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The preseason USA Today Coaches Poll was released last week and the Florida Gators were listed as the No. 21 team in the country. Florida was also ranked No. 21 in the preseason AP Poll.

This marks the first time the Gators have been ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll since the 2019-20 season when they were No. 6.

Florida had a successful season last year, finishing 24-12 (11-7 SEC) and appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. The Gators also made the SEC Tournament Final for the first time since 2014. They ultimately lost to the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round of March Madness, but Florida is looking for a much deeper run this time around.

In Todd Golden’s third year at the helm for Florida, he and his team are hoping to take that next step and become national title contenders. They will have to do it in a very tough SEC. Including the Gators, there are nine teams ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll, and Florida will have to play all eight of the others.

In the build-up to the regular season opener, the Gators have hosted two “secret scrimmages” in O’Dome. The first came against Florida International and the second against College of Charleston.

The Gators handled FIU 80-49 on Oct. 19 without sophomore Alex Condon, who sat out with an injury sustained in practice. The senior pairing of Will Richard and Walter Clayton Jr. led the charge for Florida as Richard led all scorers with 18 points and Clayton scored 13, with five rebounds, six assists and six steals.

Both Richard and Clayton decided to come back to Gainesville for their senior years and will play huge roles in Florida’s success in 2024. Richard, who will be playing as a wingman this season, averaged over 11 points per game last year and shot 35% from deep. Clayton led the Gators in scoring in 2023 with over 17 points per contest including a team-high 98 3-pointers made on 37% shooting from beyond the arc.

In the second scrimmage against Charleston, it was the Alijah Martin show for the Gators as they won 98-66 on Saturday. The graduate transfer from FAU scored 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Martin led the Owls to a Final Four appearance in 2023 and is poised to be a big part of Florida’s offensive attack as the starting shooting guard this season.

Condon, the big man from Perth, Australia, turned lots of heads as a freshman averaging 7.7 points and 6.4 boards per game. Condon has one of the biggest upsides on Florida’s team this year. Sports Illustrated named him as one of 10 potential breakout candidates in the country for the upcoming season.

Thomas Haugh is another guy who is looking for a big sophomore season. The forward from Pennsylvania played in all 36 games for the Gators last year, averaging just under four points per game. In the preseason scrimmage against FIU, Haugh started in place of Condon and racked up 11 points and four rebounds.

An interesting addition to watch for Florida this year will be the sophomore transfer from Washington State, Rueben Chinyelu. The center from Nigeria is projected to start in the middle for the Gators on opening night with Micah Handlogten sitting out this season to recover from a broken leg he suffered in the SEC title game last year. Chinyelu scored 4.7 points with five rebounds and over a block per game as a freshman with the Cougars. He impressed in the scrimmage against FIU, scoring eight points with 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks.

One more guy to keep your eye on in 2024 is Sam Alexis, the junior forward transfer from Chattanooga. Alexis was named to the 2024 All-Southern Conference Third Team and All-Defensive Team as he averaged 10.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. This presence in the paint is something that Florida will be looking for after losing Tyrese Samuel to the NBA G-League after last year.

With some fascinating new additions and key returners, the 21st-ranked Gators are hopeful they will become a national powerhouse this season. Florida will open its campaign against USF on Monday in the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.