Florida’s freshman class is loaded with talent. Wide receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III have gained attention for their offensive impact. On defense, freshman edge rusher Jayden Woods has been just as significant.
He’s played the most snaps of any defensive lineman on Florida’s roster, and he’s tied for the most sacks (1.5) and is fourth in pressures (7) on the team.
“That kid is a freak athlete,” said Gators redshirt senior edge rusher Tyreak Sapp Sept. 10. “The kid doesn’t even know his own strength yet, it's crazy. The things I see him do just off raw talent, I can just imagine when his football playing ability goes up and his football IQ goes up.”
Woods began to receive attention throughout the Gators’ spring and fall camps. Head coach Billy Napier said “he’s exactly what we’re looking for” and was one of his favorites in the Gators’ 2024 class. Woods made his debut against Long Island in Florida’s opener but didn’t record a tackle or sack.
In the following game, the Shawnee, Kansas, native tallied two tackles against South Florida. Two weeks later, Woods made his first start against then-No. 5 Miami, where he logged his first career sack.
“He's getting into a rhythm,” Napier said Oct. 8. “For a rookie, the season is chaos in the beginning. … He's handled it well. He's a focused young man.”
Woods' emergence has been vital to Florida’s defensive line, which has dealt with key players rotating in and out — forcing reliance on a group that wasn’t expected to make much of an impact early on in the season.
For instance, Gators star defensive tackle Caleb Banks, a redshirt senior, has been plagued by injuries throughout the year, playing just one half against Louisiana State Sept. 13.
Additionally, defensive linemen Joseph Mbatchou, Brendan Bett and Michai Boireau, and edge rushers George Gumbs Jr. and LJ McCray have also suffered injuries.
“We all trust the man next to us no matter who's on the field,” Boireau said Oct. 8. “No matter if it's a freshman or if it's a senior. We trust the guy that's next to us, and we know we can go out there and execute with that guy.”
Woods’ emergence isn’t just unique to Florida’s roster — he’s stood out among all freshmen in the Southeastern Conference. He’s played 20% of his team’s snaps, a feat only two other true freshman edge rushers in the SEC have accomplished this season. He also has the fourth-highest grade (70.5) among freshman edge rushers in the conference who have played 100 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
“You can see he wants to get better,” Boireau said. “When he gets on that field, he's a dog.”
The Gators’ defense ranked as one of the top units in the SEC before its contest with then-No. 5 Texas A&M Oct. 11. Florida surrendered 417 total yards and recorded just one interception and no sacks, despite recording six sacks and two interceptions the week before.
The Gators will return to action against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2 SEC) at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 18 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.
Luke is The Alligator's Sports Editor and is a senior sports journalism student. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cat named Pete and going down a rabbit hole of niche professional athletes (shoutout Charles Sims).
