The Florida Gators defense received good news on Wednesday when junior cornerback Duke Dawson announced he would be returning for his senior season in 2017.
— Duke Dawson Jr. (@7upya__) January 3, 2017
Dawson, from Cross City, got his Florida career started off with a bang returning an interception for a touchdown in his very first game. Dawson played in all 27 games the last two seasons, starting seven games this past season at nickel. He tallied 24 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, one interception, seven pass breakups and had one forced fumble.
Dawson has played all over the secondary for the Gators in three seasons and will be a key component of the Florida defense that will have a lot of holes to fill in 2017.
Dawson is the first of several draft eligible juniors that Florida will wait to hear from on their draft decisions. Defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, linebacker Alex Anzalone as well as cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson could all leave for the NFL this year. Offensive tackle David Sharpe has already announced his intentions to forego his senior season.