2011 Florida Gators Football: 10 Players Who Could Turn into Stars

As soon as the Outback Bowl ended on Jan. 1, the Will Muschamp Era began at the University of Florida.

Muschamp is a fine coach with one of college football's most respected defensive minds, but no doubt, he will admit coaches can't win without talented players.

With standouts like C Mike Pouncey, OT Marcus Gilbert, S Ahmad Black and OG Maurice Hurt all recent NFL draft picks, and other former starters like CB Janoris Jenkins, P Chas Henry, S Will Hill, WR Carl Moore, LB Brandon Hicks, LB A.J. Jones, LB Lorenzo Edwards and OG Carl Johnson also departed, the Gators will be looking to find breakout players in the fall.

So, who are some of the top candidates?

Here are 10 possibilities that don't include multi-year contributors like RB Jeff Demps, RB/WR Chris Rainey, NT Omar Hunter, OT Xavier Nixon and DL Jaye Howard.

It also doesn't include converted RB Trey Burton, a sophomore who scored six touchdowns in a game against Kentucky last year (and thus, already has had a breakout) and CB Jeremy Brown, LB Jon Bostic or LB Jelani Jenkins, who had good seasons as full-time starters in 2010.

1. Ronald Powell, Soph. DE/LB- A candidate to play an "Elephant"-type role, Powell could emerge as a feared pass-rusher in 2011. Rated by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2010, the 6'4", 250-pounder was one of Urban Meyer's most praised signings, as the former Gator coach lured Powell away from Moreno Valley, Cal. and the nearby Pac 10 powerhouses.

Powell was one of just six true freshmen to play in every game last year, and he recorded a career-high nine tackles in his only career start (at outside linebacker against visiting Appalachian State). He had just one sack in 2010 (at Tennessee), but he could double that by halftime of UF's first game of 2011 (Sept. 3 against Florida Atlantic).

2. Sharrif Floyd, Soph. DT- As it does for all freshmen, the level of competition Floyd faced last year was much tougher than he was used to. The 6'3", 303-pound Philadelphia native said at media day last August that the best offensive lineman he faced in high school was now playing at Temple—an improved program, but not exactly Alabama, LSU, South Carolina or Florida State.

However, he adjusted quicker than fellow 5-star defensive tackle prospect Dominique Easley and saw action in all 13 games, earning two starts. His 23 tackles (including 6.5 for loss) were enough to earn him a spot on the 2010 Coaches' Freshman All-SEC team.

The biggest indicator of just what kind of force Floyd could become was evident when he recorded seven tackles and was named the player of the game in a victory at Vanderbilt.

3. John Brantley, RSr. QB- Sure, Brantley is a fifth-year senior, but it would be a bit out of touch with reality to say 2010—his first year starting—was a "breakout" for the legacy player from nearby Ocala, Fla. After all, he'd probably like to forget he threw 10 interceptions and just nine touchdown passes as a junior.

However, new coordinator Charlie Weis brings a pro-style offense to Gainesville, and that should suit Brantley, a good, but not great, athlete, much better than Meyer's Spread. It also should help his confidence knowing there probably won't be nearly as much of a quarterback shuffle next year as there was last year when he split snaps with Burton (now a running back) and Jordan Reed (back at tight end).

That doesn't mean Brantley can get complacent in any way. Redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy and true freshman Jeff Driskel are outstanding athletes who showed flashes of playmaking ability in the spring, and both would love the chance to contribute.

4. Jordan Reed, RSoph. TE- A versatile athlete, Reed signed with Florida out of New London, Conn. as a quarterback. Since then, he has played mostly tight end but also saw a good bit of time at quarterback during the latter part of the 2010 season.

At 6'3", 237 pounds, Reed has added 12 pounds since last season but hasn't lost any of his speed. In 12 career games, Reed has 328 rushing yards (and five touchdowns), 252 passing yards (and three touchdowns) and 79 receiving yards (with a touchdown). Muschamp and his staff must be excited about the possibilities Reed and true freshman A.C. Leonard (6'4", 245 pounds) bring to the tight end position.

5. Matt Elam, Soph. S- With the graduation of Black and the early defection of Hill, the Gators had just three scholarship safeties in the spring, and walk-on Tim Clark of nearby Branford, Fla. was running with the second team.

Named the nation's No. 1 safety in the Class of 2010 by Scout.com and No. 2 by Rivals.com, Elam played in all 13 games of his freshman season, recording 22 tackles. Elam was a bright spot in an otherwise miserable night for Florida last year at Alabama, when he had a career-high five tackles and a sack in a 31-6 loss.

6. Quinton Dunbar, Soph. WR- Muschamp praised Dunbar throughout spring practice as UF's best of a green group of receivers. At 6'1", 170 pounds, Dunbar has good height, but is a little bit on the slight side.

With Chris Dunkley and Javares McRoy transferring after April's Orange & Blue Debut, UF will be down to nine scholarship receivers after freshman JaJuan Story enrolls in the summer. Dunbar saw action as a reserve in just two games last year (and one of those was only on special teams), but he will be needed to make a lot of catches in 2011.

7. Dominique Easley, Soph. DT- Easley has a quick first step that is reminiscent of former Gator and NFL standout Ellis Johnson. At times, teammates have expressed what almost amounts to awe when talking about Easley's initial burst.

The Staten Island, NY native played as a true freshman, but didn't contribute much. At 6'2", 278 pounds, one of Easley's summer projects should be adding weight without sacrificing the quickness that separates him from others.

That's a tricky task, but no doubt it is one strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti has worked on with other Gators numerous times in the past. New defensive line coach Bryant Young, once among the NFL's best defensive tackles while with the San Francisco 49ers, probably also has offered advice in that area.

8. Kyle Christy, Fr. P- Of all the members of UF's freshman class, Christy might be asked to do the most in 2011. After all, it could be argued the three most consistently good players in Meyer's final season were Jenkins, Black and Henry, the Ray Guy Award winner (given to the nation's top punter).

Gator fans should remember Henry averaged just 39.3 yards-per-punt as a freshman in 2007 before upping that to 43.4 in both his freshman and sophomore years and then 45.1 as a senior. Christy did deliver a 55-yard boot in the spring game, so no doubt he has a live leg, but still, he deserves a little bit of patience in his first year on campus.

9. Chris Martin, RFr. DE- A transfer from California who sat out the 2010 season per NCAA rules, Martin is a former U.S. Army All American. At 6'4", 240 pounds, Martin has a knack for forcing his way into opposing backfields, as evidenced by his 60 combined tackles-for-loss in his junior and senior seasons at Grandview High School in Aurora, Col. Martin, currently second on the depth chart to senior William Green, and Powell could become one of the SEC's most feared set of pass rushing ends.

10. Gerald Christian, Soph. LB- At 6'3", 232 pounds, Christian was one of the surprise standouts of spring practices. New to the linebacking corps after spending his freshman year at tight end, Christian was impressive enough in March and April to enter the Fall as a starter at outside linebacker.

A prep teammate of Elam, Christian did total more than 170 tackles in his final two seasons at national powerhouse Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer.