3] Running backs La'Mical Perine and Jordan Scarlett finished with 826 and 776 yards, respectively. Defensively, the team was led by defensive end Jachai Polite, who finished with 20 tackles for loss and was named first-team All-SEC.

Previous season

The Gators in 2017 were led by third-year head coach Jim McElwain through the end of October until his firing. Randy Shannon was named the interim head coach on October 29.[4] They finished the season 4–7, 3–5 in SEC play to finish in fifth place in the Eastern Division.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
Lott Trophy[5] C. J. Gardner-Johnson DB JR
Rimington Trophy[6] T. J. McCoy C JR
Chuck Bednarik Award[7] David Reese LB JR
Butkus Award[8] David Reese LB JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[9] Cece Jefferson DE SR
David Reese LB JR
Outland Trophy[10] Martez Ivey OL SR
Wuerffel Trophy[11] Fred Johnson OL SR
Ted Hendricks Award[12] Cece Jefferson DE SR
Jabari Zuniga DE JR
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award[13] Tyrie Cleveland WR JR

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on July 20, 2018 with the Gators predicted to finish third in the East Division.[14]

Media poll (East)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Georgia1,977 (271)
2South Carolina1,535 (8)
3Florida1,441 (4)
4Missouri1,057
5Kentucky874 (1)
6Tennessee704 (1)
7Vanderbilt392

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Gators had eight players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 17:30 p.m.Charleston Southern*SECNW 53–681,164
September 87:30 p.m.KentuckyNo. 25
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
SECNL 16–2780,651
September 154:00 p.m.Colorado State*
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
SECNW 48–1080,021
September 227:00 p.m.at TennesseeESPNW 47–21100,027
September 296:00 p.m.at No. 23 Mississippi StateESPNW 13–661,406
October 63:30 p.m.No. 5 LSUNo. 22
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
CBSW 27–1990,283
October 1312:00 p.m.at VanderbiltNo. 14ESPNW 37–2731,118
October 273:30 p.m.vs. No. 7 GeorgiaNo. 9CBSL 17–3684,463
November 34:00 p.m.MissouriNo. 13
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
SECNL 17–3880,017
November 1012:00 p.m.South CarolinaNo. 19
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
ESPNW 35–3182,696
November 1712:00 p.m.Idaho*No. 15
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
ESPNUW 63–1081,467
November 2412:00 p.m.at Florida State*No. 13ABCW 41–1471,953
December 2912:00 p.m.vs. No. 8 Michigan*No. 10ESPNW 41–1574,006

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP RV 25 NR NR RV 22 14 11 9 13 19 15 13 11 10  
Coaches RV 25 NR RV RV RV 16 12 11 14 21 16 13 10 10 6 
CFP Not released 11 15 13 11 9 10 Not released

Game summaries

Charleston Southern

Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Charleston Southern 0 0 066
Florida 10 28 13253

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

  • Date: September 1, 2018
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: E at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) • Weather: 67% humidity, clear
  • Game attendance: 81,164
  • Referee: John McDaid
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic[15]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
1–0 September 5, 2009 Florida, 62–3
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Kentucky 7 0 14627
No. 25 Florida 0 10 0616

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

  • Date: September 8, 2018
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: ESE at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) • Weather: 81% humidity, partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 80,651
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic[16]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
51–17 September 23, 2017 Florida, 28–27
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Colorado State

Colorado State Rams at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Colorado State 0 3 7010
Florida 6 21 02148

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

  • Date: September 15, 2018
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 96 °F (36 °C) • Wind: SW at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) • Weather: 45% humidity, partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 80,021
  • Referee: Marc Curles
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Kris Budden[17]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
First meeting
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Tennessee

Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Florida 14 12 71447
Tennessee 0 3 10821

at Neyland StadiumKnoxville, Tennessee

  • Date: September 22, 2018
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: N at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 100,027
  • Referee: James Carter
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Adam Amin, Rod Gilmore, and Quint Kessenich[18]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
27–20 September 16, 2017 Florida, 26–20
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Mississippi State

Florida Gators at Mississippi State Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Florida 0 3 7313
No. 23 Mississippi State 3 3 006

at Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, Mississippi

  • Date: September 29, 2018
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: N at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 61,406
  • Referee: Matt Austin
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[19]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
33–19–2 October 16, 2010 Mississippi State, 10–7
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

LSU

LSU Tigers at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 5 LSU 7 3 3619
No. 22 Florida 0 14 01327

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

  • Date: October 6, 2018
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: ENE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) • Weather: 51% humidity, sunny
  • Game attendance: 90,283
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, and Jamie Erdahl[20]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
32–29–3 October 7, 2017 LSU, 17–16
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Vanderbilt

Florida Gators at Vanderbilt Commodores – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 14 Florida 0 13 71737
Vanderbilt 7 14 0627

at Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 13, 2018
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: NE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
  • Game attendance: 31,118
  • Referee: Lee Hedrick
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[21]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
39–10–2 September 30, 2017 Florida, 38–24
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Georgia

Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 9 Florida 0 7 7317
No. 7 Georgia 10 3 101336

at TIAA Bank FieldJacksonville, Florida

  • Date: October 27, 2018
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: W at 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) • Weather: Mostly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 84,463
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, and Jamie Erdahl[22]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
43–50–2 (per Florida)
43–51–2 (per Georgia)
October 28, 2017 Georgia, 42–7
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Missouri

Missouri Tigers at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Missouri 7 14 14338
No. 13 Florida 3 7 7017

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
3–4 November 4, 2017 Missouri, 45–16
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
South Carolina 14 7 10031
No. 19 Florida 0 14 71435

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

  • Date: November 10, 2018
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: N at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) • Weather: 83% humidity, cloudy
  • Game attendance: 82,696
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[24]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
26–9–3 November 11, 2017 South Carolina, 28–20
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Idaho

Idaho Vandals at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Idaho 0 0 3710
No. 15 Florida 28 21 7763

at Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, Florida

  • Date: November 17, 2018
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: NE at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 81,467
  • Referee: James Carter
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown and Andre Ware[25]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
First meeting
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Florida State

Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 13 Florida 3 10 141441
Florida State 0 7 7014

at Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, Florida

  • Date: November 24, 2018
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: NW at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: 94% humidity, 30% chance of rain
  • Game attendance: 71,953
  • Referee: Gary Patterson
  • TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[26]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
34–26–2 November 25, 2017 Florida State, 38–22
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Michigan (Peach Bowl)

Florida Gators vs. Michigan Wolverines – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 10 Florida 3 10 141441
No. 8 Michigan 7 3 0515

at Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, GA

Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
0–4 September 2, 2017 Michigan, 33–17
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Personnel

Roster

As of 23 September 2018[27]
2018 Florida Gators roster

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

  • 20 Malik Davis – Sophomore
  • 22 La'Mical PerineJunior
  • 24 Iverson Clement – Freshman
  • 25 Jordan Scarlett Junior
  • 27 Dameon Pierce – Freshman

Wide Receivers

  •  8 Trevon Grimes – Sophomore
  •  9 Dre Massey – Senior
  • 10 Josh Hammond – Junior
  • 12 Van Jefferson Junior
  • 15 Jacob Copeland – Freshman
  • 16 Freddie SwainJunior
  • 18 Daquon Green – Sophomore
  • 83 Rick Wells – Sophomore
  • 89 Tyrie ClevelandJunior

Tight Ends

  • 14 Lucas Krull – Sophomore
  • 80 C'yontai Lewis – Senior
  • 81 Dante Lang – Freshman
  • 82 Moral Stephens – Senior
  • 84 Kyle PittsFreshman
  • 88 Kemore Gamble – Freshman

Offensive Line

  • 53 Kavaris Harkless – Senior
  • 55 Noah Banks – Junior
  • 56 Jean DeLance – Sophomore
  • 59 T.J. McCoy – Junior
  • 61 Brett Heggie – Sophomore
  • 62 Griffin McDowell – Freshman
  • 64 Tyler Jordan – Senior
  • 65 Jawaan TaylorJunior
  • 66 Nick Buchanan – Junior
  • 67 Christopher Bleich – Freshman
  • 70 Tanner Rowell – Sophomore
  • 71 Nick Villano – Junior
  • 72 Stone Forsythe – Sophomore
  • 73 Martez IveySenior
  • 74 Fred JohnsonSenior
  • 75 T.J. Moore – Freshman
  • 76 Richard Gouraige – Freshman

Defensive Line

  • 17 Zachary Carter – Freshman
  • 35 Malik Langham – Freshman
  • 54 Khairi Clark – Senior
  • 55 Kyree Campbell – Sophomore
  • 56 Tedarrell Slaton – Sophomore
  • 77 Antonneous Clayton Sr. – Junior
  • 91 Marlon Dunlap Jr. – Junior
  • 92 Jabari Zuniga Junior
  • 93 Elijah Conliffe – Sophomore
  • 95 Adam Shuler – Graduate
  • 96 CeCe Jefferson – Senior
  • 98 Luke Ancrum – Junior
  • 99 Jachai PoliteJunior

Linebackers

  • 7 Jeremiah Moon – Sophomore
  • 11 Vosean JosephJunior
  • 28 Kylan Johnson – Junior
  • 33 David Reese – Junior
  • 34 Lacedrick Brunson – Freshman
  • 40 Nick Smith – Freshman
  • 41 James Houston IV – Freshman
  • 44 Rayshad Jackson – Junior
  • 51 Ventrell Miller Freshman
  • 58 Jahim Lawrence – Junior
  • 90 Andrew Chatfield Jr. – Freshman

Defensive Backs

  •  2 Brad Stewart Jr. – Sophomore
  •  3 Marco Wilson – Sophomore
  •  4 David Reese – Freshman
  •  5 C. J. HendersonSophomore
  •  6 Brian Edwards – Sophomore
  • 12 C.J. McWilliams – Sophomore
  • 13 Donovan Stiner – Sophomore
  • 21 Trey Dean III – Freshman
  • 23 C. J. Gardner-JohnsonJunior
  • 26 John Huggins – Freshman
  • 27 Quincy Lenton – Sophomore
  • 29 Jeawon Taylor – Junior
  • 31 Shawn DavisSophomore

Punters

  • 43 Tommy Townsend Junior
  • 86 Jacob Finn – Sophomore
  • 97 Jon Gould – Junior

Placekickers

  • 19 Evan McPherson – Freshman
  • 71 Chris Howard – Freshman
  • 98 Jorge Powell – Senior

Long Snappers

  • 41 Ryan Farr – Senior
  • 48 Brett DioGuardi – Sophomore
  • 49 Jacob Tilghman – Junior
  • 50 Marco Ortiz – Freshman

Athletes

  •  4 Kadarius ToneySophomore
  • 17 Nick Sproles – Sophomore
  • 19 Jack Ruskell – Freshman
  • 25 Erik Askeland – Freshman
  • 27 Joshua Tse – Freshman
  • 30 Amari Burney – Freshman
  • 33 Daniel Cross – Freshman
  • 36 Robert Clay – Junior
  • 37 Patrick Moorer – Freshman
  • 37 Brandon Reddick – Graduate
  • 38 Anthony Giglia – Senior
  • 38 Nick Oelrich – Sophomore
  • 39 Brady Walters – Junior
  • 42 Jaylin Jackson – Freshman
  • 42 Umstead Sanders – Junior
  • 43 Glenn Jarriel – Junior
  • 43 Nicolas Sutton – Sophomore
  • 44 Garrett Conner – Junior
  • 45 R.J. Raymond – Senior
  • 46 Harry Gornto V – Junior
  • 46 Will Thomas – Sophomore
  • 47 Austin Perry – Freshman
  • 47 Isaac Ricks – Freshman
  • 52 Quaylin Crum – Freshman
  • 57 Coleman Crozier – Freshman
  • 59 Danny Weldon – Junior
  • 60 Houston Underwood – Junior
  • 63 James Washington - Freshman
  • 85 Trey Thompson – Freshman
  • 86 Andres Saldivar – Junior
  • 87 Dennis Gross – Junior
  • 93 Moses Gordon III – Junior
  • Redshirt
  • Injury

Coaching staff

NamePositionJoined Staff
Dan MullenHead Coach2018
Todd GranthamDefensive Coordinator2018
John HevesyCo-Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line2018
Billy GonzalesCo-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers2018
Greg KnoxRunning Backs / Special Teams Coordinator2018
Sal SunseriDefensive Line2018
Ron EnglishSafeties2018
Brian JohnsonQuarterbacks2018
Larry ScottTight Ends2018
Charlton WarrenCornerbacks2018
Christian RobinsonLinebackers2018
Nick SavageDirector of Strength & Conditioning2018

Recruits

The Gators signed a total of 19 recruits.

Players drafted into the NFL

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
235Jawaan TaylorOTJacksonville Jaguars
368Jachai PoliteOLBNew York Jets
4105C. J. Gardner-JohnsonSNew Orleans Saints
5147Vosean JosephLBBuffalo Bills
5154Jordan ScarlettRBCarolina Panthers

References

  1. Journal, Logan Lowery Daily. "MSU fires Moorhead after two seasons". Daily Journal. All eight of Moorhead's victories in 2018 had to be vacated after 10 football players were reprimanded by the NCAA for academic misconduct involving a former part-time tutor and an online chemistry class.
  2. "Kentucky stns No. 25 Florida; first win over Gators since '86". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2018.
  3. "2018 Southeastern Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  4. "McElwain, UAA Mutually Agree to Part Ways". Florida Gators. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  5. "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  6. "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  7. "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  8. "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  9. "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  10. "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  11. "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  12. "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  13. "2018 Nominations The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award" (PDF). August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  14. http://www.secsports.com/article/24148392/media-predicts-alabama-win-2018-sec-championship
  15. Charleston Southern Pregame Notes
  16. Kentucky Pregame Notes
  17. Colorado State Pregame Notes
  18. Tennessee Pregame Notes
  19. Mississippi State Pregame Notes
  20. LSU Pregame Notes
  21. Vanderbilt Pregame Notes
  22. Georgia Pregame Notes
  23. Missouri Pregame Notes
  24. South Carolina Pregame Notes
  25. Idaho Pregame Notes
  26. Florida State Pregame Notes
  27. "2018 Football Roster". Florida Gators. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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