The return of Justus Boone is a much-needed boost for Florida's defensive line. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
Gators Position Preview: Defensive Line/Edge
Monday, August 19, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tyreak Sapp is what sports writers call "a good quote." Sapp isn't one to speak in canned clichés and generally puts thought into questions tossed his way.
Sapp, who signed with the Gators in 2021 out of St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, was asked recently about his reaction to the media picking the Gators to finish 12th in the SEC this season.
"That's personal, man," he said. "I feel like everybody that had something to say, everybody that dawned upon our failure and that had a doubt in their mind about us, we ain't going to say nothing about it, but they are going to have live with that real soon.
"May God have mercy on a lot of teams' souls because I won't. I promise you, I won't."
As quotes go, that one found the end zone in the first week of preseason camp. Much better than if Sapp had responded: "You know, we play them one game at a time."
Meanwhile, the fourth-year junior defensive lineman is eager for the season to start and the opportunity to once more play with fellow defensive lineman Justus Boone, one of his best friends on the team. Boone suffered a season-ending injury before last season. Boone's return, plus newcomers such as talented freshman LJ McCray and returning veterans Caleb Banks and Cam Jackson, provide the Gators hope they can shut down opponents more than they did a season ago.
Florida did suffer a hit in the first scrimmage of camp when a broken ankle sidelined interior defensive lineman Jamari Lyons for the season. Still, the Gators have depth up front, and Sapp sees a lot of talent.
When asked what it would be like for opposing offenses to deal with Jackson, Banks, McCray, and Co. when he and Boone need a rest, Sapp did a sack dance.
"Hey, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" Sapp responded. "The world may never know."
Sapp may be the only one who knows what that quote means. But you've got to give a guy credit for trying.
As for Florida's defensive line, the unit's performance will be a critical factor in whether the defense improves significantly in 2024. As camp winds down, we continue our "Gators Position Preview" series and look closely at the defensive line/edge group.
The Gators' defensive woes continued a season ago, a trend that extends back to the 2020 season when Florida allowed a program-record 30.8 points per game. A rotating cast of coaches and players have come and gone over the past four seasons. Is this the season the Gators tighten up defensively, starting along the defensive line? First-year defensive line coach Gerald Chatman replaced Sean Spencer and added a fiery attitude to spark improvement. The return of Boone, who was starting to show signs of becoming a force late in the 2022 season, is a much-needed boost. Boone is an edge rusher, and the Gators lost their top sack specialist from a season ago, Princely Umanmielen, in the transfer portal to Ole Miss. Sophomore T.J. Searcy and newcomer George Gumbs Jr., who had 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last season at Northern Illinois, figure prominently in the plans at edge. Sapp and sophomore Kelby Collins also have experience outside and the versatility to bounce inside and outside when needed. Sapp recorded 24 tackles and two sacks in 2023 and has taken on a leadership role. Newcomer Joey Slackman, the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year at Penn, had 12 tackles for loss and four sacks a season ago. He can move around on the interior line, adding intensity to the young group. Cam Jackson is projected to start at nose tackle. Jackson transferred from Memphis last year, but his lack of conditioning prevented Jackson from reaching his potential. He is in better shape, which the Gators are counting on for more production. With the injury to Lyons, Desmond Watson remains an option behind Jackson, although Watson has had well-documented issues with conditioning throughout his career. Caleb Banks is the frontrunner to start at defensive tackle after recording 19 tackles and a sack last season after transferring from Louisville. The Gators lost Chris McClellan in the transfer portal to Missouri, but the addition of McCray and fellow freshmen D'Antre Robinson and Michai Boireau inject some youthful competition into the mix. Jack Pyburn, Kamran James, Quincy Ivory and junior-college transfer Brien Taylor Jr. are others vying for playing time. Ja'Markis Weston, a veteran special-teams standout who started his career at receiver, is working at edge in his final season. While the Gators have a core group of returners with experience, this unit is starving for a player or two to have a breakout season for a program that has not allowed less than 26.8 points a game since 2019.
Transfer Joey Slackman was Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 at Penn. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
If season started today: Boone, Slackman, Sapp, Jackson, Banks and Gumbs are solid picks to start or get plenty of reps. Collins, Searcy, Pyburn and Watson form a 10-deep solid unit. The bottom line is that this is a unit that could use several different combinations during the season, and if Chatman had his way, it would include fierce competition for snaps from the younger players well into the regular season.
Speculation: The signing of McCray was a big get for the Gators. The five-star signee from Daytona Beach Mainland was ranked near the top of his position group by all the major recruiting services and helped Mainland win its first state championship in 20 years. The 6-foot-6, 264-pound McCray needs some time to develop, but the sooner, the better for the Gators.
Quote of Note: "Very terrifying, honestly. First game against Utah, I remember I ran out — I still think about this to this day — I ran out onto the field and got really bad goosebumps like I don't know if I can do this, but I was like, 'You know what, you're Caleb Banks, you can do whatever you want to do. You can do anything.' I feel like I went out there and had a good game. I went through the rest of the season, first home game was against Tennessee, I believe, and it was pretty hard. It was really hard, but I got through it. It's going to be a better year this year." — Caleb Banks on his growing pains in 2023
