2019 Florida Gators football team

The 2019 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by second-year head coach Dan Mullen.

2019 Florida Gators football
Florida Gators logo
Florida Cup champion
Orange Bowl champion
Orange Bowl, W 36–28 vs. Virginia
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 6
Record11–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorBilly Gonzales (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinatorJohn Hevesy (2nd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorTodd Grantham (2nd season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2018
2020 →
2019 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 4 Georgia x   7 1     12 2  
No. 6 Florida   6 2     11 2  
Tennessee *   5 3     8 5  
Kentucky   3 5     8 5  
Missouri *   3 5     6 6  
South Carolina   3 5     4 8  
Vanderbilt   1 7     3 9  
West Division
No. 1 LSU x$#^   8 0     15 0  
No. 8 Alabama   6 2     11 2  
No. 14 Auburn   5 3     9 4  
Texas A&M   4 4     8 5  
Mississippi State   3 5     6 7  
Ole Miss   2 6     4 8  
Arkansas   0 8     2 10  
Championship: LSU 37, Georgia 10
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Tennessee vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Missouri was ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions.
Rankings from AP Poll

Coming off a 10-win season that ended in a victory in the Peach Bowl in Mullen's first year, Florida began the 2019 season ranked eighth in the preseason AP Poll. They opened the schedule by rekindling their rivalry with Miami in a game played in Orlando, winning 24–20. The Gators won their first six games, including a win over then-No. 7 Auburn, before falling on the road to then-No. 5 LSU. Three weeks later, they fell again to Georgia in Jacksonville. Florida ended the regular season in second in the East Division behind Georgia at 10–2 (6–2 SEC), and were invited to the Orange Bowl to play ACC runner-up Virginia. The Gators won the bowl game, 36–28, to end the season with 11 wins, and were ranked sixth in the final AP Poll.

Feleipe Franks began the year as the Gators' starting quarterback, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the third game of the season against Kentucky. He was replaced by Kyle Trask, who finished the year with 2,941 yards and 25 touchdowns, and had the conference's second best passer rating (156.1). Tight end Kyle Pitts was named first-team all-conference. Florida's defense ranked second in the SEC in points and yards allowed, and was led by first-team all-conference defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who led the conference in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (16). Cornerback C. J. Henderson was also named first-team all-conference by the coaches.

Preseason

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Position key

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Back B Center C Cornerback CB Defensive back DB
Defensive end DE Defensive lineman DL Defensive tackle DT End E
Fullback FB Guard G Halfback HB Kicker K
Kickoff returner KR Offensive tackle OT Offensive lineman OL Linebacker LB
Long snapper LS Punter P Punt returner PR Quarterback QB
Running back RB Safety S Tight end TE Wide receiver WR

Recruits

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The Gators signed a total of 25 recruits in the 2019 recruiting class.

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Trent Whittemore
S
Gainesville, Florida Buchholz High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 28, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Wardrick Wilson
OT
Miami, Florida Carol City High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 305 lb (138 kg) Jul 21, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Ja'markis Weston
WR
Clewiston, Florida Clewiston High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 28, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Dionte Marks
WR
DeLand, Florida DeLand High School 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Feb 24, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Ethan White
OT
Clearwater, Florida Clearwater High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 390 lb (180 kg) Mar 23, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jalon Jones
QB
Richmond, Virginia Henrico High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 7, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Tyron Hopper
LB
Roswell, Georgia Roswell High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 26, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jaelin Humphries
DT
Lawrenceville, GA Mountain View High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 303 lb (137 kg) Jun 5, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Riley Simonds
OG
Buford, Georgia Buford High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 290 lb (130 kg) Jun 20, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jesiah Pierre
LB
Mount Dora, Florida Mount Dora Christian Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jul 1, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Chester Kimbrough
CB
New Orleans, Louisiana Warren Easton High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Aug 13, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Mohamoud Diabate
LB
Auburn, Alabama Auburn High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Aug 22, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
William Harrod
OT
Fort Washington, Maryland National Christian Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 312 lb (142 kg) Sep 3, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jaydon Hill
CB
Madison, Alabama Bob Jones High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 174 lb (79 kg) Sep 6, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Nay'Quan Wright
RB
Miami, Florida Carol City High School 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Nov 24, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Kingsley Eguakun
OG
Jacksonville, Florida Sandalwood High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 293 lb (133 kg) Dec 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Michael Tarquin
OT
Citra, Florida North Marion High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 290 lb (130 kg) Dec 3, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Keon Zipperer
TE
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Dec 19, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Lloyd Summerall
DE
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Dec 19, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Deyavie Hammond
OG
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 353 lb (160 kg) Dec 19, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Chris Steele
CB
Bellflower, California St. John Bosco High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) Jan 5, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Diwun Black
ILB
Kissimmee, Florida Osceola High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Aug 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Arjei Henderson
WR
Richmond, Texas Fort Bend Travis High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Jan 3, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Khris Bogle
DE
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Cardinal Gibbons High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Feb 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Kaiir Elam
CB
North Palm Beach, Florida The Benjamin School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Feb 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Florida Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 21, 2018.

SEC Media Days

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The 2019 SEC Media Days were held July 15–18 in Birmingham, Alabama. In the preseason media poll, Florida was projected to finish in second behind Georgia in the East Division.[1]

Preseason All-SEC teams

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

Schedule

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Florida announced its 2019 football schedule on September 18, 2018.[2] The 2019 schedule consists of 6 home, 4 away, and 2 neutral games in the regular season.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 247:00 p.m.vs. Miami (FL)*No. 8ESPNW 24–2066,543
September 77:30 p.m.UT Martin*No. 11ESPNUW 45–080,007
September 147:00 p.m.at KentuckyNo. 9ESPNW 29–2163,076
September 2112:00 p.m.TennesseeNo. 9
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ESPNW 34–382,276
September 284:00 p.m.No. 10 (FCS) Towson*No. 9
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
SECNW 38–079,126
October 53:30 p.m.No. 7 Auburn No. 10
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry / College GameDay)
CBSW 24–1390,584
October 128:00 p.m.at No. 5 LSUNo. 7ESPNL 28–42102,321
October 1912:00 p.m.at South CarolinaNo. 9ESPNW 38–2778,883
November 23:30 p.m.vs. No. 8 GeorgiaNo. 6CBSL 17–2484,789
November 912:00 p.m.VanderbiltNo. 10
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
ESPNW 56–086,201
November 1612:00 p.m.at MissouriNo. 11CBSW 23–657,280
November 307:30 p.m.Florida State*No. 11
SECNW 40–1789,409
December 308:00 p.m.vs. No. 24 Virginia*No. 9ESPNW 36–2865,157
Schedule Source:[2]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP8119991079761011108766
Coaches810888879861112108777
CFPNot released1011111199Not released

Game summaries

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Miami (FL)

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1 2 3 4 Total
Miami (FL) 3 10 0 7 20
No. 8 Florida 7 0 10 7 24
Uniform Combination
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UT Martin

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1 2 3 4 Total
UT Martin 0 0 0 0 0
No. 11 Florida 3 14 14 14 45
Uniform Combination
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At Kentucky

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 9 Florida 7 0 3 19 29
Kentucky 0 14 7 0 21
Uniform Combination
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Tennessee

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1 2 3 4 Total
Tennessee 0 0 3 0 3
No. 9 Florida 7 10 7 10 34
Uniform Combination
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Towson

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 10 (FCS) Towson 0 0 0 0 0
No. 9 Florida 7 10 14 7 38
Uniform Combination
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Auburn

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 7 Auburn 6 7 0 0 13
No. 10 Florida 7 10 0 7 24
Uniform Combination*
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  • Special throwback uniform

At LSU

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 7 Florida 7 14 7 0 28
No. 5 LSU 7 14 14 7 42
Uniform Combination
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At South Carolina

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 9 Florida 3 7 7 21 38
South Carolina 7 3 10 7 27
Uniform Combination
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Georgia

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Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 8 Georgia 3 10 3824
No. 6 Florida 0 3 01417

at TIAA Bank FieldJacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 2, 2019
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C), Cloudy, NW 11 MPH
  • Game attendance: 84,789
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, and Jamie Erdahl
Game information
First Quarter
Second Quarter
  • Georgia – Dominick Blaylock 3-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 4:43
  • Florida – Evan McPherson 38-yard field goal, 2:40
  • Georgia – Rodrigo Blankenship 37-yard field goal, 0:14
Third Quarter
  • Georgia – Rodrigo Blankenship 27-yard field goal, 9:45
Fourth Quarter
  • Florida – Van Jefferson 23-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Evan McPherson kick), 13:51
  • Georgia – Lawrence Cager 52-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Lawrence Cager pass), 10:01
  • Florida – Freddie Swain 2-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Evan McPherson kick), 3:11

After its road victory against South Carolina, Florida faced Georgia in the 97th iteration of their rivalry game, played at the neutral site TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.[5] Georgia won 24–17 to extend its series winning streak to three games.[6]

Georgia won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. On the opening drive, Florida converted a third down, but Georgia took over at their own 40-yard line after an incomplete pass by Kyle Trask on fourth and inches. On their sixteen-play drive, Georgia made four third down conversions and scored first with a field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship. The next Florida drive was a three-and-out, with Trask being sacked once, but Georgia's next drive was stopped by the Florida defense and they were forced to punt. After another three-and-out by Florida, Georgia marched down the field with three third down conversions, ending their drive with a touchdown pass from Jake Fromm to Dominick Blaylock to bring the score to 10–0 with under five minutes left in the first half. Florida answered with an Evan McPherson field goal, but this was negated by another Blankenship field goal near the end of the half, bringing the score to 13–3 in favor of Georgia.[6][4]

To open the second half, Georgia made a nine-play drive that included a one-handed catch by Brian Herrien of a pass from Fromm, capping it with Blankenship's third field goal of the game to extend their lead to 13 points. Both teams punted on their next drives, but Florida rallied with a nine-play drive that resulted in their first touchdown, made by Van Jefferson off a 23-yard pass by Trask. This narrowed the score differential to a touchdown with just under fourteen minutes left in the game, but on the next drive Georgia pulled away when Lawrence Cager completed a 52-yard pass from Jake Fromm for a touchdown. Together with a successful 2-point attempt, also from Fromm to Cager, this extended the Georgia lead to fourteen points. A 75-yard Florida drive ended with a Trask 2-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Swain with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Returning Florida's punt to their own 32-yard line, Georgia ran out the clock to seal their victory.[6][4]

After the game, Florida dropped from sixth to tenth in the AP Top 25, while Georgia rose by two spots.[7] Their victory gave Georgia uncontested first place in the SEC East, with now two-loss Florida in second.[6]

Uniform Combination
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Vanderbilt

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1 2 3 4 Total
Vanderbilt 0 0 0 0 0
No. 10 Florida 0 14 28 14 56
Uniform Combination
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At Missouri

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 11 Florida 3 3 14 3 23
Missouri 0 3 3 0 6
Uniform Combination
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Florida State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Florida State 7 0 10 0 17
No. 11 Florida 7 23 7 3 40
Uniform Combination
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Virginia

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 9 Florida 14 10 3 9 36
No. 24 Virginia 7 7 0 14 28
Uniform Combination
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Personnel

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Roster

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As of 9 November 2019[8]
2019 Florida Gators roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive line

  • 50 Tanner Rowell –   Junior
  • 56 Jean DeLance –   Junior
  • 60 Da'Quan Thomas – Freshman
  • 61 Brett Heggie –   Junior
  • 62 Griffin McDowell –   Freshman
  • 64 Riley Simonds – Freshman
  • 65 Kingsley EguakunFreshman
  • 66 Nick Buchanan –   Senior
  • 67 Christopher Bleich –   Freshman
  • 70 Michael Tarquin – Freshman
  • 72 Stone Forsythe  Junior
  • 74 Will Harrod – Freshman
  • 75 T.J. Moore –   Sophomore
  • 76 Richard Gouraige  Freshman
  • 77 Ethan White – Freshman

Defensive line

  • 17 Zachary Carter  Sophomore
  • 55 Kyree Campbell – Junior
  • 56 Tedarrell SlatonJunior
  • 66 Jaelin Humphries – Freshman
  • 88 Adam Shuler – Graduate
  • 91 Marlon Dunlap Jr. –   Junior
  • 92 Jabari Zuniga  Senior
  • 93 Elijah Conliffe –   Junior
  • 98 Luke Ancrum –   Senior

Linebackers

Defensive backs

  •  1 C. J. HendersonJunior
  •  2 Brad Stewart Jr. – Junior
  •  3 Marco Wilson  Sophomore
  •  5 Kaiir ElamFreshman
  • 12 C.J. McWilliams –     Junior
  • 13 Donovan Stiner – Junior
  • 14 Quincy Lenton –   Junior
  • 21 Trey DeanSophomore
  • 23 Jaydon Hill – Freshman
  • 25 Chester Kimbrough – Freshman
  • 29 Jeawon Taylor – Senior
  • 31 Shawn DavisJunior

Punters

Placekickers

Long snappers

  • 40 Marco Ortiz –   Freshman
  • 48 Brett DioGuardi –   Junior
  • 49 Jacob Tilghman –   Senior

Athletes

  •  1 Kadarius ToneyJunior
  • 17 Nick Sproles –   Junior
  • 18 Jack Anders – Freshman
  • 19 Jack Ruskell –   Sophomore
  • 25 Erik Askeland –   Sophomore
  • 26 Michael Hart –   Senior
  • 27 Joshua Tse –   Sophomore
  • 29 Isaac Ricks –   Sophomore
  • 30 Amari BurneySophomore
  • 32 Brayton Hundley –   Senior
  • 33 Daniel Cross –   Freshman
  • 35 Kyle Engel – Freshman
  • 35 William Sawyer – Freshman
  • 36 Robert Clay –   Senior
  • 36 Trey Thompson –   Sophomore
  • 37 Patrick Moorer –   Sophomore
  • 37 Tyler Waxman – Freshman
  • 38 Nick Oelrich –   Junior
  • 39 Michael Weir –   Junior
  • 42 Jaylin Jackson –   Freshman
  • 42 Umstead Sanders –   Junior
  • 43 Nicolas Sutton –   Junior
  • 44 Garrett Conner –   Senior
  • 46 John Brady – Freshman
  • 46 Will Thomas –   Senior
  • 47 Justin Pelic – Freshman
  • 47 Austin Perry –   Sophomore
  • 52 Quaylin Crum –   Sophomore
  • 53 Chase Whitfield – Freshman
  • 57 Coleman Crozier –   Freshman
  • 80 Trent Whittemore – Freshman
  • 86 Andres Saldivar –   Senior
  • 87 Dennis Gross –   Senior
  • 94 Moses Gordon III –   Senior
  • 96 Travis Freeman – Freshman
  •   Redshirt
  •   Injury

Coaching staff

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Name Position Joined staff
Dan Mullen Head coach 2018
John Hevesy Co-offensive Coordinator / offensive line 2018
Billy Gonzales Co-offensive Coordinator / Wide receivers 2018
Todd Grantham Defensive coordinator 2018
Brian Johnson Quarterbacks 2018
Greg Knox Running backs / Special teams coordinator 2018
Larry Scott Tight ends 2018
David Turner Defensive line 2019
Christian Robinson Linebackers 2018
Torrian Gray Cornerbacks 2019
Ron English Safeties 2018
Nick Savage Director of strength and conditioning 2018
Stephen Adegoke Graduate assistant 2019

Awards and honors

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All-SEC
Player Position Coaches Media
Kyle Pitts TE 1 1
Jonathan Greenard DE 1 1
C. J. Henderson CB 1
David Reese LB 2
References:[9][10]

Players drafted into the NFL

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Round Pick Player Position NFL club
1 9 C. J. Henderson CB Jacksonville Jaguars
2 57 Van Jefferson WR Los Angeles Rams
3 79 Jabari Zuniga DE New York Jets
3 90 Jonathan Greenard OLB Houston Texans
4 120 La’Mical Perine RB New York Jets
6 214 Freddie Swain WR Seattle Seahawks
7 252 Tyrie Cleveland WR Denver Broncos

References

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  1. ^ "Media predicts Alabama to win 2019 SEC Championship". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. July 19, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Gators Release 2019 Football Schedule". Florida Gators. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  3. ^ "Georgia Pregame Notes" (PDF). Florida Gators. October 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "Football vs Georgia on 11/2/2019 - Box Score". floridagators.com. Sidearm Sports. November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Harry, Chris (November 2, 2019). "Game Day: Florida vs Georgia, 3:30 pm (CBS)". Florida Gators. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Harry, Chris (November 2, 2019). "Third-Down Letdown: Georgia Takes Control of SEC East". Florida Gators. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "Navy moves into Top 25 as American Athletic Conference has four teams in AP poll". ESPN. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "2019 Football Roster". Florida Gators. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  9. ^ "2019 All-SEC Football Team announced". Southeastern Conference. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  10. ^ Megargee, Steve (December 9, 2019). "LSU's Burrow, Auburn's Brown Named AP SEC Players Of Year". Associated Press. Retrieved December 14, 2019.