Tyreak Sapp (94) is expected to become a leader on and off the field for a defensive line unit that will be deeper and better than a year ago.
Unit Breakdown: Defensive line
Thursday, August 24, 2023 | Football, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's been well chronicled; the factBilly Napier inherited a Florida program that (stunningly) had made recruiting far from a priority under the previous staff. The dearth of talent was especially evident on the defensive side of the ball the last couple seasons. Most recently, the Gators put up historically bad numbers in 2022, finishing 97th nationally in total defense, 100th against the run, 116th in first downs allowed and – squint, if necessary – a staggering 129th in third-down percentage (only two teams in the country were worse). Florida gave up 28.8 points per game. Six times the Gators were tagged for at least 30 points, including three times for more than 40.
Not sustainable.
Napier, energetic new coordinator Austin Armstrong(by way of Southern Mississippi) and his positional coaches are quietly confident those dark defensive days could be in the rearview, thanks to an influx of better players; some who have developed in the program, others with came via the transfer portal.
Whatever the case, the Gators will have to validate that confidence by putting some stops on tape and it all begins, of course, up front. The UF staff is very high on the possibilities of the defensive line, based on what was shown in the spring and in training camp to date, even after after the season-ending knee injury to Justus Boone, possibly the best and most respected player in the room. That optimism speaks to depth.
Boone, who underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ACL this week, will remain an emotional leader for the unit during practices, meetings and certainly on game days, but his fiery mentorship can only go so far.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Gardendale, Ala.
Orlando
BEST PLAYER
Tyreak Sapp
His numbers during a 2022 redshirt freshman season may not pop, but Tyreak Sapp has announced himself to the program in ways that transcend statistics. His Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas pedigree surely account for some of his alpha male qualities, but the whole Sapp package – his motor, quickness, leadership – figures to be on display in '23 when he'll be unleashed as an every-down player at the all-important "Edge" spot in the UF defense that needs him to step into the spotlight role that figured to be occupied by Boone until his injury. Sapp had 20 tackles and two quarterback hurries as a rotational guy with no starts, but watch those numbers multiply in '23.
BREAKOUT GUY
Memphis transfer Cam Jackson with Coach Billy Napierat Orange & Blue Game in April.Cam Jackson was a productive nose tackle at Memphis last season, garnering third-team All-America Athletic Conference honors as a (massive) junior who finished the year with 41 tackles, 2.5 for loss, four quarterback hurries and a sack in the team's victory over Utah State in the First Responders Bowl. Jackson will park his 6-foot-6, 371-pound frame in the middle of the UF defensive front and make people move him. Hailing for the Bayou State, Jackson had some previous recruiting history with Napier, then the University of Louisiana head coach and when he joined the Gators in January brought the right mindset with him. Jackson not did arrive thinking he was some hotshot transfer parachuting into a struggling rebuild situation, but a guy who was confident in himself and ready to prove he was good enough to be a standout player in the Southeastern Conference.
FRESH(MAN) FACE OF NOTE
True freshman Kelby Collins (11), here in the Orange & Blue Game, will be a key part of the unit's depth and looms as pass-rush specialist.
The Gators went to Alabama and nabbed one of top of the prospects in the state in pass-rush specialist Kelby Collins, already a long and mean-streaked 6-4, 272-pounder who looks much older (and more developed) than his 18 years. Like so many of his freshman classmates, Collins got here in January after a prep career that showed 158 tackles over 31 games (7.7 per), including 47.5 for loss, and ended with a fine showing in the Under Armour All American Game. He was the third-rated player in the state, a top-50 overall prospect and sought by Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and the like. Collins is the kind of player the program expects to land and build around in the coming Napier years.
ETC.
Junior nose tackle Desmond Watson(21) will play his third collegiate season at 400-plus pounds. Imagine being a center or guard (or both) butting heads with Jackson for a couple series, then breaking the huddle and getting a good look at Jackson's sub, 449-pound Desmond Watson, who has 26 games under his (lengthy) belt, including 10 starts last season, with 32 tackles. If redshirt freshman Jamari Lyons gets some reps at the nose those o-linemen may consider it a break. Lyons, who appeared in just three games in '22, is only 6-4, 308. Consider this an example of the aforementioned depth the Gators are counting on to stem, for starters, all those rushing yards surrendered the last couple years. Alongside whoever is playing nose tackle, UF will roll through a rotation of rising-stock sophomore Chris McClellan(13 games, 23 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks as a true freshman), redshirt freshmanCaleb Banks (midseason transfer from Louisville) and true freshman Will Norman, who teamed with Collins at the U-Armour game last winter. On the edge, Sapp will share reps with Collins, but also sophomore Jack Pyburn (solid spring, even better camp) and true freshman Kamran James, yet another highly recruited Under Armour invitee who doubled as a basketball standout at Orlando Olympia High.
"QUOTE "
"There are a number of players from a grouping standpoint who will be a factor. We've got confidence in the players, we're just going to have a little less experience out there. Justus, obviously, brought experience and leadership to the table, so the challenge will be replacing that presence. We're going to do as much as we can to keep him connected to that position group, that unit and the team. But there will be a few more things to learn for these players and some adjustments to be made." – Napier
BOTTOM LINE
Moving into the top 100 in total defense – especially third-down defense – would be a modest goal. Seriously modest. That said, a measly improvement of 20 spots in each of those struggling (polite adjective) statistics a year ago may have equated to two more victories, given the Gators lost three one-possession games in '22. This unit, combined with an enthusiastic and youthful linebacking corps, should make for a different front-seven experience in '23.
Florida Football | Sean Kelley, Coach Sumrall, Coach Spurrier, and Coach MeyerFlorida Football | Sean Kelley, Coach Sumrall, Coach Spurrier, and Coach Meyer
Friday, December 12
Florida Football | Head Coach Jon Sumrall Sits Down with Gator Greats Steve Spurrier and Urban MeyerFlorida Football | Head Coach Jon Sumrall Sits Down with Gator Greats Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer
Friday, December 12
Florida Football | Urban Meyer & Nick Saban Interview | 2025 NFF Annual Awards DinnerFlorida Football | Urban Meyer & Nick Saban Interview | 2025 NFF Annual Awards Dinner
Wednesday, December 10
Coach Meyer and Coach Saban - Hall of Fame 12-09-25Coach Meyer and Coach Saban - Hall of Fame 12-09-25
