2017 Florida Gators football team

The 2017 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. Florida played as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by third-year head coach Jim McElwain until his dismissal on October 28, after which defensive coordinator Randy Shannon served as the interim head coach until the end of the season.[2]

2017 Florida Gators football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
2017 record4–7 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDoug Nussmeier (3rd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorRandy Shannon (1st as DC; 3rd overall season)
Co-defensive coordinatorChris Rumph (1st as co-DC; 3rd overall season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumBen Hill Griffin Stadium
(Capacity: 88,548)[1]
2017 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 2 Georgia x$^  7 –1     13 –2  
South Carolina  5 –3     9 –4  
Kentucky  4 –4     7 –6  
Missouri  4 –4     7 –6  
Florida  3 –5     4 –7  
Vanderbilt  1 –7     5 –7  
Tennessee  0 –8     4 –8  
West Division
No. 10 Auburn xy  7 –1     10 –4  
No. 1 Alabama x#^  7 –1     13 –1  
No. 18 LSU  6 –2     9 –4  
No. 19 Mississippi State  4 –4     9 –4  
Texas A&M  4 –4     7 –6  
Ole Miss*  3 –5     6 –6  
Arkansas  1 –7     4 –8  
Championship: Georgia 28, Auburn 7
    1. – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * Ole Miss ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions
Rankings from AP Poll

Florida finished with a 4–7 record overall and were 3–5 in SEC play, good for fifth place in the Eastern Division. It was the program's second losing season since 1979.

Previous season
Main article: 2016 Florida Gators football team

The 2016 season opener was highlighted by the rededication of Florida Field to honor Steve Spurrier, the all-time winningest head coach in Florida history, as the field was rebranded as Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.[3] Florida yielded only 14 points over the first three games of the 2016 season, including a 38-point domination of SEC East rival Kentucky, and a shutout victory over the North Texas Mean Green. In the latter game, Gators starting quarterback Luke Del Rio exited the game with a knee injury and would not return. Austin Appleby was called to lead the offense for the next two games at Tennessee and Vanderbilt respectively. Tennessee, seeking revenge for the previous year's comeback by the Gators at The Swamp, quickly fell behind as the Gators entered halftime with a commanding 21–3 lead. However, the Gators experienced a colossal collapse in the second half as Tennessee stormed back with 35 unanswered points before Florida could score a touchdown late in the game, and the Gators left Knoxville with a stunning 28–38 loss on their record, the first of the season. At Vanderbilt, the Gators struggled to a 13–6 victory over the Commodores. The Gators' next game was to be against the LSU in Gainesville. However, it became apparent that week as the date of the game approached that Hurricane Matthew would likely devastate Florida's Atlantic coast. Because only a small deviation in the storm's destructive projected path would have brought severe weather to the immediate Gainesville area, the Saturday game was indefinitely postponed on Thursday.[4] In the week that followed, heated negotiations between athletic directors Jeremy Foley of Florida and Joe Alleva of LSU. LSU refused to concede a home game in order to make up the game, so Florida agreed to travel to LSU on November 19. In exchange, LSU agreed to play the Florida game in Gainesville for the next two seasons.[5] After an unplanned bye week, Florida cruised to a 40–14 victory over Missouri, a game in which Luke Del Rio made his return, as the Gators led into the originally scheduled bye week before the annual rivalry game against Georgia in Jacksonville. Florida led 14–10 after a back-and-forth first half before shutting out the Bulldogs 10–0 in the second half to earn their third consecutive victory over their rivals with a 24–10 win, earning a 6–1 record on the season. With Tennessee losing their third consecutive conference game the same day, Florida moved into November with a 2-game advantage over the Volunteers.[6] However, the Gators would pick up their second conference loss the following week after a 31–10 blowout by the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks. Florida returned home for senior day against South Carolina the next week, defeating the Gamecocks 20–7 in Will Muschamp's first time back to The Swamp since his firing after the 2014 season. The Gators were now poised to secure the Eastern Division championship in the conference finale, the makeup game at LSU. The defense capitalized on numerous LSU turnovers while the offense put on a solid performance which included a 98-yard touchdown pass to put the Gators up 10–7 entering the fourth quarter. The game eventually came down to a fourth-and-goal play for LSU with three seconds remaining in the game, a play which was stuffed by the Gators defense, preserving an emotional 16–10 win in Death Valley to guarantee a berth in the 2016 SEC Championship Game against undefeated Alabama. Florida lost for the fourth straight year to rival Florida State 13–31 to close out the regular season, and was trounced 54–16 by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Florida accepted a berth in the 2017 Outback Bowl against Iowa, which the Gators easily won 30–3 to end the season at 9–4, earning Jim McElwain his only bowl victory at Florida.

Spring Game

The spring game, dubbed the Orange and Blue Debut, took place on April 7, in Gainesville.

DateTimeSpring GameSiteTVResultAttendance
April 7[7]7:30 p.m.Orange vs. BlueBen Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FLSECNOrange 31–0
48,000


Schedule

The Gators' 2017 schedule consisted of 6 home games, 3 away games, and 2 neutral site games in the regular season. The Gators hosted SEC opponents Tennessee, Vanderbilt, LSU, and Texas A&M. They traveled to Kentucky, Missouri, and South Carolina. They faced Georgia at a neutral site.

Florida's non-conference schedule consisted of two home games: UAB and their rival Florida State. A third was scheduled for Sep 9 vs Northern Colorado, but was canceled due to inclement weather caused by Hurricane Irma. The season was opened against Michigan in the Advocare Classic.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 23:30 p.m.vs. No. 11 Michigan*No. 17
ABCL 17–3375,802
September 163:30 p.m.No. 23 TennesseeNo. 24
CBSW 26–2087,736
September 237:30 p.m.at KentuckyNo. 20
SECNW 28–2762,945
September 3012:00 p.m.VanderbiltNo. 21
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
ESPNW 38–2484,478
October 73:30 p.m.LSUNo. 21
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
CBSL 16–1788,247
October 147:00 p.m.Texas A&M
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
ESPN2L 17–1986,114
October 283:30 p.m.vs. No. 3 Georgia
CBSL 7–4284,107
November 412:00 p.m.at Missouri
ESPN2L 16–4549,154
November 1112:00 p.m.at South Carolina
CBSL 20–2879,727
November 184:00 p.m.UAB*
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL
SECNW 36–784,649
November 2512:00 p.m.Florida State*
  • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Gainesville, FL (rivalry)
ESPNL 22–3889,066
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game
^[a] The game between Florida and Northern Colorado was originally scheduled for September 9 at 7:30 p.m. On the Wednesday before the game, the kickoff time was moved up to noon, as forecasts for Hurricane Irma had the storm approaching the east coast of Florida on Sunday. On Thursday, updated forecast tracks (correctly) predicted that Irma would move up the middle of the Florida peninsula as a major hurricane, prompting both schools to agree to cancel the game altogether due to safety and traffic concerns. This cancellation marked the third time in four seasons that Florida had to cancel or move a home game due to inclement weather and the second season in a row in which a scheduled home game was affected by the threat of a hurricane.[8]

Schedule Source[9]

Rankings
Further information: 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP 17 22 24 20 21 21 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 
Coaches 16 24 25 22 20 20 RV RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 
CFP Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

Game summaries

Michigan
See also: 2017 Michigan Wolverines football team and Advocare Classic
Michigan Wolverines vs. Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 11 Michigan 10 3 13733
No. 17 Florida 3 14 0017

at AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas

Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
0–3 January 1, 2016 Michigan, 41–7
Uniform Combination*
Helmet Jersey Pants
  • Special "color rush" uniforms

Tennessee
See also: 2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 23 Tennessee 0 3 01720
No. 24 Florida 3 3 02026

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: September 16, 2017
  • Game time: 3:40 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy, 70% humidity
  • Game attendance: 87,736
  • Referee: John McDaid
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce[11]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
26–20 September 24, 2016 Tennessee, 38–28

With 0:09 seconds left in the fourth quarter quarterback Feleipe Franks threw a 63 yard hail mary to wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland for the win.

Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Kentucky
See also: 2017 Kentucky Wildcats football team
Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 20 Florida 0 14 01428
Kentucky 7 7 10327

at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky

Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
50–17 September 10, 2016 Florida, 45–7
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Vanderbilt
See also: 2017 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
Vanderbilt Commodores at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Vanderbilt 7 10 0724
No. 21 Florida 7 10 71438

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: September 30, 2017
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: Northeast at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) • Weather: Showers, 90% humidity
  • Game attendance: 84,478
  • Referee: Matt Austin
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy and Tom Luginbill[13]
  • Boxscore
Game information
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
38–10–2 October 10, 2016 Florida, 13–6
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

LSU
See also: 2017 LSU Tigers football team and Florida–LSU football rivalry
LSU Tigers at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
LSU 7 3 7017
No. 21 Florida 0 3 13016

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: October 7, 2017
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 88,247
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
32–28–3 November 19, 2016 Florida, 16–10
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Texas A&M
See also: 2017 Texas A&M Aggies football team
Texas A&M Aggies at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Texas A&M 3 0 7919
Florida 3 7 0717

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
2–1 September 8, 2012 Florida, 20–17
Uniform Combination*
Helmet Jersey Pants
  • Special "alligator skin" uniforms

Georgia
See also: 2017 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Florida–Georgia football rivalry
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
No. 3 Georgia 21 0 14742
Florida 0 0 077

at EverBank Field • Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: October 28, 2017
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 84,107
  • Referee: James Carter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
43–49–2 (per Florida)
43–50–2 (per Georgia)		 October 29, 2016 Florida, 24–10

Following the game, it was announced that Florida and Head Coach Jim McElwain would be parting ways and Defensive Coordinator Randy Shannon was to be promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Missouri
See also: 2017 Missouri Tigers football team
Florida Gators at Missouri Tigers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Florida 0 6 3716
Missouri 7 21 71045

at Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri

Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
3–3 October 15, 2016 Florida, 40–14
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

South Carolina
See also: 2017 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Florida 0 13 0720
South Carolina 14 7 7028

at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina

  • Date: November 11, 2017
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 79,727
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
26–8–3 November 12, 2017 Florida, 20–7
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

UAB
See also: 2017 UAB Blazers football team
UAB Blazers at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
UAB 0 0 077
Florida 6 13 14336

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: November 18, 2017
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 84,649
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
2–0 September 10, 2010 Florida, 39–0
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Florida State
See also: 2017 Florida State Seminoles football team and Florida–Florida State football rivalry
Florida State Seminoles at Florida Gators – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Florida State 7 17 01438
Florida 7 6 3622

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: November 25, 2017
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 89,066
Overall record Previous meeting Previous winner
34–25–2 November 26, 2016 Florida State, 31–13
Uniform Combination
Helmet Jersey Pants

Personnel

Roster
As of November 8, 2017[14]
2017 Florida Gators roster

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

  • 22 La'Mical Perine – Sophomore
  • 24 Mark Thompson– Senior
  • 25 Jordan Scarlett – SUS Junior
  • 31 Malik Davis – Freshman
  • 32 Adarius Lemons – Freshman
  • 33 Tyriek Hopkins – Sophomore

Wide Receivers

  •  4 Brandon Powell – Senior
  •  9 Dre Massey – Senior
  • 10 Josh Hammond – Sophomore
  • 16 Freddie Swain – Sophomore
  • 18 Daquon Green – Freshman
  • 31 Anthony Gigla – Sophomore
  • 39 Jacob Mesenger – Freshman
  • 43 Glenn Jarriel – Sophomore
  • 44 Tucker Nordman – Sophomore
  • 45 Charles Nordman – Sophomore
  • 81 Antonio Callaway – SUS Junior
  • 83 Rick Wells – SUS Freshman
  • 85 James Robinson – Freshman
  • 87 Kalif Jackson – Sophomore
  • 89 Tyrie Cleveland – Sophomore

Tight Ends

  • 16 Brian Fallace – Junior
  • 30 DeAndre Goolsby – Senior
  • 39 Ryan Ferguson – Junior
  • 46 Harry Gornto V – Sophomore
  • 80 C'yontai Lewis – Junior
  • 82 Moral Stephens – Junior
  • 88 Kemore Gamble – Freshman

Punters

Offensive Line

  • 51 Antonio Riles – Senior
  • 53 Kavaris Harkless – Junior
  • 59 T.J. McCoy – Sophomore
  • 61 Brett Heggie – Freshman
  • 64 Tyler Jordan – Junior
  • 65 Jawaan Taylor – Sophomore
  • 66 Nick Buchanan – Sophomore
  • 69 Marcus Givens – Sophomore
  • 70 Tanner Rowell – Freshman
  • 71 Nick Villano – Sophomore
  • 72 Stone Forsythe – Freshman
  • 73 Martez Ivey – Junior
  • 74 Fred Johnson – Sophomore
  • 75 TJ Moore – Freshman
  • 76 Kadeem Telfort – SUS Freshman
  • 77 Andrew Mike – Junior
  • 78 Ricardo Benalcazar – Senior
  • 79 Dallas Bruch – Freshman

Defensive Line

  • 17 Jordan Sherit – Senior
  • 42 Jordan Smith – SUS Freshman
  • 54 Khairi Clark – Junior
  • 55 Kyree Campbell – Freshman
  • 56 Tedarrell Slaton – Freshman
  • 57 Elijah Conliffe – Freshman
  • 68 Richerd Desir-Jones – SUS Sophomore
  • 90 Antonneous Clayton – Sophomore
  • 92 Jabari Zuniga – Sophomore
  • 93 Taven Bryan – Junior
  • 94 Zachary Carter – Freshman
  • 95 Keivonnis Davis – SUS Junior
  • 96 CeCe Jefferson – Junior
  • 97 Justus Reed – Sophomore
  • 98 Luke Ancrum – Sophomore
  • 99 Jachai Polite – Sophomore

Placekickers

  • 15 Eddy Piñeiro – Junior
  • 79 Daniel Justino – Freshman
  • 98 Jorge Powell – Junior

Linebackers

  • 11 Vosean Joseph – Sophomore
  • 28 Kylan Johnson – Sophomore
  • 33 David Reese – Sophomore
  • 34 Lacedrick Brunson – Freshman
  • 40 Nick Smith – Freshman
  • 41 James Houston IV – SUS Freshman
  • 43 Cristian Garcia – Senior
  • 44 Rayshad Jackson – Sophomore
  • 45 R.J. Raymond – Junior
  • 46 Will Thomas – Freshman
  • 50 Jeremiah Moon – Sophomore
  • 51 Ventrell Miller – SUS Freshman
  • 53 Brendan Ackerman – Freshman
  • 58 Jahim Lawrence – Sophomore
  • 59 Danny Weldon – Freshman
  • 84 Camrin Knight – Sophomore

Defensive Backs

  •  2 Brad Stewart – Freshman
  •  3 Marco Wilson – Freshman
  •  5 C. J. Henderson – Freshman
  •  6 Brian Edwards – Freshman
  •  7 Duke Dawson – Senior
  •  8 Nick Washington – Senior
  • 12 Christopher McWilliams – Freshman
  • 13 Donovan Stiner – Freshman
  • 14 Chris Williamson – Junior
  • 20 Shawn Davis – Freshman
  • 21 McArthur Burnett – Freshman
  • 23 C. J. Gardner-Johnson – Sophomore
  • 25 Brady Walters – Junior
  • 26 Marcell Harris – Senior
  • 27 Quincy Lenton – Freshman
  • 29 Jeawon Taylor – Sophomore
  • 30 Garrett Stephens – Senior
  • 35 Joseph Putu – Senior
  • 36 Eddie Giles - Junior
  • 38 Nick Oelrich – Freshman
  • 47 Austin Perry – Freshman
  • 48 Edwitch Merisier – Freshman
  • 49 Cameron Town – Junior

Long Snappers

  • 41 Ryan Farr – Junior
  • 48 Brett DioGuardi – Freshman
  • 49 Jacob Tilghman – Sophomore

Athlete

  • Redshirt
  • Injury
  • SUS Suspension

Coaching staff
NamePositionJoined Staff
Jim McElwainHead coach (dismissed Oct 29)2015
Randy ShannonDefensive coordinator / Interim head coach (after Oct 29)2015
Doug NussmeierOffensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks2015
Chris RumphDefensive Line / Interim defensive coordinator (after Oct 29)2015
Robb AkeyDefensive Line (after Oct 29)2017
Greg NordSpecial Teams Coordinator / Tight Ends2015
Brad DavisOffensive Line2017
Ja'Juan SeiderRunning Backs2017
Kerry Dixon IIWide Receivers2015
Tim SkipperLinebackers2015
Corey BellDefensive Backs2017
Mike KentDirector of Strength & Conditioning2015

Recruiting class

Players drafted into the NFL
See also: 2018 NFL Draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
129Taven BryanDTJacksonville Jaguars
256Duke DawsonCBNew England Patriots
4105Antonio CallawayWRCleveland Browns
5173Johnny TownsendPOakland Raiders
6184Marcell HarrisSSan Francisco 49ers

References
  1. University of Florida Sports Information Department. "Florida 2017 Media Guide" (PDF). floridagators.com. University Athletic Association, Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  2. "McElwain, UAA Mutually Agree to Part Ways". Florida Gators. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  3. Carter, Scott (June 9, 2016). "Spurrier's Name Added To Florida Field". FloridaGators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  4. Carter, Scott (October 6, 2016). "Gators AD Foley Offers Insight Into Florida-LSU Postponement". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  5. McClain, Steve (October 13, 2017). "Gators to Make Up Game in Baton Rouge on Nov. 19". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  6. Carter, Scott (November 4, 2016). "The Opening Kickoff: Florida at Arkansas -- #UFvsARK". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  7. 2017 Football Schedule (FloridaGators.com)
  8. Andreu, Robbie (September 7, 2017). "Northern Colorado at Florida game cancelled". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  9. http://floridagators.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=367&path=football
  10. MICH Pregame
  11. TENN Pregame
  12. KEN Pregame
  13. VAN Pregame
  14. "2017 Football Roster". Florida Gators. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
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