Florida Gators Football: 5 Players Who Are Key to 2011 Season

After a disappointing 8-5 season, the Florida Gators are looking to get back to being contenders in the SEC.

Head coach Urban Meyer is gone, leaving the team with Will Muschamp in charge. The Gators also added high-profile offensive coordinator Charlie Weis in an effort to improve last year’s struggling offense.

The fans in Gainesville, FL hope that a few senior leaders can guide a young, but talented roster back to the BCS. Here are the five most important players to Florida's success this season.

5. RB Jeff Demps

In three years at the University of Florida, Jeff Demps has had three average seasons. The fifth-year senior is looking to finally break out and have a great season.

While he has shown potential at times, Demps will need to also show consistency in order to help the team compete this season. He will compliment Chris Rainey in the backfield, and will need to provide a solid presence for the Gators and be a leader on a young team.

Demps will be a big help if he continues to play his best as the game progresses. Last year he averaged 7.2 yards per carry in the second half compared to 4.1 in the first. The Gators will have to try to wear opponents down en route to victory.

4. S De'Ante Saunders

For the first time in the history in Florida football, the Gators will be asking a true freshman to start at safety during opening weekend. That freshman is De’Ante Saunders.

A local recruit who played in the Under Armour All-America game, Saunders will be asked to anchor a young secondary right out of the gate.

If he can rise to the challenge, the Gators might have enough strength up front to have a successful defense. If not, the team might be in for a long season against quarterbacks who can take advantage of his inexperience.

3. DT Jaye Howard

Even though he started his career as a defensive end, Jaye Howard has the ability to be one of the best defensive tackles in the nation this year. Scouts are already looking at him to see if he can play at the next level, which would not be out of the question.

Howard does not put up big numbers, but he is a vital cog in anchoring the defense for the Gators. Defensive tackles are often overlooked due to the fact that their impact goes beyond the box score.

With the amount of talent in the SEC at running back, Florida will need Howard to take on blockers and stop the run. Auburn’s Nick Fairley showed last year how much a dominant defensive tackle can help a team.

2. QB John Brantley

As a Junior, John Brantley did not step into the starting role as well as many had hoped. While he completed 60 percent of his passes, he still threw 10 interceptions to only nine touchdowns.

In his defense, he was asked to replace a man with an almost god-like status in the state of Florida: Tim Tebow.

This year, the senior Brantley has a year of starting experience and a bunch of talent around him. More importantly, he now has a new offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis.

While he had some struggles as a head coach, Weis has had a lot of success in his career in developing quarterbacks. Hopefully, Brantley will learn enough from him to lead the Gators to a successful season.

1. RB/WR Chris Rainey

Chris Rainey is the most dynamic player on the Florida Gators, and one of the most important. As a running back, wide receiver, punt returner and kick returner, Rainey has a chance of scoring any time he is on the field.

The key for Florida will be to get the ball to him as often as possible. He and Jeff Demps will share running back duties, so they will need to get him touches as a receiver as well.

Rainey is somewhat of an X-factor for the Gators this season. If he can utilize his speed and get some touchdowns, the team can compete in the SEC East.