Though Florida football nearly cleaned the house ahead of its 2026 campaign, both key returners and new pieces are set to contribute to a versatile defense led by defensive coordinator Brad White and safeties coach Chris Collins.
With continuity and relationships built in Lexington, Florida’s defensive staff is prepared to develop new and returning talent just the same, focusing on coaches’ adaptability and players’ strengths to improve UF’s versatility. Collins harped on the importance of speed and intelligence on defense, highlighting players’ needs to be able to run, learn how to process the game quickly and be willing to work.
Collins also expressed confidence in White’s ability to adapt his coaching style to his players and put them in spots where they are most comfortable.
“He identifies what they do well, and then he elevates that,” he said of White. “He’s been very adaptable to the players that we’ve had, and so I think our guys develop confidence in that.”
Along with White and Collins, UF brought in rising-junior safety Cam Dooley from Kentucky to boost Florida’s pass protection scheme in 2026. Collins had high praise for Dooley and believes he will fit well in Gainesville, especially because of his experience and ability.
“It was a no-brainer in terms of the fit piece,” Collins said. “In terms of system, in terms of structure, he also is a tremendous athlete — extremely long, fluid ball skill and willing to be violent.”
Collins also worked with UF inside wide receivers coach Trent McKnight at Georgia State. He said their families are great friends, and their familiarity with one another as coaches should help boost Florida’s cohesiveness.
With McKnight’s receivers and Collins’ safeties often matching up against each other in practice, the pair of coaches have seen their schemes clash countless times, which could ultimately bring a competitive edge and further continuity to the Gators defense.
“We had some real battles back in Georgia State days, man, and iron sharpens iron,” Collins said. “We were able to grow outside of just in the office setting, and I think we’ll be able to carry that here at Florida.”
UF also added rising-senior safety DJ Coleman from Baylor, who has hit the ground running. Collins said Coleman is “very bright in terms of football understanding” and compared his personality to that of UF rising senior Bryce Thornton.
With a majority of UF’s players new to White and Collins’ defensive system, the staff has focused on being intentional about the pace they attack the new scheme with early on to ensure they give players a strong foundation.
Thornton is one of the Gators’ top returners after logging 56 tackles and six pass deflections in 2025. Expected to be a big-impact safety, Collins is pleased with Thornton’s development thus far. Rather than holding a sense of entitlement within the program, Thornton has emerged as a defensive leader who has shown a consistent willingness to grow — something Collins greatly values.
“He’s been very much of a sponge in terms of not just the football piece, but how to be a leader,” Collins said. “He’s been very willing, very transparent in terms of areas that he’s working to grow and wants to grow.”
Drake Stubbs is another returning safety Collins took the time to mention in his assessment of Florida’s defense on Wednesday. Though Stubbs was largely limited to a special teams role in his freshman season at Florida in 2025, he’s shown an eagerness to improve and develop under White and Collins.
As aforementioned, this willingness to learn is a crucial feature present in UF’s safety room.
“I love his energy,” Collins said of Stubbs. “He’s one of those guys bouncing off the wall, excited about the process … Work is something that he just naturally gravitates towards and vice versa.”
Redshirt junior Alfonzo Allen Jr. is a third returning safety who brings experience and discipline to UF’s pass protection scheme. With a breakout performance against Mississippi State in 2025, Allen became the first Gator since 2021 to record 15 total tackles in a single game, establishing himself as a key role player on Florida’s 2026 squad.
With Allen’s experience playing against SEC competition under the bright lights of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, he remains a valuable piece of a UF defense pushing to be as flexible as possible. Collins noted that Allen’s relentless drive rubs off on others and is valuable to the safety room’s growth.
UF’s safeties coach also stressed the importance of cross training players to create moving pieces across the defense that can adapt to any scheme, explaining that there will be times when a cornerback plays at the star position — a versatile role that blends some aspects of linebacker and safety.
“We really are cross training them all, because that’s how the structure is built,” Collins said. “Everybody gets comfortable because our defense has the ability as a 3-4 structure to be versatile.”
A key aspect of the versatility White and Collins’ defensive scheme brings to UF is the ability to pursue the quarterback with the secondary. Blitz packages stand out as a prominent part of UF’s scheme because the versatility of Florida’s defensive backs allows the Gators to switch up their looks and attack quarterbacks with players less likely to be accounted for in opponents’ offensive blocking schemes.
However, this scheme calls for an adjustment to the defense’s mentality. Blitzers in the secondary are expected to have an aggressive and physical approach to attacking the ball — a mindset Collins is confident his safety room has early in the offseason.
“It gets loud in those trenches, so you gotta be ready, get your pads down, play low and play physical and violent,” Collins said. “I think our mindset of the room is that way … I think those guys will be excited about that opportunity to go attack the quarterback.”
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a junior sports journalism student in his fourth semester at The Alligator. He is currently the sports desk's football and enterprise beat writer, and previously served as a reporter for men's tennis, sports enterprise and football. He is currently pursuing a public relations minor and is an avid Duval sports fan. (#DTWD)
