Florida Football: Dan Mullen leads rebuilding Gators in 2018

Defense

Florida hired new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who is known for his signature 3-4 defensive scheme. This could be a problem because Florida’s outside linebackers aren’t what they should be. They did just add 4-star outsider linebacker David Reese to the mix, so that might change, but linebacker positions in general are pretty thin for the Gator defense.

This does not mean that Florida doesn’t have a wealth of defensive talent. Defensive end Jachai Polite should have a stellar year, and defensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton is a beast at 6-foot-4 and 358 pounds. Slaton was born for a 3-4 scheme. Mullen has stressed that versatility is the order of the day at UF, which is good, because right now the team plays a more traditional 4-3 pass rush defense.

The defense is young, though, and eager. If Grantham allows the team some flexibility in his defensive schemes and overhauls the unit, he could have an elite squad on his hands in a few years. Look at what they guy did at Mississippi State with that defense. I think the defense has got some work to do, but if Grantham works his magic,this team contending for an SEC East title as early as 2019.