Tennessee football vs. Florida: 5 Gators to watch for against Vols

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 01: Florida Gators players celebrate following a victory over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 01: Florida Gators players celebrate following a victory over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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GAINESVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 01: Van Jefferson #12 of the Florida Gators attempts a reception against the Jonathan Slaton #3 of the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 1, 2018, in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

No.2 – Van Jefferson, Wide receiver

The redshirt junior makes our list with the number two ranking. This is his first year at Florida and is on pace to have his best season yet. Jefferson has eight receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns.

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  • We mentioned the Vols need to improve on limiting the big play defensively. That begins with stopping Van Jefferson. He has a 15.9 yard per reception average and leads the team with three touchdowns.

    We still have no clue what this Vols secondary is going to look like. They were torched for 429 passing yards in the first game of the season by Will Grier and the West Virginia Mountaineers. That was expected because of how young, and inexperienced the defensive backs were. However, they have shown signs of improvement the past two games.

    This should be a fun matchup to watch. Can Van Jefferson take advantage of the young secondary, or can players like Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor make big plays to keep the Vols in the game?

    Jefferson has been in big games before, and Neyland shouldn’t scare him even though it should be rocking. Don’t be surprised if Florida gets off to a fast start and Jefferson is the one standing in the end zone after a touchdown grab from quarterback Feleipe Franks.