Steve Spurrier did a remarkable job during his 12 years as Florida's head coach. Even in the super-tough SEC, Spurrier's Gators won 10 or more games in nine of those seasons and claimed the national championship in 1996. In the other three years, the Gators won nine games, demonstrating Spurrier's ability to maintain an incredible level of consistency. The only less-than-spectacular aspect of Spurrier's tenure was his 6-5 bowl record.

Now the Ron Zook era begins in Gainesville, where the challenging early-season schedule and the loss of four key underclassmen have combined to create some intriguing matchups early this season.

	Florida's Rex Grossman has had a shaky junior season, throwing 17 interceptions.

In fact, by Sept. 22, the restructured Gators will either be in the national-championship mix or have a lot of catching up to do.

Florida hosts defending national champion Miami on Sept. 7 at The Swamp and faces Tennessee at Neyland Stadium two weeks later in a critical battle in the rough-and-tumble SEC East.

Zook has brought an enthusiastic approach to Gainesville and surrounded himself with an assistant-coaching staff that includes two of the elite coordinators in college football, Ed Zaunbrecher (offense) and John Thompson (defense). Unfortunately for these coaches, a number of key players have moved on, most to the NFL.

That super-talented group includes WRs Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell, LT Mike Pearson, RB Robert Gillespie, C Zac Zedalis, OG Thomas Moody, DE Alex Brown, LB Andra Davis, LB Travis Carroll, CB/return man Lito Sheppard, SS Marquand Manuel and PK Jeff Chandler. Gaffney left as a third-year sophomore, while Caldwell, Pearson and Sheppard were all juniors with eligibility remaining. While it could be said that Spurrier left for the NFL at exactly the right time, don't underestimate the talent level on the 2002 Gators.

OFFENSE
Junior Rex Grossman is one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation, working now in a Zaunbrecher system that allowed Marshall QB Byron Leftwich to light up the scoreboard on a regular basis. You'll see a fast-paced attack, with lots of no huddle, plus more of a focus on the ground game with senior RB Earnest Graham. The problem this season will be that when Grossman drops back to pass, he won't have the deep and talented group of wideouts he worked with in 2001.

Taylor Jacobs moves from the No. 3 option to the primary target, with converted CB Vernell Brown (5-8, 165), a redshirt freshman, hoping to become a Jacquez Green-type big-play man with his exciting shake-and-bake skills after the catch. Junior Carlos Perez rebounded from a difficult spring when he was hampered by a foot injury, putting together an impressive preseason practice session. He's the No. 3 option, with sophomore O.J. Small the fourth wideout. At tight end, the battle wages between senior Aaron Walker and junior Ben Troupe.

Up front, the left side of the O-line is set with two talented juniors, LG Shannon Snell and LT Max Starks. With redshirt freshman center Mike Degory (6-5, 315) now anchoring the line, senior David Jorgensen has moved to RG, where he'll work alongside sophomore RT Jonathan Colon. A pleasant surprise in August was the play of freshman Randy Hand (6-5, 300). Hand solidified a spot as the chief backup at RG, with sophomore Mo Mitchell working behind Colon at RT.

DEFENSE
On the defensive line, junior NT Ian Scott needs to be a force, while senior Bryan Savelio has moved ahead of senior Tron LaFavor at DT. Junior Darrell Lee and senior Marcus Oquendo-Johnson will be on the spot to provide outside pass pressure. Remember, former Gator DE Alex Brown was the focus of opponents on every play but still recorded 10½ sacks last year.

After waging quite a battle during preseason practice, junior Matt Farrior beat out junior Reid Fleming for the starting MLB job. Last season, Andra Davis was a key component, recording 107 tackles (10 behind the line of scrimmage). Farrior obviously has some big shoes to fill. Veteran OLBs Mike Nattiel and Byron Hardmon return and appear to be primed for outstanding final campaigns. Impressive freshman Taurean Charles made some noise during preseason practice and will back up Nattiel on the strong side.

The deep patrol lost two exceptional performers in CB Sheppard and SS Manuel, and lately has been without senior FS Todd Johnson, who suffered a concussion during an Aug. 21 scrimmage. Johnson's status for Saturday's game against UAB is up in the air. I'm sure Zook and Thompson want to make sure he's back at full strength and ready to go when the Gators host Miami the following week.

If Johnson can't go, senior Lester Norwood would start at FS, with versatile and experienced junior Guss Scott replacing Manuel at SS. Senior Robert Cromartie will be at one CB, with junior Keiwan Ratliff looking to showcase Lito Sheppard-type ability as the Gators' shut-down cover man. The talented Ratliff could also see some action at WR.

Special Teams: Sophomore Matt Leach is being called on to replace Jeff Chandler as the Gators' field-goal kicker, with sophomore Matt Piotrowicz handling the kickoff duties. Jason Hunter, a former walk-on, will open as the Gators' punter.

OVERVIEW
Life after Spurrier in Gainesville this season figures to feature some great times and a few less-than-great times, due largely to the loss of so much talent to the NFL. The same is true with the defending champion Hurricanes, so the loser of their game on Sept. 7 will have no excuses. Both teams are in similar situations from a personnel standpoint.

Grossman provides the star power and swagger at QB, but not having Gaffney and Caldwell really hurts. Jacobs is an excellent WR, but now unproven redshirt freshman Brown and junior Perez, the former blue-chip recruit, must step up. Expect RB Graham to become more of a focal point behind a huge offensive line led by Starks and Snell on the left side.

Defensively, Scott must wreak havoc on the interior, while Lee and Oquendo-Johnson need to provide a steady outside pass rush. The departed Davis was an outstanding MLB, but Farrior should be a capable replacement, while the OLB tandem of Hardmon and Nattiel figures to be productive. Once Johnson is back at full strength, he should make his mark as one of the elite free safeties in the country. Scott is an instinctive playmaker. At CB, Ratliff needs to turn potential into an All-American-caliber performance (stay tuned to see if he also works some at WR).

The kicking game will have some questions to answer early, especially with two huge games so early in the campaign. With such a demanding schedule, a new coaching staff and so many major personnel losses, you would have to expect a dropoff from the 10-win seasons that were commonplace under Spurrier.