Year after year in the Southeastern Conference, some of the top players in the nation wreak havoc among the line of scrimmage. This year, some of those stars headline the Florida Gators’ defensive line, a unit not only filled with superstar talent but arguably the most depth among the entirety of the Gators’ roster.
The defensive line ranks as the No. 10 defensive line unit in the nation according to college football expert Phil Steele, which is good for fourth in the SEC.
“The key parts of the defense that got 39 sacks are back,” Steele said. “And [Caleb] Banks is a potential top 10 pick.”
Banks, a redshirt senior from Detroit, is among the Gators’ stars on the defensive front. He generated seven pressures against both LSU and Ole Miss last season and finished 2024 with 4.5 sacks.
“[Banks] played like a man possessed down the stretch last season,” Steele said.
The former Louisville Cardinal was named to both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch lists, as well as multiple preseason All-SEC teams prior to his final collegiate season.
Despite dealing with a minor lower-leg injury that kept him limited during training camp, Banks is expected to be good to go for the beginning of the season, where he looks to continue his momentum from the end of 2024.
“Honestly, I think it's a mindset thing,” Banks said at SEC Media Days. “I think if we have the right mindset going into the season this year and we have a great fall camp, we'll be able to go out and be successful this year."
Serving as a leader on the line next to Banks is senior edge rusher Tyreak Sapp, who paced the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2024.
He was also named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List for the 2025 season alongside Banks.
This offseason, Sapp worked with Florida Director of Football Strength & Conditioning Coach Tyler Miles to put himself in the best shape possible for the 2025 season.
“I benched 385 last year, my max, and now I bench 445," Sapp said. "I put on 10 pounds of muscle mass. I was glad I was able to do that."
Despite losing edge rusher Jack Pyburn to the transfer portal and defensive tackles Cam Jackson and Desmond Watson to the NFL Draft, the Gator defensive line still features plenty of depth.
Redshirt senior edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. returns after logging five sacks in 2024, his first with the Gators after transferring from Northern Illinois. Alongside him, junior edge rusher Kamran James was productive as a sophomore in 2024, making four starts and recording three tackles for loss.
One player to watch closely is sophomore edge rusher LJ McCray, who has made strides physically and is expected to play a larger role in his second year at UF.
“LJ got some experience last year,” head coach Billy Napier said. “So it's time for him to take a big jump. And we need him to.”
Rounding out the deep edge rusher room are two talented freshmen in Jalen Wiggins and Jayden Woods. Woods specifically has been singled out by Napier, who called him a “unicorn” for his special mix of talent and size.
One area of potential concern may come in the run game, where both sophomore Michai Boireau and redshirt junior Jamari Lyons are limited in their experience thus far.
Lyons missed all of 2024 with a broken ankle, while Boireau served as a rotational player behind Jackson and Watson. However, with their departures, both are expected to be impact players in the front of the Gators’ defense.
While the group is not devoid of any concern, Florida’s 2025 defensive line is on pace to set the benchmark in both talent and production for the unit in Billy Napier’s tenure thus far at Florida.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is the Summer 2025 sports editor. He is a third-year journalism sports & media major and in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is a big South Florida sports fan and would die for Matthew Tkachuk.
