While the Gators defense will be welcomed back with an ear-popping roar from fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when it faces Florida Atlantic and quarterback Caden Veltkamp in the Sept. 5 season opener, this holistic review examines Florida’s defensive unit entering a much-anticipated 2026 season.
Here is a breakdown of Florida’s defensive personnel, including the defensive line, linebackers, secondary and special teams unit.
Defensive linemen
Just one month after head coach Jon Sumrall assumed the reins in Gainesville, he singled out one unit on his roster in need of a revamp: the defensive line.
“[We] probably could have added another piece or two on the D-line in particular,” Sumrall said Feb. 4.
But the play of returning defensive line coach Gerald Chatman’s unit has completely changed his tune.
“I'm excited about that group,” Sumrall said after the 2026 Orange & Blue Spring Game April 11. “There's a lot of guys in that room that I think can play winning football … That group is what's really giving me hope.”
And it’s not hard to see why Sumrall has high hopes for the unit. Over half a dozen players bring either experience or high pedigree. In defensive coordinator Brad White’s three-man defensive front, those players will all have the chance to prove they belong on the field.
Clogging up the middle, redshirt junior Brendan Bett returns as a projected starter fresh off the heels of a breakout 2025 campaign. In 346 snaps, Bett posted a 72.9 run defense grade and 16 defensive stops per Pro Football Focus.
Bett, who has bulked up to 319 pounds this summer, has not only emerged as one of the most talented players on Florida’s defense but also as one of its most crucial leaders.
“Brendan Bett up front is that guy I think that D-line is going to really lean on,” White said Aug. 4.
Another leader in the room is returning senior Kamran James, who has recorded nine quarterback hurries and 5.5 sacks over the last two seasons. James, who played through a torn right labrum last season, is finally working his way back to full strength after his surgery.
If healthy, James is expected to start at the defensive end as part of a three-man rotation with talented redshirt senior transfer Emmanuel Oyebadejo and redshirt sophomore LJ McCray.
Oyebadejo spent the 2025 season at Jacksonville State, where he earned First Team All-CUSA honors with a 4.5-sack, 6.5-tackle-for-loss season. The performance earned him an 80.6 defensive grade per PFF, placing him 48th best among EDGE defenders nationally.
McCray, meanwhile, has yet to live up to the five-star pedigree he brought to Gainesville but looks destined to explode into a major role as a disruptive defensive force.
At 6-foot-6, 277 pounds, he gained 21 pounds of lean muscle and added almost 2 mph to his top speed mark. That earned him the No. 34 spot on the annual Freaks List from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.
“I definitely feel way different, way stronger, more sturdy, more agile,” McCray said. “I think that’s just a testament to the work I’ve been putting in … Now it’s time for people to see it.”
At the other defensive line spot, returning sophomores Joseph Mbatchou and Jeramiah McCloud, as well as Baylor redshirt junior transfer DK Kalu, are all competing for a big role in the center of the line. No matter which of those three gets the starting gig Sept. 5, they all project as great fits within White’s defensive scheme.
Linebackers
Heading into the offseason, the defensive unit with the fewest questions was the linebacker core. Nine months later, that sentiment has not shifted.
And at the center of it all sits junior Myles Graham. The Gainesville native stuffed the stat sheet in 2025, recording eight quarterback hurries, 76 tackles, 36 defensive stops and four pass breakups. Graham was named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list Aug. 13.
“Myles has been fantastic,” inside linebackers coach Greg Gasparato said. “He's a leader … Everything he does, he goes 100 miles per hour. He tries to be the first of what he does. First one in the building. He's unbelievably smart.”
Opposite Graham, the duo of senior Jaden Robinson and junior Aaron Chiles brings experience and steady play to the table. Robinson has been a fixture on the Gators’ defense for the past two seasons, racking up 103 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Chiles, meanwhile, emerged as a starter in 2025 and recorded 52 tackles, half a sack and a pass deflection.
The returning trio has given Gasparato and White plenty of options to fill the MIKE (inside linebacker), SAM (strongside linebacker) and WILL (weakside linebacker) positions.
“You might see Myles playing a little bit of MIKE … playing a little bit of SAM at times. You might see Aaron playing some WILL at times. You might see Jaden playing some SAM and some WILL at times,” Gasparato said. “You’ll see a lot of guys moving around.”
A new element of White’s aggressive defensive look is the JACK rusher position. Intended to blend the talent of an outside linebacker and defensive end, it’s set to be manned by sophomore Jayden Woods.
As a true freshman, Woods led the Florida defensive line in snaps played (448) and tied for the team-lead in sacks (3.5). After testing the waters of the transfer portal, Woods chose to return to Florida, claiming his key role in the new defensive system.
One of the most physically gifted players in the nation regardless of position, Woods ranked No. 5 on Feldman’s Freaks List thanks, in part, to power cleaning 405 pounds, bench pressing 385 pounds and running at a top speed of 20.6 mph. Even more impressive is that Woods is putting up those numbers at a listed 6-foot-3, 245 pounds.
“He’s an elite athlete, and that clean at his body weight is just outstanding,” Florida Director of Football Performance Rusty Whitt said. “It's an indicator of just all the work he's put into it.”
With that physical improvement, Woods has set a lofty goal of 12.5 sacks this season, almost four times his total from last season. However, the Shawnee, Kansas, native knows he has more fuel in the tank heading into 2026.
“For me personally, I feel like I showed flashes of myself last year,” Woods said. “So my biggest thing is building off of that and not taking any steps backwards.”
Behind Woods, the pair of redshirt senior Kofi Asare and true freshman KJ Ford have made strides throughout camp. White said they would be capable of plugging into the lineup and playing “winning football.”
Defensive backs
Despite the losses of Sharif Denson, Jordan Castell and Aaron Gates to the transfer portal, Florida’s secondary remains largely intact due to a slew of rising young returners and seasoned transfers.
Redshirt junior Dijon Johnson is poised to serve as a cornerstone of the unit entering his fourth season as a Gator. He started UF’s first four games in 2025 before suffering a season-ending knee injury that earned him a redshirt.
Now coming off surgery and beginning to step into a leadership role as a veteran defensive back, Johnson will play a pivotal role as a battle-tested defender looking to expand on an injury-shortened season in which he logged eight tackles and one interception.
Though he has yet to participate in a fall scrimmage, Johnson is now “full go,” said Sumrall, who expressed confidence in his recovery.
“He’s looked really good,” Sumrall said Aug. 17. “He’s had a great attitude, played a lot of snaps, veteran. [I] like where he’s at mentally. He’s in a good spot.”
Like Johnson, redshirt junior Cormani McClain is expected to step up as a top coverage corner for the Gators. Last season, McClain saw action in 10 games, started in six and finished with a PFF defense grade of 67, a run defense grade of 74.4 and a tackle grade of 79.4. He also logged 18 tackles and an interception, attesting to his growth from a three-game, five-tackle 2024 season.
Redshirt freshman Ben Hanks III is another defensive back in a favorable position to receive major playing time this year. He appeared in just three games as a true freshman in 2025 but made the most of his opportunities with eight tackles, two pass breakups and an interception.
Since then, the resounding message from the program is that Hanks has grown not just physically, but as a vocal defensive leader. On Aug. 4, fellow redshirt freshman Dallas Wilson said he’s not only seen Hanks put on weight and grow stronger, but he has stepped up as a leader, too.
Though White said Hanks will have to show consistency every down, he has all the necessary skills to play as a lock-down corner in the SEC.
“He’s got elite-level ball skills, he’s got a trait that allows him to track the ball in the air, he’s got soft hands,” White said Aug. 4. “We expect him to take a major step from where he was last year.”
Sophomore J’vari Flowers is another back who flashed as a true freshman. He saw action in all 12 games in 2025 and has emerged as an option to return kicks and punts in 2026.
Redshirt senior Javion Toombs has also been a consistent special teams player across Florida’s last three seasons and can be expected to see the field in kick coverage and punt return schemes.
Redshirt junior Kanye Clark was brought in from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is expected to contribute in a STAR defensive back role. As a versatile back who can cover, blitz and stop the run, Clark is expected to mesh well with White’s multifaceted defensive scheme.
He logged 22 tackles, two pass breakups and forced a fumble at UCLA last season, even branching into a nickel role. At Florida, Clark has greatly improved his lifting metrics under Whitt – power cleaning 315 pounds at just a 186-pound bodyweight – and is prepared to dive into a new role in White’s defense.
“I like that it shows my versatility as a player, being able to guard people one-on-one in the slot and also being able to show up in the box and blitz off the edge,” Clark said of the STAR position Aug. 11.
Redshirt senior Jordy Lowery enters his first season at Florida with his final season of college eligibility. However, the promising veteran back suffered a soft-tissue injury in the Gators’ first scrimmage of fall camp.
While Sumrall said Lowery’s injury won’t be “a terribly long-term deal,” the redshirt senior is expected to be kept off the field for the foreseeable future.
Redshirt freshman Onis Konanbanny, redshirt junior Vincent Brown Jr., redshirt sophomore Javier Jones, sophomore Elijah Owens and freshmen Dylan Purter, CJ Bronaugh and CJ Hester are all expected to provide valuable depth as defensive backs through a grueling nine-game conference schedule.
Safeties
Offering further protection from the deep ball and covering the middle of the field, Florida’s safety room provides a blend of returning talent and new ball hawks to bolster a defense that allowed 24 points per game in 2025.
Headlining Florida’s secondary is senior Bryce Thornton, who led the team in pass breakups in 2025 and logged 56 tackles – three for loss – a sack and an interception. Now entering his fourth season as a Gator, Thornton is taking on a leadership role as a veteran who has been tested by a plethora of in-game scenarios. The experience under his belt and the leadership he exudes are likely to make Thornton a weekly starter in the secondary.
“You talk [about] Bryce, a guy that’s just got so many reps under his belt in this league, which is huge. It’s hard to imitate experience,” White said Aug. 4. “He’s always sort of got this smile on his face, so it’s really easy. You don’t ever feel like he’s stressed, which I think is a real comfort to our guys.”
Thornton's extensive experience also gives him the ability to shift positions in White’s versatile scheme and make space for other flexible backs, like senior DJ Coleman, to work into the secondary.
Coleman, a Baylor transfer, totaled 46 tackles – 6.5 for loss – four pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble with the Bears in 2025. He also nabbed an interception during UF’s Orange & Blue Spring Game April 11 and is expected to be an immediate contributor to Florida’s defense. He has also become more of a vocal leader as he’s learned where he fits within the team and what’s expected of him, White said.
Coleman’s versatility lets him bounce from boundary safety to strong safety to nickel, providing depth and flexibility in the secondary and allowing White to work different schemes.
“What I like about this defense is that it allows you to play very versatile, and coach White will put you in positions to show your skill set,” Coleman said April 7. “He finds the way to put you in the position to highlight your strengths, and then there's a lot of vision, and he allows us to play very free and make plays on the ball.”
Like Coleman, junior Cam Dooley also grabbed an interception in Florida’s spring game after being brought in from the portal to bolster UF’s secondary. Dooley followed White from Kentucky and has the ability to work his way into a heavy workload with his strong blanket coverage and preexisting understanding of White’s scheme.
Dooley allowed just 80 yards across 212 coverage snaps as a Wildcat in 2025 and did not allow a touchdown in coverage, attesting to his playmaking ability and comfortability under White.
Sophomore Lagonza Hayward posted a promising 12-tackle season with the Gators in 2025, appearing in 11 games and logging a sack. Though Hayward didn’t see many snaps last year, he’s shown he has the tools necessary to establish himself in Florida’s secondary.
Redshirt senior Alfonzo Allen Jr. provides another veteran presence in the secondary entering his third season at Florida. In his first start at UF – a 23-21 win over Mississippi State in 2025 – Allen made the most of the opportunity, becoming the first Gator since 2021 to record 15 tackles in a single game.
Though he hasn’t been showered with opportunity, Allen has proven his ability to provide a spark off the bench and is more than capable of running Florida’s defense when his number is called.
“You have another guy in that room like Alfonzo Allen, who’s just really steady as well, kind of complements the top guys in that room,” Sumrall said Aug. 17. “He just does the right thing a lot and does it really well.”
Sophomore Drake Stubbs, redshirt junior Brayden Slade and freshmen Kaiden Hall and Eric Parks have also been working in White’s secondary and could see the field if injury strikes or a special teams role becomes available. Most notably, Stubbs saw action in seven games during the 2025 season, largely serving on special teams. He also tallied three tackles across the Gators’ final two games, providing a late-season glimpse into his ability as a defender.
Special teams
Even with an almost completely fresh group heading into the 2026 season, Florida’s special teams still projects as one of the top units nationally. That’s thanks to the addition of former Tulane special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante, whose Green Wave unit ranked 20th on the FEI Special Teams Ratings last season, just six spots behind a Gator unit that saw its kicker and punter both be drafted to the NFL and its long snapper signed as an undrafted free agent.
Following Galante from Tulane, redshirt sophomore kicker Patrick Durkin and redshirt junior punter Alec Clark are expected to seamlessly fill the shoes of their predecessors.
Durkin hit 25 of 28 field goal attempts last season, including four makes from 50-plus yards, which tied him for third in the nation from beyond that distance. He also nailed 41 of 42 extra-point tries en route to earning American Conference Special Team Player of the Year honors.
Clark, meanwhile, earned First-Team All-AAC honors after recording 46.5 yards per punt and placing 16 punts that were inside the 20-yard line, 50-plus yards and fair catches.
With Durkin out of action due to bone bruises during UF’s scrimmage Aug. 15, redshirt sophomore kicker Liam Padron stepped up and made the most of his opportunity. Sumrall said he nailed 9 of 10 throughout the day and 3 of 4 during the scrimmage, including a 50-yarder. That performance has inspired confidence from the head coach in case Durkin deals with any setbacks.
“To know that we’ve got another guy that’s capable, that maybe hadn’t kicked in a bunch of games or anything, but he’s got the ability,” Sumrall said. “That’s encouraging.”
Experienced redshirt senior transfer Carter Milliron is expected to start at long snapper, with fellow transfer redshirt freshman Hunter Solwold serving as his backup.
On the return game front, sophomore wide receiver Vernell Brown III is likely to be UF’s primary option for the second consecutive year after recording a combined 262 yards on 20 returns last season. Galante also mentioned redshirt junior London Montgomery and Flowers as potential options to also return kicks and punts.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor, and is the Summer 2026 Digital Managing Editor at The Alligator. Now in his eighth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his fifth semester at The Alligator. He is currently the sports editor, 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)
