Florida’s defense is not living up to expectations through five games of the 2026 season. The Gators rank 107th in total defense and 104th in scoring defense.
Step one for defensive coordinator Brad White is limiting explosive plays. Florida is coming off a blowout loss to Missouri in which it allowed four plays for 235 yards, accounting for roughly 42% of the Tigers’ total yards.
“It’s explosives. We can’t give up explosives, both in the pass game and then the run game,” White said Tuesday. “We’ve got to eliminate those plays. We won’t be a good defense until we do that. And then at that point, then you can start playing competitive football.”
Florida’s secondary play is the biggest point of emphasis moving forward. The Gators allow 266.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 128th in the country and dead last in the SEC. The defensive backs have struggled to consistently win their matchups, which White believes is a result of a lack of aggression.
“If we want to get anywhere close to where we want to get to, when the ball’s in the air, there has to be more of a dog mentality. That is my ball. There’s too much survival mode right now and not enough hunting,” White said. “We need to hunt. So again, that’s just words. Guys have to play confident again. I believe in everybody in that room. Like I told them, I would much rather you go down freaking swinging and straining and playing hard than, you know, playing soft and playing like a coward.”
There have been questions about whether Florida’s scheme is the right fit for its personnel. White knows the defense needs to improve, and he isn’t ruling out changes as the Gators evaluate what has gone wrong.
“Anytime you’re not playing well or you’re getting exposed in a certain area, even if you’re playing well. If you’re playing well and you’re getting exposed at the same spot, to just continue to do the same thing wouldn’t be real smart,” White said. “So everything’s always being evaluated. How we’re coaching it is being evaluated. From us as coaches, are we, are we saying it right? Are we teaching it right? Are their eyes in the right spot? All of these things. Yeah, everything’s up for adjustment.”
Florida’s Week 6 test comes against South Carolina, which has another athletic and physical quarterback in LaNorris Sellers. The Gators will need to focus on limiting the Gamecocks’ rushing attack, including Sellers’ ability as a designed runner.
“He is as talented a physical quarterback as I’ve played against in my career, in terms of when he runs the football, he’s kind of like Saquon Barkley. He’s a guy that’s like a 600-pound squatter, huge legs, guys fall off,” White said of Sellers.
The Gators will also need to key in on senior receiver Nyck Harbor, an explosive playmaker that stands at 6’5″, 239 pounds.
“He’s a really talented player, and so it’s a mix of things. It’s a mix of coverages off, on, who’s on. You got to do a little bit of both and then ultimately when the ball’s in the air, you’ve got to want it more.”