A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted the 2020 recruitment class for the Gators’ offense. Now, we’re going to dive into the defensive side and see where these Gator recruits are today.
Gervon Dexter / DT
Natl. 12 – Pos 3 – FL 1
Being a five-star recruit out of Florida (and the number one player in Florida), Gervon Dexter was projected as a big corner piece for the Gators, and Dexter panned out to be just that.
In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Dexter combined for 105 tackles, including 8.5 TFL (tackles for loss) and 4.5 sacks. Dexter proved to be a huge piece for the Gators’ defense that struggled despite his excellent play.
Dexter chose to forgo his senior season and enter the 2023 draft as he ended up being selected at the 22nd pick in the second round by the Chicago Bears. Dexter will look to fit right in on a Bears team that is looking more promising this upcoming season.
Derek Wingo / OLB
Natl 64 – Pos 5 – FL 13
The extremely talented outside linebacker received high praise out of St. Thomas Aquinas with experts projecting him as a day two draft pick, even being named the 2019 Gatorade Florida Football Player of the Year.
In three years with the team, Wingo has accumulated 41 total tackles, three TFLs, two sacks, and one pass deflection. Although this may seem lackluster, the OLB has only seen three starts in his career. Wingo showcased his talent is the Las Vegas Bowl game versus Oregon State, where he tallied 8 tackles and a sack.
Returning for his fourth season as a Gator, expect Wingo to be a big piece of this defense if given the opportunity to start.
Jahari Rogers / CB
Natl 87 – Pos 8 – TX 11
Rogers was a big pickup in 2020 when he announced his commitment. Named the District 4-6A MVP as a junior, Rogers was a talented two-way player but planned on being a CB for the Gators.
In his freshman season, Rogers saw limited action, playing only two games and tallying two tackles and one PD. Rogers made the decision to transfer after one season, landing at SMU.
For the past two years, Rogers has played 21 games, totaling 51 tackles, 2 INTs, and 10 PDs. Rogers has been given the chance to shine at SMU, something Gator fans may be wishing he stayed for in Gainesville.
Ethan Pouncey / CB
Natl 176 – Pos 12 – FL 26
Pouncey was predicted as a multi-year starter for Florida out of Winter Park High School. For Pouncey, it seems like his time may be running out. Seeing no action in 2020 and limited action in 2021-22, Pouncey simply hasn’t been able to touch the Gators starting rotation. His stats sample is small, totaling just 6 tackles his entire career. We’ll see if Pouncey has the chance to play more this upcoming season, but only time will tell for the former four-star CB.
Antwuan Powell / Edge
Natl 184 – Pos 10 – VA 4
Powell burst onto the scene for the Gators this year having what some people would call a breakout season in 2022. In 13 games Powell had 29 total tackles, six TFLs, three sacks, and three forced fumbles. This past season was what fans expected out of the talented Edge.
During Spring of 2023, Powell announced he would be transferring to Virginia Tech back in his home state. Look for Powell to be a big part of the Hokies defense in hopes of being highly regarded come the 2024 NFL Draft.
Princely Umanmielen / DL
Natl 243 – Pos 9 – TX 38
Out of Manor High School in Texas, Umanmielen was named first-team all-district as a junior and helped Manor to the Texas 5A D-I state quarterfinals as a senior. Umanmielen was also a two-sport athlete in HS as he competed in track and field. Praised for his size and length at his position, experts were projecting all-conference potential and NFL Draft potential as well.
A key player in the front seven for Florida, Umanmielen had himself a great season in 2022. Umanmielen totaled 39 TOT, 9.5 TFLs, 4.5 Sacks, and 2 forced fumbles while making 11 starts in the season. Umanmielen is projected as a top player for the defense come the 2023 season.
Kamar Wilcoxson / S
Natl 308 – Pos 30 – FL 51
Coming out of the highly sought-after IMG Academy, Wilcoxson’s sideline-to-sideline ability at Safety projected him as a future starter for Florida. Unfortunately, it never panned out for the Safety, as he only played in 4 games total for Florida with career stats of 5 TOT and 1 fumble recovery. Wilcoxson ended up entering the transfer portal this past December and is looking to revive his career with the Temple Owls this fall.
Rashad Torrence II / S
Natl 335 – Pos 33 – GA 32
The safety out of Georgia racked up 196 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, three INTs, six PDs, and one forced fumble in his Gators’ career.
Torrence progressed physically but it never translated much to the field.
Torrence declared for the 2023 NFL Draft shortly after the 2022 season. Going undrafted, The LA Rams signed Torrence to a UDFA contract, and the talented Florida alum looks to prove teams wrong this upcoming training camp.
Avery Helm / CB
Natl 344 – Pos 24 – TX 48
Out of Fort Bend Marshall High School, Helm was viewed as a solid CB that could help the defense. In three years with Florida, Helm totaled 31 TOT and four PDs in 13 games started. Overall, Helm ended up being solid, but nothing extremely special out of the Texas CB. Helm announced he’ll be transferring to TCU for the upcoming season.
Mordecai McDaniel / CB/S
Natl 361 – Pos 28 – DC 5
The Cornerback/Safety out of St. Johns High School (DC) was praised for his top-tier speed while also adding physical play. McDaniel had the blitzing ability and was also a useful player for special teams as well. While he did add to the special teams unit for the Gators, McDaniel was never given many opportunities when it came to defense, tallying 19 TOT, one INT, and one PD in his two years of play. McDaniel announced he would be entering the portal in July of 2022 and is still looking for a new home.
Lamar Goods / DT
Natl 362 – Pos 36 – CT 4
The only player in this class not from the US, Goods was the third DT out of this recruitment class to commit to Florida. However, it never truly worked out for Goods, as he only played two games in two years and only recorded one tackle. Goods eventually announced he’d be transferring back in the Spring of 2022, as he joined the University of Manitoba back in January 2023.
Jalen Lee / DT
Natl 365 – Pos 37 – LA 16
Lee was a massive pickup for the Gators in 2020. Praised for his terrific size and length at DT, he boasted a wingspan of 6-foot-7 ½ at an SEC camp during his recruitment. He showed the ability to beat double teams while having bursts of speed off the line. Yet again, Lee was never given a true shot with Florida, as he started just 4 games in his three-year career. Lee announced this past December he would be transferring to his home state university, LSU.
Fenley Graham / CB
Natl 474 – Pos 34 – FL 67
Graham is another case of someone in this recruitment class who didn’t play much for Florida, as he was mostly a special teams player. His most notable play came against Samford (Nov. 13th, 2021) as he forced a fumble. Graham ultimately announced his transfer in June of 2022 and is now playing ball at Florida A&M.
Tre’Vez Johnson / S/CB
Natl 481 – Pos 42 – FL 68
Johnson is most definitely viewed as one of the bigger contributors in this class, seeing plenty of game action in the past three years. In his career, Johnson has tallied 65 TOT, seven TFL, one sack, three INTs, and 9 PDs. Notably, he had a crucial INT against USF (Sept. 17th, 2022) in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning TD. Johnson announced he’d be entering the transfer portal in December 2022 and will be playing for Missouri next season.