Out goes Strong, in comes Teryl Austin, with 19 years of coaching experience, 12 of which are at the college level. Austin is well versed to say the least and has served a defensive backs coach most recently, heading up the units for both the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. At both coaching stops, Austin led ball hawking and turnover-happy secondaries.

The big question facing Austin at Florida is; will he lead the defense in the same, attacking way Strong did or will he deviate from what has made the Gators successful on defense during the Charlie Strong years? We already know Austin knows how to coach up the back end of the defense; his last two coaching stops resulted in Super Bowl appearances in which his units were a key part in his respective teams’stradegies. However, what you do up front is the bread and butter for success on his side of the ball; an area where Austin has little experience.

So what will Teryl Austin do?

There is no doubt fans like to see a defense attack, but those units walk a fine line and tend to allow the big play. On the flip side, he could always take the conservative route and slip into a cover-two look; thus playing a bend, but don’t break defense.

Whether he attacks, plays conservative or the more likely, finding somewhere in between; Austin must make this unit his own. With a core of savvy college vets at a few key positions and athletes all over the depth chart, Austin has a great opportunity to make it happen.

After a season in which the Gators offense looked a bit stagnant at times and play calling which was clearly conservative, Coach Addazio will now look to “pencil whip” his opponents much the same way Mullen did in his years as offensive coordinator.

In Addazio’s defense, the Gator’s offense didn’t exactly have a wealth of options at wide receiver in 2009, which limited his options a bit. And, even while being hamstrung with a thin group of receivers, the Gator offense was still able to lead the SEC in total offense, while coming in second in rushing yards, passing yards and scoring offense. Many of these numbers can easily be attributed to the presence of Tim Tebow, but don’t discount Addazio’s offensive prowess.

Addazio now has athletes such as Andre DeBose, who is now 100% healthy and Chris Rainey, who switched from running back to receiver this offseason to mix things up with. Throw in the stable of athletes coming out of the backfield such as the speedy Jeff Demps and some guy by the name of Brantley, and Steve has plenty of toys to pencil whip opposing defenses.

Look for the 2010 Florida Gators get back to the big play, score from anywhere at any time offense we have all grown accustomed to.

This is the football Gods telling us its time for another Gator win; Stalling is Guest of Honor.

****NEWS – Mark Ingram underwent Arthroscopic Knee Surgery this morning.  The school put out a press release that it was a “small minimally invasive surgery” that should have Ingram missing only the first game of the year.   I for one know how these things can nag a player for a few months.  We will see how this affects his conditioning and look to find out how Trent Richardson looks after 25 carries a game.

To help you get over the hump of the final week of the offseason, I won’t be asking a question today. Instead I’ll go ahead and make a proclamation about the Gators running game: Watch for fireworks.

The spread option offense is predicated on the run and despite the seemingly limitless potential John Brantley brings to the table; Urban Meyer’s offense begins and ends with the running game.  Urban’s arsenal of running backs coming into this season may be the best he’s ever had to take into battle.

The stable of backs at Meyer’s disposal, led by NCAA 100m track champion Jeff Demps and complemented by redshirt senior Emanuel Moody and true freshman Mack Brown are sure to terrify opposing coaches all week long then pound them into submission come gameday.

Demps, a sociology major and 2009 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll selection for his efforts in the classroom, will lead the unit on the field. Demps has rushed for 1,350 yards in his two seasons at Florida on just 177 carries (7.6 yards every time he touches the ball!) while splitting time with multiple running backs including fellow runner Emanuel Moody and former running back turned receiver, Chris Rainey. However, Demps is slated to be the premier back in Meyer’s newest version of the spread option and the fruits should be plenty. Expect Jeff to have a monster year and maybe, just maybe be a Heisman hopeful.

Now, don’t allow Demps’ potential stardom to let you sleep on Emanuel Moody. Moody, a transfer from USC has shown he has all the tools to be a premier back in college football, yet injuries have slowed him down. With just three starts and twelve games overall for the Gators, Moody has carried the ball 58 times for 378 yards which gives him a 6.5 yard average; not too shabby for a backup. Moody will definitely be ready, willing and equipped to pound the ball when called upon.

That brings us to the youngster, Mack Brown; yet another highly touted recruit in Urban Meyer’s masterpiece of an offseason. Brown was a 4 star recruit coming out of Lithonia, Georgia and will be a true freshman this season. While not expected to be a major impact as a freshman, he is eager to handle anything thrown at him and will no doubt answer when called upon.

The running back unit just may become the new pride of Gainesville.

Brandon James graduated after last season and took his 2,735 career return yards and his five career return touchdowns with him to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. James was so stellar in his role with the Gators that he kept 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl return specialist, Percy Harvin on the sidelines for three seasons.

 However, special teams guru Urban Meyer still heads up the special teams units, just as he has done every year he’s been in Gainesville.  You could say he has an eye for talent and has a love affair with speed.

Speaking of speed, in comes running back turned wide receiver, Chris Rainey. Rainey is slated to replace James as the primary return specialist for Urban Meyer in 2010. Rainey, who returned 4 punts for a 10 yard average and 5 kickoffs for 144 yards (nearly 29 yards a clip), possesses elite speed and athleticism; a perfect fit for what Meyer likes to do – get to the sidelines and run for daylight.

But, there is a wrinkle in that plan. Rainey recently switched from running back to receiver in hopes of being a larger part of the offense and pulling double – duty, all the while learning a new position can be a hindrance to both aspects of his game.

While it is pretty much a lock that Mr. Rainey will catch the first kickoff of the 2010 football season, don’t be surprised if you see his role on offense increased and his return responsibilities handed over to another, younger player looking to make an impact. With a roster built around speed, Urban has some options.

For the past four seasons, the linebacking corps has been led by the man in the middle, Brandon Spikes; whose intense, aggressive style of play set the tone for Charlie Strong’s top-ranked defenses. In three of the past four seasons, the Spikes-led unit ranked among the top, if not the top spot in the nation in most major categories; thanks in large part to the linebackers.

That was then, this is now. Gone is the architect in Strong who left the team for a head coaching gig at Louisville. Gone is the heart and soul in Spikes; who took his talents to the NFL where he joined forces once again with fellow linebacker Jermaine Cunningham in New England. Gone also is the always too slow, too short but too good to keep on the sideline, Ryan Stamper.

Now the Gators’ defense has a brand new look. The new architect is Teryl Austin, a former Arizona Cardinals assistant with a similar coaching philosophy to Strong. Redshirt freshman, Jelani Jenkins looks like the frontrunner to replace Spikes in the middle of the defense. (Talk about filling big shoes, Jenkins and Brantley must attend the same therapy sessions) The only notable holdovers from the 2009 unit are the very talented A.J. Jones, who looks to be the leader of the unit while Jenkins gets his feet wet, and the always solid Brandon Hicks rounds out the starters.

Jones was having a breakout season a year ago, accumulating 37 tackles, 4.5 of which were behind the line of scrimmage while taking down the quarterback 3 times. He also flashed his coverage skills, collecting 3 interceptions. Hicks has worked from the shadows, starting only the three games Jones missed in 2009 due to injury. However, the senior playmaker was still able to record 32 tackles, of which 5 were in the backfield and 4 put the quarterback in the dirt.

The linebacking unit will be tasked with leading a stout Gator defense into the Swamp just six days from now to take on Miami (Ohio). They will have two weeks to get their feet wet and gel as a unit before they are tossed into the thick of the SEC elite.

The final week is always the longest, so to soften the blow; GSN will be bringing you seven things to watch for during the upcoming season. You guessed it; one per day.

It didn’t take long to discover the first issue Urban Meyer would have to deal with on the eve of life after Tebow; how will John Brantley handle the pressure of replacing a legend and lead the team to lofty expectations?

Some say Brantley has the most pressure to overcome out of every other player in college football; stepping out of the shadow of a legend is a tall task and doing it successfully is a rare feat. Just ask Doug Johnson and Jessie Palmer. Those two couldn’t even team up to replace another legend, Danny Wuerffel.

When asked to comment on the pressure, John told ESPN, “There’s going to be a lot of pressure.” He went on, “I know fans are expecting a lot from me, but everyone expects a lot from the quarterback at Florida. Everyone expects a lot from the team.”

When it comes to the team, Brantley will have to be the unquestioned leader while following in the footsteps of one of the great leaders the sport has ever seen.

In seven days, he will begin his journey in front of every eye in Gator Nation.

The rumor mills and message boards picked up on the protest almost immediately. The fear of losing two of the most touted recruits in the country created a firestorm of speculation. Although no word came from either player or coach Urban Meyer, the rumors were plenty. Reporters and bloggers alike proposed everything from homesickness to hazing to tough coaches. Some even proposed the two asked to be released from their scholarship obligations and planned to leave for other schools.

Today, Urban Meyer did his part to quiet the rumors, telling reporters that “the transfer word never came out of their mouths” and went on to say, “it’s all good.” Nothing more was said of the situation. Both players reported to practice.

There is a possibility that some of the rumors have a hint of truth, but in all likelihood, the truth falls somewhere in the middle; college can be an overwhelming experience.

The final week of the offseason is turning into a real nail-biter.

A close look at the facts available does not seem to indicate this at all. The truth could be very different from perception in this particular game.

Returning Production For 2010

It is obvious that Florida is replacing more production on offense. Alabama has to replace more on defense. These figures certainly show no overall edge toward Alabama .

There is little doubt that 2010 is a year of transition for the Florida Gators. 2010 will also be a transitional year for the Alabama defense.

Florida seems to have filled all the holes left in the ranks. The new players are showing a lot of promise and seem to be progressing well. All indications point to Florida being ready to compete when the season begins.

Alabama still has not filled holes at kicker, punter, safety and corner back for the first string. All indications lead toward the battle to fill these positions running right up to starting day.

While the national pundits seem to have written Florida off in this game, most indicators point to a highly competitive game. There is every reason Florida can expect to compete well, and have a good chance of winning this early October away game.

This series is 2-2 during the last decade. Both teams have won at home in their last meeting.

By: Kevin Mcgrady

[Photo gathered by Online Athens gallery]

This does put the possibility of Tebow suiting up for his preseason home opener in jeopardy.