The first group I’ll be breaking down is the cornerbacks, who I think have the potential to see big improvement compared to what we saw from them in 2023. The cornerback room consists of three new scholarship players, all of which could see the field in their first season as Florida Gators. Last season, the Gators had a total of seven scholarship cornerbacks compared to this year’s total of nine.
Senior CB Jason Marshall Jr.
For a while it seemed as if Jason Marshall was going to enter the NFL draft and forgo his senior season with the Florida Gators, but later decided to return to Florida after a disappointing third season. Prior to last season, Marshall was a projected first round pick on some NFL mock drafts, but later fell off the board due to giving up 24.2 yards per reception and five touchdowns, which was a team high amongst players with 120+ snaps. In 32 games played, Marshall recorded 78 total tackles (55 solo), 23 passes defended, six tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack.
The 6-0.5, 205-pound cornerback will be a lock to start week one against Miami given nothing dramatic happens throughout these next seven weeks. Marshall may have not performed the best in important moments last season, but he came close to breaking all his season-totals throughout his career with 26 total tackles (20 solo), 10 passes defended, three tackles for loss and one sack in 12 games played in 2023.
Jason Marshall and the cornerbacks struggled throughout most of the 2023 season due to different lingering issues that held this team back defensively. There was very little improvement on the defensive line and secondary through 13 games, and that blame can be placed on both the coaching staff and their players. With a new and improved defensive coaching staff and some new faces on Florida’s front seven in 2024, there’s a good chance the defense see’s improvement across the board. The energy and passion was missing from this unit, which is something Will Harris looks to restore.
Junior CB Devin Moore
While dealing with his fair share of injuries throughout his three years as a Gator, junior cornerback Devin Moore has shown consistent production when healthy and on the field. The 6-2, 197-pound cornerback recorded a total of 12 tackles (9 solo), four passes defended and one interception in his 12 games played throughout his career.
If Moore can stay healthy in 2024, the sky is the limit for the talented defensive back.
“I was definitely at my lowest a few moments between that season,” Moore said on missing most of last season. “But, you know, the support I had from my teammates, coaches, training staff, I took a lot of lessons out of it, how to treat my body weight better, it’s all about the things you eat, you know just the little things, all the little things I could do to just prevent any of that stuff from happening. That’s kind of what I took away from it.”
The goal for the Naples native heading into the 2024 season is to simply get bigger, faster and stronger. The newly improved strength staff has played a major role in that aspect for multiple players.
“My offseason approach was just work hard, trust my coaching, and just growing with my teammates,” Moore said on the offseason. “I did gain a few pounds, got leaner, faster, bigger, stronger, those type of things, but that’s credit to the coaching staff and the strength staff, they put a lot of hard work in to develop individual programs for all of us.”
If Moore can stay healthy and injury free in 2024, I think he could end up being one of Florida’s most productive players on defense with a full season under his belt. Moore was Florida’s highest graded defender in 2023, allowing just five receptions for 30 yards on 12 targets across eight games.
Sophomore CB Ja’Keem Jackson
The cornerback I’m most excited to watch this season is Osceola native and second-year cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson. The former four-star cornerback had some early struggles in 2023 but showed the willingness to battle through adversity and made some great plays in his 11 games played last season. The 6-0.5, 187-pound cornerback recorded seven total tackles (five solo), and three passes defended in his freshman season.
The Top-300 player was originally a receiver in high school but made the switch to cornerback late in his career. Jackson’s first season as a Gator was his first season strictly playing cornerback, and he’s only continuing to improve each time he steps on the field.
“He played receiver then he moved to DB, but you saw the traits. You saw the traits that he had,” former coach Corey Raymond said prior to the 2023 season. “I thought that he was a really good player in high school once he started playing the position. Now you see how he’s growing. And, you know, he had some guys working with him outside of that that did a good job with him and helping with his fundamentals. Those guys down there did a good job with him.”
Jackson went on to prove everyone right in his first year at cornerback for the Gators, and I think he doubles down on that this season and takes a big leap backing up Jason Marshall in 2024.
Sophomore CB Dijon Johnson
Last season, second-year cornerback Dijon Johnson was turning heads in nearly every scrimmage played last season during spring ball, which earned him some time on the field as a true freshman in primarily a special teams role. The former Top-10 defensive back has a chance to take the next step this upcoming season on the field. In 2023, Johnson appeared in all 12 games while recording two total tackles (one solo) and a fumble recovery.
“Dijon Johnson, I think, is a very unique player for his size. Plays corner, very physical, can make a play on the ball. 6’1″, close to 190 pounds, and a guy that you put him up there and he can put his hands on you,” Napier said on Johnson. “He’s great in press coverage. I think he’s instinctive, he’s a great tackler, and he makes plays on the ball. Had a phenomenal year there.”
If Devin Moore goes down again at some point this season, Dijon Johnson or Ja’Keem Jackson will likely share a big role on Florida’s defense during the 2024 season. Johnson is a former four-star prospect across all recruiting platforms and was a 2023 Under Armour All-American participant as the 91st overall prospect and 10th ranked cornerback in the ESPN Top-300. During his junior season, Johnson recorded six interceptions and returned four of them for a touchdown, something Johnson has continued to do in practice at the collegiate level.
Who else could have an impact?
The cornerback room is in better shape than it was last season, but the Gators will likely need players to step up if injuries at cornerback continue in 2024.
Will Harris and the Gators brought in a total of five transfers this past offseason in the secondary, with two of them being cornerbacks. Former four-star transfer Jameer Grimsley is a 2024 prospect and former Top-100 player that was unable to get out of his NLI following his enrollment to Alabama, which forced him to transfer and not re-sign. The Tampa native is someone who has the speed to keep up with anyone due to his former track background at Tampa Catholic. As an 11th grader, Grimsley posted a 100-meter dash time of 10.84 and ran for a personal best of 21.79 in the 200-meter dash.
Lakeland native and former #1 overall cornerback Cormani McClain recently made the decision to come back home after the five-star’s time in Boulder fell short and didn’t work out during his freshman season. With McClain joining the team as a preferred walk-on, the ladder will be harder to climb for the former Top-10 recruit when it comes to playing time. However, with hard work and determination, McClain could be a guy who makes his way up the depth chart if the talent can translate to the field.
Aaron Gates is a guy that’s expected to compete for a starting spot at the STAR position, but Gator Country believes it’s possible he sees time at cornerback in 2024.
Projected Depth Chart:
CB (1):
Starter: Jason Marshall Jr.
Backup: Ja’Keem Jackson
Reserve: Jameer Grimsley
CB (2):
Starter: Devin Moore
Backup: Dijon Johnson or Jameer Grimsley
Reserve: Cormani McClain