Three Florida Gator defensive backs are participating in the Under Armour All-America game this Tuesday, January 3rd.
Sunday wrapped up the third and final day of full practice as the teams will run a walk through on Monday.
Gator Country caught up with DB coach Donald Cox, who has been working alongside Gator signees Sharif Denson, Ja’Keem Jackson, and Jordan Castell since Friday.
Cox is a long time DB coach and trainer that works with athletes from the high school and college level. Outside of working the Under Armour All America Camp, he coaches the DB’s at the ESPN Elite UnderClassman camp and the UA Next Game.
“All coachable kids,” Cox said on the Gators trio. “And sometimes you kind of get that statement that Florida kids aren’t coachable kids, not because they’re not coachable, they’re confident. Sometimes people tell you confidence and cockiness is disrespectful, ‘no it isn’t’. As a DB, they understand you gotta have that confidence, you gotta have that cockiness to separate you. But are they coachable kids? They are 100 percent coachable kids.”
SHARIF DENSON
“Sharif Denson’s going to be a very good player,” Cox said on the Jacksonville product. “Reaf’s got a lot of tangibles.”
“He’s got some minor things he’s got to work on because he hasn’t been challenged, he hasn’t been challenged,” Cox said on Denson’s camp to this point. “Coming out here, he’s kind of getting challenged a little bit, it kind of flusters him a little bit, because now he’s seeing, ‘oh man, I got to be able to use my feet more than just my physical hands’, because he’s a very physical player. But I know at the next level, when he gets with the right coach and then understands how to use his feet and stop relying so much on his athletic ability, understands the DB game, he’s going to be at a whole other level.”
Today wasn’t Denson’s best outing, but he had put together two straight good performances. Denson is an extremely physical player despite holding a 5-11, 170-pound frame. You saw flashes of greatness from Denson today, using strong hands for a pass break up and displaying elite break and closing speed.
Denson could compete for the starting STAR position next fall.
JA’KEEM JACKSON
“He’s new, he’s new, he’s raw,” Cox said on Jackson. “So, once he understands the fundamental basics of it, his talent level is endless.”
After struggling earlier in the camp, Ja’Keem Jackson looked like the best DB on the field today. The physicality, awareness, and closing speed from the 6-1, 180 pound outside corner stood out.
“I thought that from day one, he got way better,” Cox said on Jackson’s improvement throughout camp. “By the time day three came, he legitimately could be named one of the top DB’s out here, hands down. Because hands down he listens, he’s coachable, but now he needs to understand how to slow the game down from a DB point of view.”
The receiver converted into a DB during his junior season at Osceola High School. Cox believes his receiver background is helping him at cornerback.
“It’s the fact that he’s new cause he’s been playing receiver, but that brings him to a different level cause he understands where the routes are going, he understands exactly the leverage, the inside zone, the man concept.”
“Take that receiver concept, bring it to DB, with your athletic ability, he’s unstoppable,” Cox said.
If Ja’Keem Jackson allowed any completions today, it wasn’t many. He added an interception to his stat sheet during 7 on 7’s.
JORDAN CASTELL
Castell was the other winner from the DB room today. The safety wasn’t just securing his zone in 7 on 7’s, but locking down receivers’ man to man.
“That is a grown man playing safety,” Cox said. “Being that big, coming down here, it’s expected. But to say that that kid can cover, with that kind of size, that’s stealing.”
Castell is every bit of his 6-2, 200-pound frame, but doesn’t lack speed. His long strides help him close-in on receivers that create separation. Castell is best suited for the safety position, but his cover skills are good enough to play outside corner if needed.
Castell will compete for early playing time at safety.
Cox tells me that the Gators trio just needs to iron out the small stuff.
“Just the small individual fundamentals,” Cox said on where the trio can improve. “Sometimes they get so caught with just their athletic ability, they kind of forget about the fundamentals of football, the small stuff.”
“Work on every little small thing that you’re kind of weak at, and watch how much more valuable your game is going to become,” Cox said.
Only three of the six Gators’ defensive back signees participated in this camp, but Florida fans should feel really good about the future of the DB room.