Gators Say Talent in Place to Reload, not Rebuild Defense

Senior defensive back Duke Dawson is confident the Gators can maintain their high standards on defense. (Photo: Jimmy Mitchell/Southeastern Conference)

Gators Say Talent in Place to Reload, not Rebuild Defense

Sunday, July 16, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter

Florida lost seven defensive players to the NFL Draft.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The days of Steve Spurrier's Fun N' Gun and Urban Meyer's power-spread offense are dusty reminders of when the Gators put fear into opposing defensive coordinators.

In the 2010s, the orange-and-blue brand of football played in these parts has revolved around a smash-mouth defense. Even when the Gators suffered through their worst season in more than three decades in 2013, they had the nation's No. 8-ranked defense.

The common belief of many of those on the outside looking in is that the Gators are due for a defensive drop-off in 2017. Florida lost seven regular starters on defense to the NFL Draft, including a trio of defensive backs in Marcus Maye, Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor that would leave a void in any program.

Not so fast, said fifth-year senior safety Marcell Harris. When Maye suffered a season-ending injury a year ago, Harris stepped into the lineup and elevated his play, finishing as the team's leading tackler.

He expects others to follow his path.

"I feel like we never drop off,'' Harris said. "We've got players who leave because they do a great job. That's just the next step for us, to do a great job and to get our team there and get our defensive backs to where they need to be."

Harris and seniors Nick Washington and Duke Dawson provide a young secondary with experience, and sophomore Chauncey Gardner Jr. showed what he's capable of doing by intercepting two passes in Florida's Outback Bowl win against Iowa to earn MVP honors.

Dawson is perhaps the secondary's most talented player, earning preseason All-SEC Second Team honors in media voting at last week's SEC Football Media Days. Dawson has rotated from spot to spot for much of his career and was the primary nickelback as a junior.

"My first three years have been real bumpy,'' he said. "There's been a lot of ups and downs."

Dawson is focused on having a breakout season after testing the draft waters after last season and opting to return to school to improve his stock. Meanwhile, like Harris, Dawson is confident UF's six freshmen defensive backs can contribute and avoid a significant drop in production in the secondary.

"You can say that in some aspects we are young, but other than that, I don't feel that we're young,'' Dawson said. "The younger guys that came in, they are picking up on the defense. It's not going to be any worries for the coaches and how they play. It's just the mental part of the game."

Among the front seven from 2016, the Gators lost defensive tackles Caleb Brantley and Joey Ivie, and defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. They also lost linebackers Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone, leaving plenty of spots to fill.

Third-year head coach Jim McElwain has led the Gators to back-to-back SEC East titles riding the coattails from a defense that ranked eighth nationally in 2015 (310.2 yards per game) and fifth a year ago (293.0 ypg).

A former offensive coordinator, McElwain is fully aware of the dynamics in place. He is focused on improving an offense that ranked 111th nationally (334.0 ypg) his first season and 116th (344.0 ypg) in 2016.

McElwain said the offense entering this season is the most talented he's had at UF and while the defense lost a significant amount of talent, he is not overly concerned with players such as Jabari Zuniga, Vosean Joseph, David Reese and Cece Jefferson back.

"There's a certain level of expectation with that side of the ball,'' McElwain said. "Guys come here to be part of that. Obviously, we won't be as experienced but I think we're pretty dang talented. We've got to get those guys going early because that first game is a real game."

Junior left tackle Martez Ivey is the Gators' highest-rated NFL prospect on offense. The offense-defense storyline has been the same his entire career.

If the Gators do suffer a defensive dip, Ivey has a solution that can help. You have heard it before, but who knows, maybe this is the year it happens.

"We're going to put some points on the board to help them out,'' Ivey said.