Gators 2019 preseason superlatives

With the Florida Gators set to kick off their 2019 season against the Miami Hurricanes in just over two weeks, it's time to truly get to know the difference-makers across the roster.

To do so, GatorMaven has your Gators 2019 preseason superlatives here! We will check back on this post during and at the end of the season to see how each projection held up, but for now, this is a fun exercise to prepare for the upcoming year.

Breakout guy: Amari Burney, linebacker

The hype for sophomore MONEY linebacker Amari Burney is through the roof, despite him not starting a game for Florida in his career and a recent position change from safety.

But the hype is warranted. Burney made the transition to MONEY late last year after barely scratching the two-deep depth chart at safety, and came up clutch at the new position against Michigan in the Peach Bowl. There, he recorded a big-time pass breakup with Michigan threatening to score and tighten the score gap.

Since then, Burney has been one of the most anticipated new starters on Florida's defense. His experience in coverage as a safety gives him an edge over previous MONEY Vosean Joseph, who struggled greatly up the seam and against tight ends.

Playing in the box, diagnosing the run and filling gaps will present new challenges, but Burney and the coaching staff are confident he will adjust well.

Comeback kid: Marco Wilson, cornerback

This one was really easy and doesn't require much explanation. Wilson, the younger brother of former Gators cornerback and 2017 second-round NFL Draft pick Quincy, recorded a whopping 10 pass breakups in 11 starts as a true freshman in 2017.

Expected to form a dynamic tandem at cornerback in 2018 with C.J. Henderson playing opposite, Wilson unfortunately tore his ACL against Kentucky in Week 2 last season.

That expectation carries over into 2019, with Wilson fully recovered and practicing with the team. So long as he returns to full health on the field, the Gators cornerback tandem won't be one to test.

Rising star: Trevon Grimes, wide receiver

Following his transfer from Ohio State last year, Grimes was productive in Florida's spread passing attack, tallying 26 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns.

However, Grimes pairs talent with supreme athletic and physical advantages that make him a mismatch - he will be expected to take a step forward in 2019 in his second year with quarterback Feleipe Franks and the Gators offense.

Fellow receiver Van Jefferson expects to see just that from Grimes. Jefferson said at Gators media day that Grimes' route running (as well as Kadarius Toney's) has become "top-notch", and that he's made "tremendous progress" this offseason.

So long as this holds true, Grimes can become Florida's best all-around receiver. He has the physical attributes to contest the boundary and win in the redzone, and with added technique in his route-running, things will open up exponentially in his junior season.

Don't forget about: Kemore Gamble, tight end

Sophomore Kyle Pitts and redshirt junior Lucas Krull have gotten a ton of recognition when folks discuss the Gators' tight end room. But that's to be expected when you have two 6-6, 240+ lb. players who can move as well as they do.

That level of hype leaves players like Kemore Gamble on the outside of the conversation looking in, but reports from Gators camp have Gamble working with the first-team plenty. He's more of the "traditional" tight end, who is polished as a blocker and can play in-line.

Florida is looking to incorporate multiple tight end positions into the offense, including the H-back (Krull) and big-slot (Pitts), but expect Gamble to see a good amount of snaps as the in-line TE will be utilized as a blocker more than the others. Gamble will certainly see pass-game production, too.

Needs to rebound: The safety group

There's uncertainty at safety for the Gators at this point. Juniors Brad Stewart and Donovan Stiner were the starters on the back end last year and throughout spring camp, but both flashed inconsistencies in the Orange and Blue game that led to serious questions.

Meanwhile, junior Shawn Davis has flashed throughout the fall program, working with the first team and reportedly recording an interception off of Franks in the first scrimmage. And senior Jeawon Taylor, who has practiced in a non-contact jersey thus far in fall camp, posted an elite pass coverage statistic in 2018, via PFF - his game should not go unnoticed through the competition.

The starting safety duo will be made up of these players in some combination this year, it's just yet to be seen who the two will be. Regardless of who, however, the position needs to bounce back after a very questionable spring showing.

Darkhorse MVP: Dameon Pierce, running back

Pierce is my darkhorse to win team MVP because he's behind widely-projected MVP Lamical Perine on the depth chart.

However, despite Perine's breakout season in 2018, the running back carry-splits were fairly drastic between Perine, Jordan Scarlett, and Pierce. In Florida's 29th ranked run play % offense (59.21% of snaps were run plays), Perine received 35.4% of the handoffs. Scarlett saw 34.6%, and Pierce 18.2% - the remaining 11.8% were spread among other skill position players.

With Perine getting national recognition - he's on the Doak Walker Award watch list for 2019 - expect his carries to get closer to 40%, but still not be a technical "majority" compared to the rest of the run game contributors.

Pierce's bruising running style matches what Scarlett did well for the Gators, which should open up plenty of opportunities for the sophomore. He's leaner, currently listed at 207 lbs., compared to being at 216 lbs. in his freshman year. He's still stocky enough to run with power but has gotten quicker and more agile as well.

The Gators' three-headed monster at running back in Perine, Pierce, and Malik Davis is truly a special group of diverse talents. But don't be surprised if and when Dameon Pierce posts big-time production in 2019.

Under the radar: Zachary Carter, defensive line

The 6-4, 263 lb. redshirt sophomore hasn't seen much playing time over his first two years in orange and blue. Expect that to change this year.

Carter was held back by the level of talent ahead of him at both defensive end spots during his 2018 campaign. However, he began working inside in packages during the spring, where he began to flash.

When I observed the first couple of practices in the fall camp Carter was one of the more fluid defensive linemen of the group. He looked agile and turned corners sharply for a player of his stature, and played with a lot of power through contact as well.

With Jabari Zuniga set to start at Carter's first position, strong-side defensive end, Carter will have to take advantage of his role in a rotation between DE and inside on special packages. However, he has the tools and is on a great development track to make an impact as a pass rusher for this defense. His time is coming soon.

Freshman to watch: Mohamoud Diabate, BUCK edge rusher

While true freshmen defensive backs Kaiir Elam, Chester Kimbrough, and Jaydon Hill should all get playing time in the thin secondary, Diabate might be best suited to bet on in terms of who will contribute the most.

Behind grad transfer BUCK Jonathan Greenard lies two career sacks, coming from redshirt junior Jeremiah Moon. Redshirt freshman Andrew Chatfield is the only other "experienced" depth piece at the Gators' primary pass-rushing position, and he only played in two games last year.

Diabate, a top-rated defensive end in the 2019 recruiting class, enrolled early at Florida and participated in spring camp. That gave Diabate an "advantage", said head coach Dan Mullen at SEC Media Days.

"...it gives you [Diabate] that opportunity to get on the field and play right away as a freshman," Mullen stated.

Look for Diabate to do just that - get on the field and play right away as a freshman. Greenard is going to hold down the starting role at BUCK, but there's sure to be a rotation at the position, and Diabate should crack the rotation early.