Florida football begin anew with Billy Napier at the helm

Proven depth up front is a major concern

The 2020 defense was extremely bad, allowing 428 yards and 30.8 points per game. Last season the Gators improved to mediocre, with 367.8 yards and 26.8 points per game. It is now up to co-defensive coordinators Patrick Toney and Sean Spencer to take the next step to at least a top 40 defense.

Toney’s scheme is a 3-4, a departure from Todd Grantham’s 4-3 system from a year ago. Along the defensive line, Gervon Dexter is among the most versatile and he will likely be called upon to line up at multiple positions. He had nine starts at defensive tackle a year ago as a sophomore, recording 51 tackles, four for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Alongside him will be unproven freshmen and sophomores so Dexter will be expected to improve upon his impressive second year.

Two-time All-SEC linebacker Brenton Cox returns which is great news. He started all 13 games a year ago with 8.5 sacks. Expect that number to easily reach into the double digits this season.

Ventrell Miller’s return for a sixth year after a shoulder injury will also be a boost to the Gator linebackers. Miller led the team in 2020 with 86 tackles. Amari Burney is a fifth-year senior and Diwun Black, a JUCO player who originally signed in 2019, should both see significant playing time in the linebacking unit.

The best unit a year ago was the secondary and looks to be once again. They lose cornerback Kaair Elam but return everyone else. Sophomores Jason Marshall and Avery Helm look to man the cornerback positions.

Safety Trey Dean led the team in tackles and pass breakups a year ago and is a three-year starter. Opposite Dean is Rashad Torrence who had three interceptions and finished third on the team in tackles last season.

There is still a lot of talent on the Gator defense. Perhaps the scheme and culture change under the new coaching staff will propel them up the defensive rankings. Gators need to stay healthy so as to not test the lack of depth in the front seven.