DESTIN, Fla. - Florida football coach Urban Meyer might need a larger notepad this fall.

His pregame ritual as a head coach includes a listing of playmakers. He jots the names down just before he boards the team bus on game day.

"There was a time when the list stopped at two or three," Meyer said at the SEC meetings. "Now, it's going upwards to six, seven, eight nine."

The list begins with quarterback Tim Tebow, who helped the Gators win the national championship as a freshman and won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. Then comes wide receiver/running back Percy Harvin, who is recovering from heel surgery but is expected to be full speed by preseason practice. Meyer already is promoting Harvin as the Heisman successor to Tebow.

As if those two didn't pose enough problems for opposing defenses, Florida's spring game showcased Chris Rainey, another sprinter with Harvin-like acceleration and cutting ability, and Southern Cal transfer Emmanuel Moody, who rushed for 111 yards.

The Gators still have deluxe punt and kickoff returner Brandon James, and one of the best tight end tandems in the country in Cornelius Ingram and Aaron Hernandez.

Doodling has never been more fun for Meyer, who has a habit of drawing up plays in his spare time.

"To have a 10.4 100-meter guy that you're trying to get the football to, that's really enjoyable for me," Meyer said.

And he has more than one, which is just one of the reasons the Gators are a popular preseason pick to battle Georgia for the national title as well as for supremacy in the SEC East.

Rainey and Harvin both could line up as running backs alongside Tebow, or they could be on the field at the same time as slot receivers.

The Gators also have unusual versatility at tight end, where Ingram and Hernandez are big, athletic receivers. Ingram, a high school quarterback, could line up just about anywhere, but Meyer also intends to use him more as a traditional tight end - sometimes in a two-tight end set with Hernandez.

"CI (Ingram) will do a lot more this year," Meyer said. "But doing a lot more doesn't necessarily mean more catches."

Florida's assemblage of offensive talent is reminiscent of Steve Spurrier's national championship Gators in 1996 when he had Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel at quarterback; Fred Taylor at running back; and Reidel Anthony, Ike Hilliard and Jacquez Green at wide receiver.

Despite all that talent at skill positions, Meyer said, "The area I'm most impressed with is the offensive line."

Sure, he still has concerns about his lack of experience at defensive tackle. And a young secondary has to prove itself in a game. But Meyer isn't concealing his optimism.

"I think we could be real good," he said. "The areas of concern have improved."

His team's attitude also has improved.

"Our strength coach said the difference is night and day (between this off-season and last)," Meyer said. "They've got a little chip on their shoulder.

"It's real easy to coach a team that's angry. If a team is fat and happy, it's hard to motivate them."

Maybe that explains what happened to the Gators in their failed bowl venture against Michigan.

The Gators entered the Capital One Bowl on a four-game winning streak in which they had outscored their opposition 204-85. They were a solid favorite against the Wolverines, who pulled off a 41-35 upset.

That left the Gators with a 9-4 record, which qualifies as a successful season on a lot of college campuses, but not in Gainesville.

"Losing four games . . . That's embarrassing," freshman All-American guard Maurkice Pouncey told Gator Country magazine at the end of spring practice.

Then, his twin brother Mike, who helped shore up a struggling defensive front in the last month of the season, chimed in: "I don't ever want to go through that again.

Even in a four-loss season, Florida didn't exactly collapse. It just didn't win the close games, as it did in its 2006 national championship season. Its four losses were by a total of 25 points.

The disappointing season didn't damage Meyer's reputation for explosive offenses, either. Florida scored 42 or more points in eight of its 13 games and averaged 42.6 points per game for the season.

And its next offense should be even better.

So give the coach a bigger notepad and more time to doodle.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.

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