Florida Football: 5 spring 2019 breakout candidates for Gators

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Trevon Grimes #8 of the Florida Gators, Feleipe Franks #13 of the Florida Gators, and Dameon Pierce #27 of the Florida Gators celebrates the win with the fans after the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

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KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum #68 of the Tennessee Volunteers guards Zachary Carter #17 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

It’s hard to stand out when you have a guy like Jabari Zuniga starting ahead of you, but redshirt sophomore defensive end Zachary Carter has the look of a future star for the Gators.

Carter stands 6-foot-4.5 and weighs in at about 275 pounds, making him a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen. He’s a big dude to handle for tackles and he’s strong but he has little playing time under his belt, recording just eight tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass deflections in five career games.

With Zuniga entering his senior season, the Gators are going to need some young backups to step up and that’s where Carter comes in to play. The former four-star is projected as Zuniga’s primary backup at defensive end and he figures to see the field plenty more in 2019.

If the Gators are going to have success in 2019 and beyond on the defensive line, they will need Carter to step up and play to his potential — which is seemingly endless.

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