There are eight days until Florida's football opener against Florida Atlantic on September 3. There are ... a lot of entries remaining in our 50 For 50 series. Check out Alligator Army's 50 For 50 series for more of our 50 reasons to be excited for Florida football in 2011.
I'm really hesitant to keep praising a player virtually no one has actually seen competing with college athletes, but Marcus Roberson could be an impact freshman, according to Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples:
The Gators had hoped cornerback would be their most experienced position group on defense. But in April, coach Will Muschamp tossed senior Janoris Jenkins off the team after Jenkins' second marijuana-related arrest in three months. That opened up an opportunity for Roberson, who wasted no time in taking advantage. Roberson hasn't locked down the starting job quite yet, but he has impressed Muschamp, and he could wind up starting the season opener. "We're going to play the best players," Muschamp said earlier this month of Roberson. "I don't care what grade they are or where they're from. It don't matter to me."
Muschamp's meritocratic approach is probably going to show up in another 50 For 50, but for now, let me be clear: Though I am excited to see Roberson play and hope he can be what Joe Haden and Jenkins were as freshmen, I am kind of terrified that one of the Florida Gators with the most buzz is a freshman cornerback. Am I alone in that respect?