Gator Country continues breaking down every position group across Florida’s roster ahead of fall camp. Switching to the defensive side, we will take a look at Florida’s seven scholarship edge rushers. The Gators lost two key contributors from last season after Jack Pyburn and TJ Searcy transferred from the program this offseason. The pair combined for 696 snaps as they split time at JACK in 2024. Florida welcomed two freshmen in the spring and one transfer while returning four edge rushers.
Tyreak Sapp (R-Sr.)
In the transfer portal and NIL era of college football, player retention is often times more important than adding guys to your roster. The Gators were able to keep Tyreak Sapp from testing the NFL waters as he returned for his final season at UF. Sapp broke out in 2024, leading the Gators in sacks (7) and tackles for loss (13) while tying the team high in forced fumbles (2). The Fort Lauderdale native graded as the 9th best edge defender in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus. Sapp’s run defense grade of 88.7 led the Gators’ defense and ranked 6th amongst edge rushers in the country. Sapp was also sound as a pass rusher, posting a 15.8 win percentage on true pass sets which ranked second on Florida’s defensive line behind Caleb Banks, according to PFF.
Sapp is an experienced SEC defender with over a thousand career snaps under his belt. The 6’3, 273-pound edge rusher serves as Florida’s team leader and is expected to start at F (strong side).
Kamran James (Jr.)
After playing a small role in 2023, Kamran James took a sizeable jump last season, tallying 28 tackles, two sacks, four tackles, and one forced fumble across 13 games including four starts. Standing at 6’6, 272 pounds, James has more than enough length he can use to his advantage off the edge. James will need to improve as a pass rusher to find significant playing time on third downs, however. In 2024, James posted a win rate of 3.4% on true pass sets, the lowest on the Gators’ defensive line among players with more than 70 pass rushing snaps.
In early April, head coach Billy Napier noted James as one of two players in the edge room that took a huge jump in the offseason. We saw that in the Orange and Blue game as James totaled five tackles, one sack, and one pass break up. James will likely split time with Tyreak Sapp once again this season.
Jalen Wiggins (Fr.)
A top 200 overall prospect and consensus four star in the 2025 class, Jalen Wiggins posted 86 tackles, 14 sacks, and 18 tackles for loss throughout his senior season at Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Florida. Wiggins combined for 31 sacks and 39 tackles for loss in three years at the varsity level. Standing at 6’5, 270 pounds, Wiggins is a lengthy pass rusher that often uses his hands to shed blocks and get to the ball carrier. Wiggins recorded a nine-yard sack in Florida’s Orange and Blue Spring game.
With Justus Boone transferring from the program, there’s an opening at ‘F’ where Wiggins could provide some much-needed depth in 2025.
George Gumbs Jr. (R-SR)
As I stated in an earlier article, George Gumbs Jr. is one of my breakout player of the year candidates. In 2024, Gumbs Jr. finished second on the Gators in tackles for loss (8.0) and sacks (5.0). The former NIU tight end didn’t even start playing defense until the 2023 season, where he logged 3.5 sacks with the Huskies. Gumbs Jr. has improved every year and I expect another sizeable jump in 2025. The 6’4, 253-pound edge rusher posted 26 pressures which ranked tied for second on the Gators defense with Tyreak Sapp. Gumbs Jr. can win at the line of scrimmage given his athleticism and burst, posting a respectable 15.2-win percentage.
With Pyburn and Searcy off the roster, the JACK position is wide open, but you can expect Gumbs to get a large share of the snap count after leading Florida’s edge rushers in snaps last season, despite logging just three starts.
LJ McCray (So.)
After primarily playing ‘F’ throughout his freshman campaign, LJ McCray switched to JACK in the offseason where he will compete for playing time in another competitive group. In 2024, McCray totaled 13 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss across 13 games played and 181 snaps.
McCray has high expectations entering year two as the No.1 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class and the highest rated defensive commit under Billy Napier. Having experience at strong side defensive end, McCray can provide depth at multiple positions in 2025 and should find more playing time as a sophomore.
Kofi Asare (R-Jr.)
The lone transfer addition in the edge room was UMass’s Kofi Asare, a rising redshirt junior with two years of eligibility left. After a small role in 2022 and 2023, Asare tallied 30 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks last season with the Minutemen. Asare’s defensive grade of 73.3 was the 4th highest on UMass last season while his pressure grade of 73.7 led the Minutemen defense, according to PFF. The 6’4.75, 246-pound edge rusher led UMass in QB hurries (15) and ranked second in pressures (19).
According to Napier, Asare is up 12-15 pounds since his arrival in Gainesville and has made a ton of progress. One intriguing part of Asare’s addition is that he played against three SEC teams last year (Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri), recording a sack against Mississippi State and a tackle for loss against Missouri. This addition is similar to Gumbs’ last season, which has worked in Florida’s favor so far.
Asare will likely serve as a depth piece in 2025 and could see time on special teams.
Jayden Woods (Fr.)
Jayden Woods, a top 100 player according to 247 sports, flipped from Penn State to Florida ahead of early signing day. Since arriving in Gainesville for the spring semester, Woods has garnered plenty of attention for his motor on the field and in the weight room.
“I’ll tell you what. 15, the true freshman (Jayden Woods), he got juice. He got juice, and he has power off the edge. I think he’ll be a really good player for us,” offensive line coach Jon Decoster said on Woods.
Playing for Mill Valley High School in Kansas, Woods combined for 212 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, 29 QB hurries, 12 pass break-ups, seven forced fumbles and an interception over his high school career. Woods has good size for a freshman standing at 6’3, 240 pounds and is projected to play JACK in 2025.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
JACK
1. George Gumbs Jr.
2. LJ McCray
3. Kofi Asare or Jayden Woods
F
1. Tyreak Sapp
2. Kamran James
3. Jalen Wiggins