The Florida Gators have produced plenty of talent on the defensive end in recent year’s NFL drafts. A defensive player has been selected in the first four rounds of the draft every year since 2011.
Last year, defensive tackle Gervon Dexter was the first defensive player at UF off the board and was selected No. 53 overall by the Chicago Bears.
Dexter was the leader of the Florida defense last season, but after wrapping up his collegiate career, the Gators will turn toward junior edge rusher Princely Umanmielen to man the leadership role under first-year defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong.
Umanmielen is Florida’s top defensive prospect entering the 2023 season. He led the team with 4.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss last season and was named to the preseason Coaches All-SEC third team along with sophomore running back Trevor Etienne and junior cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.
Umanmielen will be one of the focal points of the Gators’ defense at the JACK position, which is an integral part in Armstrong’s new defensive scheme.
“He’s a guy that can do a lot of things for you on defense,” said Florida edge coach Mike Peterson in a March 25 press conference. “
The JACK position is a hybrid edge rushing role that requires players to rush the passer, set the edge and drop back into coverage on any given play.
Freshman T.J. Searcy and sophomore Quincy Ivory are the other Gator defensive linemen who will play as JACK at the edge rusher position.
Searcy was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and the No. 32 overall ranked defensive lineman in the class. He is expected to be the primary backup to Umanmielen.
Ivory is somewhat of a mystery for UF. He enrolled at Florida in July after he transferred from East Los Angeles Community College. He had 8.5 sacks for the junior college.
Sophomore Jack Pyburn is the likely starter at the opposite edge rushing position after recording 43 snaps his first year.
Pyburn rose in the depth chart due to impressive play throughout Fall camp and an untimely injury to sophomore edge rusher defender Justus Boone that occurred during a team scrimmage Aug. 10. The Gators will rely on more young players like Pyburn without Boone this season.
“We're gonna be okay there,” said Florida head coach Billy Napier in an Aug. 19 press conference. “I think they'll get better and better as we go.”
Just below Pyburn on the depth chart are true freshmen Kelby Collins and Kamran Jones. Collins was the highest ranked prospect in Florida’s No. 13-ranked 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
“He's a football player,” Peterson said in a March 25 press conference. “Two, three years from now you're looking at probably one of the team captains.”
James wasn’t touted as highly as Collins coming out of high school but has made major strides during fall camp and received recognition from the coaching staff.
He will be used off the bench with Collins and could play his first snap as early as Week 1.
The defensive line will feature new players and several key faces who returned from last season.
Junior nose tackle Cam Jackson will be the starting anchor of the Florida defense after he transferred from Memphis during the offseason. He made 42 tackles including 2.5 for loss last season with the Tigers.
Behind Jackson is the 6-foot-5-inch, 435-pound junior defensive tackle Desmond Watson. He’ll play a key role as a rotational piece despite not receiving starting snaps.
The Gators will be able to more strategically use Watson and not exert his stamina, which is something they couldn’t always do last season due to the lack of depth.
Sophomore defensive tackle Chris McClellan is primed for a breakout season after emerging as a major contributor to the defensive line during his first year. He recorded 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
Redshirt freshman Caleb Banks and sophomore Tyreak Sapp will back up McClellan. Banks joined the Gators after one season at Louisville in which he recorded 38 defensive snaps across six games.
Sapp has tallied 20 tackles in 13 appearances for Florida and is also expected to record snaps at the edge rusher position after Boone's injury.
The linebacker room at Florida saw two departures in the offseason. Senior linebackers Amari Burney and Ventrell Miller were both selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Their absences will be replaced by a unit that features a balanced mixture of youth and veterans. The captain of the linebacker room is senior Teradja Mitchell. Mitchell’s strong suit is his run defense. He is not known for his pass coverage and received a 33.6 grade by Pro Football Focus in 2021. Mitchell joined the Gators after five years with Ohio State.
Sophomore linebacker Shemar James will also lead a significant role for the Gators. The former top-100 recruit made 47 tackles in his rookie season.
Redshirt sophomore Scooby Williams and junior Derek Wingo are also expected to play key rotational roles in Florida’s linebacker room this year.
The Gators kick off their season against the No. 14 Utah Utes at 8 p.m. Thursday in Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Contact Luke Adragna Topher Adams at ladragna@alligator.org and tadams@alligator.org. Follow them on Twitter @lukeadrag and @Topher_Adams.
Luke Adragna is a third-year journalism student and the Florida Gators football reporter at The Alligator. He is a cat ethusiast and completes the NYT Daily Mini in less than a minute each day.
Topher Adams is a fourth-year communications major and in his fourth semester with the Alligator. He previously covered football, baseball and women's basketball. He also enjoys professional lacrosse and Major League Soccer.
