Florida Gators Football: 5 Things the Gators Would Like To Find under the Tree

No matter what it is you celebrate, a simple truth is that everyone likes to receive presents.

That includes football players and coaches.

The Florida Gators (6-6) head into the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, 2012 against Ohio State (6-6) hoping to start the new year on a positive note.

Here are a few things UF could be hoping to find under its orange and blue tree.

Good Health

The season has been a tough one when it comes to injuries, the biggest being the high ankle sprain that put senior quarterback John Brantley out of action for nearly a month.

Already, the Gators know they will be playing the Gator Bowl without sophomore defensive tackle Dominique Easley (torn left ACL) and freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson (neck), both of whom contributed a great deal to a defense that was the strength of the team.

Florida has to hope it keeps the rest of its players healthy as the Gators prepare for the Buckeyes.

Coaching Stability

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti already have bailed to take jobs as the head coach at Kansas and the assistant athletic director for sports performance at Ohio State, respectively.

The hope for UF now has to be that no one else leaves.

Will Muschamp was hired as the Gators' head coach just one year ago, and one of the best ways to set up future success is staff continuity.

Have a Little Fun

Sometimes this season, it appeared the game was not so much a game as it was a chore for the Gators.

The team has talent, most of it young. And yes, losing contests that could have been won like those against Georgia, Auburn, South Carolina and Florida State can affect a team's psyche.

But loosen up. Have a little fun.

Positive things seem to happen more often when you like what you are doing, and none of these athletes began playing football for any other reason than they liked it.

Have a good time against Ohio State. The 2006 team did, and look what happened there.

Avoid NFL Defections and Get Some from SEC Rivals

Perhaps, the only NFL draft-eligible underclassman that might take a peek at his pro prospects is left tackle Xavier Nixon.

Rated the No. 10 tackle prospect in the class of 2013, Nixon (6'6", 292 pounds) would be wise to stay in Gainesville for another year.

Nixon is a talented and athletic kid, but he needs to add some weight, and there were some games where he just didn't play well (Georgia being the one that stands out most).

Conversely, it would help the Gators if talented draft-eligible prospects like Alabama junior running back Trent Richardson, junior linebacker Dont'a Hightower, junior safety Robert Lester and junior cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, LSU junior cornerback Morris Claiborne and redshirt sophomore defensive end Sam Montgomery, UGA redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Jarvis Jones and junior tight end Orson Charles, South Carolina junior receiver Alshon Jeffery, junior defensive end Devin Taylor and junior cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and Mississippi State junior defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (who UF did not face this year) leave early.

Look for quite a few Gator players to have decisions of their own to make following the 2012 season.

Sign a Loaded Recruiting Class

The Gators already have a good group of commitments, led by two of the nation's top offensive tackle prospects (D.J. Humphries and Jessamen Dunker), two of the country's best tight end prospects (Kent Taylor and Colin Thompson) and a potential big running back in Matt Jones.

Eleven of UF's 16 commitments have been graded as at least 4-star players by Rivals.com.

Still, Florida would be served well to get some speedy playmakers like WRs Stefon Diggs and/or Nelson Agholor, as well as standouts like ATH Josh Harvey-Clemons, DEs Noah Spence and/or Darius Hamilton, and DBs Tracy Howard and/or Landon Collins to name a few.

It also would behoove UF to get former RB commit Mike Davis—the younger brother of former Clemson standout James Davis—back on board.