Fall in Florida brings with it a sense of optimism.
The weather cools down, the rain gradually subsides and with it comes the return of seemingly everyone’s favorite sport: football.
Gone is former coach Will Muschamp, who has donned different shades of orange and blue at Auburn as its defensive coordinator.
There’s a fresh face on the sidelines eager to win back the hearts and adoration of Florida fans everywhere.
His name is Jim McElwain, and come Sept. 5 he’ll have at least 12 opportunities (15 if the team makes it as far as the national championship) to reverse the losing trend that has more often than not been on display recently at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
But while the football team waits for the season to kick off, and for its starting quarterback to reveal himself, there are UF teams opening their seasons to much less hype and fervor than McElwain’s padded juggernauts.
On Friday, coach Becky Burleigh began her 21st season as head coach of the Gators soccer team.
She’s the only coach the team has ever known, becoming the inaugural leader at the program’s inception in 1995 and surprising the nation when the Gators won the national championship in 1998.
The team opened the preseason ranked No. 8 after ending last season with a 17-4-2 record and a finish in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
And Burleigh isn’t the only tenured Florida coach looking to exceed high expectations.
Mary Wise returns for her 25th year as coach of the volleyball team, and the team has the talent and depth to threaten for a national championship.
Every year the team has competed against the nation’s best programs for the national title, yet Florida remains without a trophy to show for it.
While the team will have to replace the senior-laden backline that carried the Gators at times, Florida is clamoring at the thought of being the team that finally wins a much-deserved championship for Wise.
And the preseason rankings back up the buzz: UF is ranked No. 4 in the 2015 AVCA Division I Coaches Preseason Poll.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams open their seasons at the Appalachian State Invitational on Sept. 4 hoping to translate the success many of the runners had during the Spring track season.
Things don’t slow down from there as the men’s golf team tees off its Fall season on Sept. 11 at the Carpet Capital Invitational in Dalton, Georgia.
Coach JC Deacon enters his second season as the men’s golf coach with experience under his belt, although the Gators will search for leadership with the departure of four seniors, including Gainesville native J.D. Tomlinson.
The women’s golf team begins its Fall season on Sept. 13 at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, South Carolina.
Head coach Emily Glaser will look to lean on junior Karolina Vlckova and sophomore Taylor Tomlinson as the team looks to get back to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships after not qualifying last year.
It’s only fitting that Florida’s Fall season opens with McElwain’s debut and closes with Mike White — who may have one of the toughest jobs in all of collegiate athletics replacing the surefire future Hall of Fame coach Billy Donovan — unveiling his maiden men’s basketball team.
The Gators are eager to make memories of last season’s sub-.500 record disappear from the mouths and minds of Florida fans everywhere, and White and UF just might have the depth and talent to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.
White has yet to bring in his first recruiting class — Florida’s incoming freshmen signed for Donovan — but the Dunedin native gained grace in Gainesville by convincing three of the four committed freshmen to honor their decisions.
Florida could end up starting freshman KeVaughn Allen at shooting guard from the get-go, a bold move but likely a necessary one.
If early buzz is any indication — so take the following statement with the smallest of salt grains — Allen has the potential to impact the Gators in a way unseen since St. Louis-native Bradley Beal stepped onto the O’Connell Center court.
Athletically, Florida is far more than just a football school.
Aside from the sports mentioned above, UF’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are consistently competitive under head coach Gregg Troy.
The women’s basketball team begins its 10th season under coach Amanda Butler, hoping to improve on last year’s campaign that began with optimism yet ended in disappointment.
Florida athletics is a national powerhouse, and much credit goes to athletics director Jeremy Foley.
Appreciate every sport UF offers and not simply the well-known athletics.
It’s up to you, the Gator fan and UF student, to enjoy all the university has to offer.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
