The orgy of back-patting, self-promotion, and faux controversy incredibly vital opportunity for media members to talk to people who make football that is SEC Media Days begins today, and Florida's contingent of coach Jim McElwain and players Jonathan Bullard, Vernon Hargreaves III, and Brandon Powell will each speak to reporters this afternoon beginning around 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
Here are two questions we hope each Gators representative gets asked.
Jim McElwain
You've been vocal about Florida's need to have facilities on par with the rest of the SEC to be competitive with the rest of the conference. What will you be able to do with the new facilities that you would not have been able to do with the old ones, and what's the status of the facilities improvements as they stand?
I want to hear, from McElwain himself, what new facilities allow him to do, other than pay lip service to improving conditions for "student-athletes."
No Florida football coach has ever won 10 games in his first season. What will make you the first?
This is just fun. Right?
Jonathan Bullard
You returned to Gainesville rather than test the waters of the NFL Draft. What will happen in your senior year to make you sure that decision was the right one?
Putting him on the spot, yes, but also giving him a chance to paint a rosy picture.
You will be playing under your third defensive line coach, Chris Rumph, this season. What makes him different from your last two DL coaches, and how has he made you better?
I want to hear more than platitudes.
Vernon Hargreaves III
You obviously know that you occupy lofty perches on most NFL Draft boards, and we know that you're likely to leave Florida after this season. But you have a losing record as a Gator. How do you balance your individual development with accomplishing team goals?
Loaded? Absolutely. But Hargreaves has been so much better than Florida's level as a team over the last two years that he deserves this sort of loaded question — and I think he would give an interesting answer ... if he doesn't just scoff.
You had an excellent 2014 season, but often had to leave the field with minor injuries. How does your relatively small size impact your ability to stay healthy in a league as bruising as the SEC?
This will a) definitely make Vern mad and b) get a good answer as a result.
Brandon Powell
You've been vocal about liking the direction of Florida's offense. How did Kurt Roper and Will Muschamp misuse you, and what makes you sure this offense will be better?
You're obviously the only player here from an offense with a quarterback battle to settle in fall camp. Do you think that not having a quarterback yet makes it more difficult for a team to fall in behind a leader over the offseason, and why or why not?
This is a spin on the "You don't have a quarterback" questions Powell will surely get, but it's also one that might tip a hand on whether there actually is a leader; that leader is likely pretty obvious during offseason work.